Local Solutions to Hunger

In his speech on hunger, Gary Oppenheimer explains how the issue of food security can be addressed using what's in our backyards rather than our back pockets. The speaker founded AmpleHarvest.org -- a campaign combining the power of the Internet with people's good will to problem solve without spending any money.

34% of Americans grow food in home gardens, using what they can, preserving some and either giving away or wasting the rest. Food waste is an environmental hazard according to the EPA. This is a secondary issue that can be addressed, according to the speech on hunger. Food banks don't usually accept fresh food, but if people take a portion of their own harvest directly to food pantries, a solution is at hand. AmpleHarvest.org, therefore, serves to educate, encourage and enable people to donate the produce they grow themselves.

The speech on hunger explains how this allows people to take ownership of hunger and malnutrition in their own community. It's sustainable on an environmental level, but also costs nothing to implement or operate. The speaker asks people to urge local food pantries to accept fresh produce and speak to gardeners and growers to donate.