“Ending Hunger… Yes We Can!” is the theme of this year’s “University Hunger Summit” at Auburn University. This is the fourth year that Auburn University has teamed up with “Universities Fighting World Hunger” to host a weekend long conference.

“Universities Fighting World Hunger” (UFWH) is an association of colleges and universities that have partnered with the “United Nations World Food Program” to help raise awareness and develop solutions to end hunger and poverty. The UFWH approached June Henton, dean of the School of Human Sciences and asked her to help inform students about world hunger through a web site. Henton wanted to go above and beyond just creating a web site, and a World Hunger campaign was born. In 2005, Auburn University held its first “University Hunger Summit.”

The “University Hunger Summit” is a chance for other schools to get involved with helping solve world hunger and poverty. The summit focuses on what hunger is, how it affects people a in the United States and abroad, and to explore the issues surrounding hunger. The conference helps other schools start their own campaigns and gives them the tools necessary to start a UFWH campus chapter.

Auburn University has had great success with the “University Hunger Summit” conferences and is looking forward to another weekend with the “Fourth Annual University Hunger Summit” coming up Feb. 27 to March 1.

Those who attend the summit will have the opportunity to hear a number of speakers and interact with experts in the field who can offer advice. Spencer Bacchus, a representative in Congress from Alabama, is a fighter for hunger relief and will be attending this year’s Summit.

Angela Montoya is a graduate student who is helping plan this year’s summit. Montoya is from Colombia, South America, where she witnessed hunger and extreme poverty growing up. When she came to the United States, Montoya felt that people weren’t aware of the vastness of world hunger and became involved with Auburn’s chapter of UFWH.

“Most people in third world countries think the US has it all, but people are experiencing food insecurities here too. I want to let people know what’s happening around the world,” said Montoya.

Montoya said that she hopes that the “Hunger Summit” will help people become more aware about hunger domestically and globally.

“Our theme ‘Ending Hunger… Yes We Can!’ gives you empowerment and drive. Even small changes help because you’re doing something for the community and world,” said Montoya.

For more information on Universities Fighting World Hunger, go to http://www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org.



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