A Couple of Stories of Hope from the Rubble of Typhoon Haiyan

Catholic Relief Services Appeal

Three weeks have passed since  monster Typhoon Haiyan brought unimaginable devastation to dozens of communities in the central islands of the Philippines. By some estimates, the death toll  had surpassed 5,600 by the end of November. "Counting the dead in the Philippines is grim, slow, and frustratingly inexact work," said Eric McClam of NBC News. 

Recovery efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines are ongoing with continued needs that remain staggering. According to the United Nations, 13.2 million were affected; 4.33 million people were displaced; and 1 million homes were damaged. In addition, 2.5 million people require urgent food assistance.

Here is the list I posted a couple of weeks ago of agencies continuing to provide relief.

Diosdado and Melicia
In the midst of all the destruction, there are some stories of hope  Church World Service recently posted a touching piece entitled Ongoing Recovery Efforts

Photo Church World Service

Diosdado Aballe and his wife, Melicia, are sugarcane farmers in the Anonang Norte area of the Philippines. When the typhoon struck, their livelihood was gone - along with their home. When Melicia recounts their loss, she can’t stop her tears.
 But when she received emergency relief supplies through CWS partner ACT Alliance, those tears turned into joy. This family - and many others throughout this devastated area - received food, medical supplies, shelter and much more. Now, they don’t have to worry about meeting their daily needs while they begin to recover ... and CWS will continue to help in the long-term as they rebuild their livelihood.

“Thank you to the people behind this relief operation,” Melicia says.

(Note: Diosdado is a common Spanish name in The Philippines. You probably won't find too many people with that name in Latin America or Spain. The name  has a beautiful meaning: God-given).

Leonora
The Lutheran World Relief blog also tells the story about one of the survivors of the typhoon. The piece, written by Loren Hyatt, is entitled "A Mother’s Prayer for Survival and Recover."

Leonora sells dried fish, earning 100 pesos (approximately $2.30) on successful day of selling. With this income, Leonora buys food for her family, pays for children’s education expenses and buys other necessary household items. Even when business is good, however, Leonora finds it difficult to support the growing needs of her five children.

In the aftermath of the storm, Leonora’s customers can no longer afford to buy the dried fish she sells. To support their family, Leonora’s oldest child, Leonisa, migrated to the city of Cebu to work as a housekeeper. It is difficult for her family to be apart. “This is our first time being separated. I do not want her to go, but things are really difficult.”

“I just pray that I can have the means to repair our home. My income is not even enough for our daily needs and seeing our house like this makes me remember that horrific day.”

Ending Hunger in America: The 2014 Hunger Report

On Nov. 25, the Bread for the World Institute released Ending Hunger in America: the 2014 Hunger Report. The report recommends four bold steps that our government and our society can take to end hunger in the United States by 2030.  Each step is discussed in a chapter of the report (see link to each of those chapters, plus a chapter on addressing hunger at the global level).

"Returning the economy closer to the full employment level of 2000 would also decrease hunger from today’s rate of 14.5 percent,' said the Bread for the World Institute. "By making jobs a priority, it would be possible for President Obama and Congress to reduce hunger in America by 25 percent by 2017. In addition to investing in good jobs as a way of ending hunger, the report also recommends ending the political brinkmanship that led to the sequester, or automatic budget cuts, and focusing on investing in people, strengthening the safety net and encouraging community partnerships."

Here are a couple of points from the executive summary of the report (available for download on an IPad or Kindle).

Ending hunger in America is possible. It is not an impossible dream. If we decided we really wanted to do it, we could wake up one morning in 2030 and be living in a country where hunger is rare and temporary, not the shared experience of millions of Americans that it is in 2014.

2030 is not an arbitrary date to wake up to an America without hunger. Although most of this report is about ending hunger in the United States, it also calls on the U.S. government to work within the international community to forge a unified and universal set of global development goals to follow the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), whose deadline is December 2015. A post-MDG agreement should include a specific goal to end hunger and achieve food security and good nutrition in all countries by 2030. “MDG” may not be a household word in the United States, but the MDG experience is inspirational: setting goals led to concrete progress on global poverty.

Chapter by Chapter

• Introduction: Setting a Goal and Developing a Plan
• Chapter 1: Getting Back to Full Employment
• Chapter 2: A Fair Deal for Workers
• Chapter 3: Inclusion for the Excluded and Denied
• Chapter 4: Local Leaders Working with National Partners
• Chapter 5: Ending Extreme Poverty and Hunger Worldwide
• Conclusion: Engaging Americans in the Search for Solutions
• Christian Study Guide

Full Report in PDF

Resumen y Guía de Estudio en Español

Blessings on Thanksgiving

I don't want you to just sit down at the table.
I don't want you to just eat and be content.
I want you to walk out into the fields
Where the water is shining and the rice has risen.
I want you to stand there far from this white tablecloth.
I want you to fill your hands with mud, like a blessing.

-Mary Oliver

A Couple of Prayers on Thanksgiving Eve

Child drawing, San José de Anapra Anglican Church (Anapra, Mexico)

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. 
-Johannes A. Gaertner


Give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way.
-Native American prayer

Interfaith Prayers, Fasting and Actions to End World Hunger

The world produces enough food to feed everyone, nearly 2,700 calories for each person in the world each day. Yet nearly 1 in 8 people around the world suffers from chronic malnourishment. (Source: World Hunger Education Service)

-from flier for interfaith service in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 16, 2013

Exactly two weeks from today (Tuesday, December 10), Pope Francis will ask people of faith around the world to pray and act to end world hunger by 2025. The prayer coincides with the gobal commemoration of  the UN's Human Rights Day and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including "the right to food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services (Article 25)."

Interfaith Voices Rise in Des Moines

The call to pray, fast and act to end world hunger was also very much on the minds of organizers of the Interfaith Prayer to End Hunger, held at the Cathedral of St. Ambrose, in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 16, 2013..

"In the midst of our bountiful Iowa harvest, join the faith communities of Central Iowa in giving thanks for blessings and in praying for the alleviation of world hunger," said the flier announcing the interfaith gathering. "Those who wish and who are able are encouraged, in a manner in harmony with their faith tradition, to fast from food on a day of their choosing prior to the service. Donations of money and nonperishable food items will be accepted during the service and will benefit hunger relief efforts."

The service, sponsored by the  Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines and the 2013 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue (with the support of the Des Moines Area Religious Council) also included readings and reflections from Jewish, Budhhist, Muslim and Christian Traditions. The program shows this was a beautiful collaborative effort.

This spirit of interfaith cooperation offers a good example of how others can come together to join Pope Francis on Dec. 10 to pray and take action to end world hunger by 2025.

Bread for the World President (and 2010 World Food Prize Laureate) David Beckmann led the call to action at the end of the service in Des Moines.

In that context, I would like to share a prayer from Rev. Beckmann (offered in a different setting).

A Prayer: Thank you God for amplifying our voices
God of Righteous Bounty,
We are moved by your grace to work for justice for hungry people.
We know that you hear the prayer of the mother in Mozambique whose child is crying for food. We know that you hear the prayer of the father in Minnesota who is trying to make ends meet and feed his family. Be a balm to them, our God, and give them strength as they work to better their lives.
Please hear our prayers as well. We pray that you will give us the conviction to answer your call to serve and to speak out for hungry people.
We pray for the leaders of our nation – the decision makers who can redirect billions of dollars of help and opportunity with the stroke of a pen.
Help them to hear the cries of hungry people that are ringing in our own ears, the cries that are so close to your very heart. Give our leaders the courage, the vision, and the wisdom to help us create a world where all are fed.
Thank you, God, for helping us to turn our faith into action, for amplifying our voices. Thank you that when we speak out for hungry people, the miracle of the loaves and fishes happens again and again.
We believe that you are moving in our time to end hunger, and we are grateful that you include us as a part of this great liberation.
Amen.

U2 Performs Song on Soundtrack for 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom'

The movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom  is a chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. The movie is scheduled for release on Nov. 28 in South Africa and in New York and Los Angeles a day later (and in the rest of the U.S. shortly thereafter). CNN has a great article. U2 performed one of the songs in the soundtrack for the movie.

Women's Group Promotes Community Supported Agriculture In Taos

On this blustery and snowy morning, it is appropriate to long for our spring and summer gardens, particularly here in our beautiful state of New Mexico. In that context, I want to feature a project led by Gael Minton, a farmer in Taos New Mexico. The project, Taos Women Farmers, was featured in the blog of the organization Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) back in April of this year.

Gael and her husband Ty Minton are owners of Squash Blossom Farms in Taos. One of the pieces in our series about bugs, hunger and food in May of this year addressed the useful role of insects in food production. The piece used quotes (obtained by Jim O'Donnell) from the Mintons about the useful role of insects in the pollination process.

Taos Women Farmers was formed in in 2006, when six women gathered around Gael Minton's dining room table to swap advice and tips, the names of their favorite seed suppliers, and the best performing varieties  The group has grown to 54 women, and 30 women attended their meeting in January of this year,

Read more from the CNG blog:
None of the members have much extra time to attend a lot of meetings so TWF holds just handful of gatherings and farm tours each year, but they make those few meetings count. For their last winter meeting they invited 2 outside speakers, heard report backs from women who had attended the state’s organic conference, held a panel discussion “Why we farm”, and held a winter market of handmade value-added products.

Neither do the members want the network to become too formal with membership dues or officer positions, so they keep it all volunteer. The group’s overhead is practically non-existent - doesn’t have a website, and they either meet at each other’s farms or rent out a space on a donation-basis.

The main cost for organizing the network is time. Gael Minton is the main impetus behind the network - she keeps track of the email list, sends out reminders, and makes sure there’s space to hold the meetings.   Read the full post entitled, Taos Women Farmers   The Taos News also featured the women in a great piece published  in August 2013.

On Dec. 10, Join Pope Francis in Prayers and Actions to End Hunger

If you've attended a sports event live, perhaps you have participated in a type of cheer known as the wave. By all accounts, the wave originated  a baseball playoff game between the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees on Oct. 15, 1981. While this form of cheering is not necessarily popular with all sports fans, it accomplishes one thing: it forces you a person to get off one's seat and join "a movement."

Another much larger wave is planned outside the sports realm on Tuesday, December 10, which happens to be the UN's Human Rights Day. This is when countries around the world observe the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  One particular section of the document will get special attention this year.

Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

The Global Prayer to End Hunger
On Tuesday, December 10, Pope Francis will launch a world-wide movement to respond to the needs of the poor and vulnerable in our midst by praying and acting to end hunger. At noon local time, a “Global Wave of Prayer” called One Human Family, Food for All, will begin in Tonga and will progress around the world until it reaches American Samoa some 24 hours and more than 164 countries later!

Caritas Internationalis (the parent organization of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities in the U.S.) is a main sponsor of this global event. See special invitiation from Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa (Honduras) and president of Caritas Internationalis. from  A special prayer has been created for the occasion in the languages of all the people who will participate in this global wave to end hunger.  Here is the prayer in English.

Local Actions
People of all faiths may participate by including special prayers during church services throughout that week. On Monday, Dec. 2, special resources will be available to help support the wave of prayer.  What you can do now is make a commitment to take part by signing this pledge.  Even though the campaign is sponsored by Caritas Internationalis, a Roman Catholic organization, people of all faiths are encourage to participate. This message is universal, and very much in the spirit that Pope Francis has conveyed during his papacy.  No matter our path in life, whether a vowed religious, a lay person, a Buddhist monk, a United Methodist minister...we can all participate in our own way in making this a better world. 

Stay tuned in coming days for other local opportunities to participate.

New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps Volunteers Urge Pepsi to Stop Land Grabs

Jasmine McBeath, Amanda Dezan, Sr. Joan Brown, Kathy Chavez

Oxfam is in the midst of a sweet campaign, and the New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps volunteers are taking part in a big way. The campaign, entitled Behind the Brands, is about corporate social responsibility and fair treatment for farmers and landholders in countries around the world.

Sugarcane is an important example. "As global demand for sugar increases, so does the rush for land to grow it. Around the world poor farmers are being kicked off their land to grow sugar, leaving them hungry and homeless," said Oxfam.

That's why the organization is holding Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Associated British Foods and dozens of other compannies accountable. And that's why local volunteers from New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps recently went to the local Pepsi facility to hold a yellow sign that said Caution: Ingredients May Cause Land Grabs on one side and has a Pepsi bottle on the back with the names of people  who signed a petition to Pepsi  The petitions were then delivered to people inside.

So how much difference does it make for a handful of volunteers in Albuquerque to deliver petitions to a small bottling plant?  Here's what Oxfam says: "Know that you are part of a larger campaign where 250,000 people have signed the petition to tell Coke, Pepsi and ABF to keep farmers on their land."

Coke has already agreed to work with Oxfam. "Yay!!!, says New Mexico Oxfam leader Jasmine McBeath, "so now we're putting the pressure on Pepsi!"

Beyond Sugarcane
 But this campaign is more than just about sugarcane, as corporations are depriving people around the world from many other resources.

 "In Pakistan, rural c ommunities say Nestlé is bottling and selling valuable groundwater near villages that can‟t afford clean water. In 2009, Kraft was accused of purchasing beef from Brazilian suppliers linked to cutting down trees in the Amazon rain forest in order to graze cattle.And today, Coca - Cola is facing allegations of child labor in its supply chain in the Philippines. Sadly, these charges are not anomalies. For more than 100 years, the world's most powerful food and beverage companies have relied on cheap land and labor to produce inexpensive products and huge profits. But these profits have often come at the cost of the environment and local communities around the world, and have contributed to a food system in crisis."  Oxfam tells you more in a briefing paper.  

How to Get Involved
Find out how prominent companies rate in their dealings with small farmers and rural communities. Oxfam 

"Use Facebook and Twitter to nudge your favourite brands. Contact the CEO personally and tell them what needs to change. We’ll be constantly updating the scorecard so you can see the impact you’re having."

In Albuquerque, contact Jasmine McBeath or Kathy Chavez if you want to link to local activities. (nmoxfamactioncorps@gmail.com).

Click here to find out how to connect with Oxfam Action Corps volunteers in other communities who are working on the Behind the Brands campaign or contact Oxfam America staff.

Archbishop of Tegucigalpa Promotes Caritas' Campaign to End Global Hunger

Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa (Honduras), invites you to join Caritas Internationalis' campaign to end global hunger by 2025.

The March on Washington and the Right to Food

Picture from the 50th Anniversary of March of Washington Web site

A litttle over a week ago,  I received an e-mail from my friend and fellow anti-poverty advocate Tom McDermott, a part-time resident Santa Fe. Tom's e-mail message came from Barcelona. The fact that Tom was in Barcelona  is not surprising, since his life's work has involved a lot of travel with the United Nations in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana, Indonesia, Thailand, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, India, Pakistan, and Bosnia, and previously with the Peace Corps  in India.

In his e-mail, Tom was passing on an article published in the Huffington Post's blog about the 50th anniversary of  The March on Washington. The  blog post/article, co-authored by Smita Narula and Rev. Jesse Jackson, is entitled A Dream Deferred: The Right to Food in America. "Smita is the daughter of two former UN colleagues. He was head of UNICEF's emergency office and she was the head of the UN Medical Service," said Tom Thought the piece might be of interest."

 Here is an excerpt:

"This year our nation commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, giving us all occasion to reflect on his civil rights aspirations and the extent to which they have been fulfilled. But the persistence of hunger in America today brings to mind Dr. King's other dream -- that of ending poverty and realizing the full spectrum of human rights, including the right to food.

The world over, freedom from hunger and access to sufficient, nutritious food are recognized as human rights. These ideas are not foreign to the United States; they were inspired by our government's commitment to ensuring "freedom from want" in the wake of the Great Depression. Now, more than ever, we must reclaim these values and ensure the right to food for all Americans. 

Last month, the USDA reported that 49 million Americans live in "food insecure" households, meaning they cannot afford adequate food for themselves or their families. In other words, nearly one in six individuals in the richest country in the world is struggling to put food on the table. Hunger in the United States is not the result of a shortage of food or resources -- it is the direct result of poverty perpetuated through policies that fail to prioritize Americans' fundamental needs. 

Read full article

Church Collecting Christmas Toys for Children in Border Community of Anapra in Mexico

The San José de Anapra Anglican Church in Anapra, Mexico, is collecting Christmas toys to brighten the lives of the 150 children of their deeply impoverished parish this holiday season. (Anapra is the community just outside Ciudad Juárez  where the Catholic bishops from three dioceses along the border hold an annual Mass to commemorate All Saints Day).

For many of the children, your donated toy will be the only toy they receive this Christmas. Please limit your donated toys to ten dollars and under.

Donations of gift bags, or else wrapping paper and tape, are also much appreciated. Toys will be collected in El Paso on three Saturdays -- Nov. 23rd, 30th, and Dec. 7th. Please come forward -- together, we can make a difference!

If you live in the Las Cruces-El Paso area, call Katie-Anita Hudak, wife of Rev. Miguel Angel Ramirez Centeno, rector of San Jose de Anapra, to schedule a pickup, or for more information: 720-401-8195

For those who live closer to the Deming or Silver City, N.M., areas, St. Augustine Anglican Church of Deming and Anglican Holy Trinity in Silver City are collecting toys on behalf of the children of San Jose de Anapra parish. Toys can be dropped off on Sundays through December 6, before or after services. In Deming: South 8th and Birch Streets, one block north of hospital, service at 10:30 a.m. In Silver City: 1801 Alabama St., at the chapel at old St. Mary's, service at 3 p.m. Call Rev. Henry Hoffman for more information or to schedule a toy pickup: 575-313-5797

For those who live outside the area, monetary donations marked "Toys for Anapra" can be made out to "Miguel Angel Ramirez" and sent to: Rev. Miguel Angel Ramirez Centeno 1009 N Florence St., El Paso, Texas ,79902-0000

See video Posted by Billie Greenwood to learn more about San José de Anapra and the community.
 

Schedule for Homeless Meals and Services in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving Week 2013

November 25 (Monday)

• 6:00-7:00 pm – Pre-Thanksgiving meal at Joy Junction

November 26 (Tuesday)

• Noon Day is open for services (9:00 to 11:00 am), but will not serve lunch
• 11:30 am to 2:00 pm – Albuquerque Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving meal (no breakfast or dinner that day)

November 27 (Wednesday)

• Noon Day is open for services (9:00 to 11:00 am), but will not serve lunch
• Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) will be open ALL DAY this Wednesday (8:00 am to 4:00 pm)
• 11:00 am to 2:00 pm – Joy Junction’s Thanksgiving meal at the Convention Center downtown (you can get free tickets at various shelters for reserved meal times, but no one will be turned away)

Thanksgiving Day (Thursday)

• There will be a circle of remembrance, a sunrise gathering in honor of Native peoples (6:53 am sunrise) in the parking lot of the Albuquerque Center for Peace & Justice (Harvard & Silver SE)
• Healthcare for the Homeless and Noon Day are closed
• 8:30 to 9:30 am – Thanksgiving brunch at Good Shepherd Center (only meal that day at Good Shepherd)
• 7:30 to 11:00 am – special holiday meal at St. Martin’s Hospitality Center (no other services that day)
• 11:00 am to 2:00 pm – Thanksgiving meal at La Mesa Presbyterian Church, 7401 Copper NE (north of Central, east of Louisiana)
• 11:00 am to 2:00 pm –Thanksgiving meal at Salvation Army Temple, 501 Broadway SE (& Lead)
• 2:00 to 4:00 pm – Thanksgiving dinner at Joy Junction
• 5:00 to 6:00 pm – Thanksgiving dinner at Project Share, 1515 Yale SE (south of Kathryn)
• 5:00 to 6:00 pm – regular dinner at Albuquerque Rescue Mission (no breakfast that day, but opens at 1:30)

November 29 (Friday)

• Homeless services: St. Martin’s Hospitality Center (only open 7:30 am to 11:00 am, regular meal at St. Martin’s, no other services that day); Noon Day (open 9:00 to 11:00 am; then lunch will be served at 12:00 noon); and Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless (8:00 am to 4:00 pm); regular hours at other sites

Celebrating the Life of Dorothy Day

Casa de las Comunidades Catholic Worker House invites you to celebrate the life of Dorothy Day on Sunday, November 24. Dorothy Day is known as the "Servant of God," and founder of the Catholic Worker movement. 

The celebration will begin with the Mass in Spanish at 12:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church (619 Copper NW in downtown Albuquerque) with a delicious meal following prepared by the families of Casa de las Comunidades Catholic Worker. All are welcomed!!!

We Must Make Our Own the Culture of the Good Samaritan: Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga

The Church ought to proclaim and testify, as a criterion of sociopolitical organization and education, that all men are brothers; and that, if we are brothers, we must fight for establishing relations of equality and to eliminate their greatest obstacles: money and power. We have to establish as a priority that those majorities who suffer poverty and exclusion (the last) will be the first. If Jesus calls the poor ‘blessed’ is because he is assuring them that their situation is going to change, and consequently it is necessary to create a movement that can bring about such a thing, restoring dignity and hope to them.

Making our own the culture of the Good Samaritan before the neighbor in need; feeling as our own the pain of the oppressed, getting close to them, and freeing them. Without this commitment, all religiousness is false. -Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga SDB, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa

These are excerpts from Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga's address at the Dallas Ministry Conference on October 25, 2013   Here is the full text in English

Breaking Brass: A Free Concert on the Feast of St. Cecilia

The Friends of Cathedral Music invites you to a free concert on Friday, November 22, to honor four partners of the Episcopal Cathdedral of St. John in downtown Albuquerque. The partners are Dolores Gonzales Elementary School, Washington Middle School, Albuquerque Heading Home and St. Martin's Hospitality Center (where my wife Karen has worked for 20 years).

The concert performed by the Cathedral of St. John resident brass ensemble commemorates St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The theme of the concert, Breaking Brass, is a variation on the name of the recently concluded popular television show Breaking Bad. Here is an opportunity to spend an enjoyable hour on a Friday afternoon before all the madness of Thanksgiving week begins.

A Free Screeining of the Documentary The Danger Zone in Albuquerque and Santa Fe

Delivering medical assistance and other types of aid in a war zone is an extremely difficult task.  The documentary The Danger Zone illustrates the difficulties that personnel from Doctors without Borders, the International Committee of the Red Cross (Red Crescent), and the United Nations face in attempting to save lives in areas of conflict. The documentary offers interviews with experts from the three organizations along with dramatic footage shot in Afghanistan, Somalia, and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The documentary, which is narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis, will be shown in Albuquerque and Santa Fe next week, and I urge you to consider attending one of the two screenings sponsored by Doctors without Borders. Each screening will be followed bya Q&A with local Doctors Without Borders aid workers, who will share stories from their overseas assignments.  Doctors without Borders recommends that you register for the showing that you want to attend.

Santa Fe
Tuesday, November 19, 6:30 p..m.
Jean Cocteau Cinema, 
418 Montezuma Avenue   Register to attend 
Map  Register to attend

Albuquerque
Wednesday, November 20 7:00 PM 
National Hispanic Cultural Center 
Bank of America Theatre 
1701 4th Street SW 
Map     Register to attend

The Small Daily Differences

Copper Canyon Marigold

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

-Marian Wright Edelman

A List of Agencies Providing Support to Victims of Super Typhoon in The Philippines.

Photo from Save the Children

Entire regions are without food and water, and bodies are strewn on the streets, after a typhoon that had much the look of a tsunami, with waves as high as two-story buildings. Photos and videos showed towns ground to a pulp.  -The Washington Post  (Read More)

When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, the storm brought sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. That was enough to rate a Category 3. Typhoon Haiyan (or Yolanda) made landfall in some of the southern islands of the Philippines with a lethal punch of 195 miles per hour sustained winds. That Category 5 typhoon earned the label of "super typhoon" and also became the most destructive typhoon/hurricane on record.

The toll on human life and property is unimaginable. Unless you are there, or have experienced a hurricane before,  the early casualty numbers are probably just a set of statistics.  But that should not be a barrier to action.  First, we must draw on a sense of solidarity. Pray, and not just for good wishes for the victims and their families. Prayer means solidarity. So before you pray (and after you pray), take time to read about the situation.  By doing so, God will give you a space to discern what actions you can take to respond to the situation. Prayer is solidarity. Light a candle as you pray (via Gratefulness.org)

And here is a slide show from The Huffington Post and a  a map of the path of the destructive typhoon from The Washington Post.

And here is a small list of a handful of agencies providing relief to The Philippines: (Click on the agency name to access online donation form)

CARE is delivering food, water, shelter and other essentials to the survivors of typhoon Haiyan, which has torn a path across the Philippines. As many as 10,000 people are feared dead while 9.8 million people have suffered the impact of the storm.

Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy. Contributions to support CWS emergency response efforts may be made online,

Catholic Relief Services, in cooperation with its partners, is on the ground helping people meet their most urgent needs, including water purification, shelter materials and essential living supplies.

Episcopal Relief and Development Give to our Disaster Response Fund and help communities get critical assistance after an emergency. #HaiyanTyphoon. Donation right now will go to support people impacted by the Haiyan Typhoon in the Philippines.

Lutheran World Relief Your gifts will be used to respond to the devastation from the typhoon in the Philippines until needs there are met. Gifts received after that time will be used where needs are greatest.

Oxfam aid teams are on the ground in the Philippines and reporting urgent needs of food, clean water, medicine and shelter. Communication lines between some provinces are cut and many areas are experiencing total black outs. Thousands are feared dead, and local emergency food stocks are dwindling.

Save the Children Super Typhoon Haiyan is affecting children and families in the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam. In response, Save the Children is mounting disaster relief efforts to help children and families with emergency assistance during this difficult time. We need your generous gift to support our efforts. Your support will help us protect vulnerable children and provide desperately needed relief to families.

United Methodist Committee on Relief   UMCOR Assistant General Secretary for International Disaster Response Rev. Jack Amick and UMCOR Philippines Head of Mission Ciony Eduarte worked together to develop an appropriate and strategic response. UMCOR is making plans to fill the gaps in the disaster-relief delivery network and go where the need is greatest.

Others:The American Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders

True Contemplatives

Autumn view from Bosque Center in Albuquerque

True contemplatives, then, must do justice, must speak justice, must insist on justice. ... And so must we do whatever justice must be done in our time if we claim to be serious about sinking into the heart of God. 

- Joan Chittister

NM Food and Agriculture Policy Council to Promote "Healthy Kids - Healthy Economy" Initiative to State Legislature

Image from Farm to Table Web site

The New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council invites you to mark your calendars for Friday, November 15.

The NMFAPC, which is supported by Farm to Table, will be presenting information on its "Healthy Kids - Healthy Economy" initiative (also known as New Mexico Grown Produce for School Meals) to the Water and Natural Resources Committee.

The policy council invites any interested people to join them in Room 303 of the Roundhouse at 9:00 A.M. for a  brief introduction to the schedule that morning and to orient everyone to the Legislature and interim hearing process. The actual hearing will take place in Room 307 at 10:00 a.m.

Here is the agenda for November 15 and the list of members of the Water and Natural Resources Committee

The NMFAPC will provide a brief presentation and answer questions from Committee members (likely no more than 25 minutes total). After the hearing, there will be a meeting back in room 303 to debrief and determine next steps in preparation for the 2014 Legislative session, activities, and discuss additional legislative agenda items. There will also be an opportunity to follow up on the rich conversation about local food policy initiatives and how to build them into the policy council's work in  2014.

RESULTS and ONE Campaign to Host Events in Albuquerque

Two upcoming events in Albuquerque bring together people who are committed to addressing global poverty. The first event, hosted by the Albuquerque chapter of  RESULTS, is directly related to Goal 2 of the Millennium Development Goals, which is to promote Universal Primary Education. As part of its fundraiser, RESULTS Albuquerque is hosting Janet Muthoni-Ouko, an education advocate in Kenya (more details below). A week later, The ONE Campaign invites to Ice Cream, I Scream: End Poverty!, which is part of the organizations 2013 Week of Action. 

RESULTS-Albuquerque to Host Advocate for Universal Access to Education in Kenya

Janet Muthoni-Ouko, a leader of citizen participation in Kenya’s process of educational reform, is the featured speaker a special event hosted by RESULTS in Albuquerque. She organized diverse citizen groups into a coalition, Elimu Yetu (Swahili for “our knowledge/education”), to advise the Education Ministry. The group has successfully advocated for universal access to education as well as for mechanisms for fiscal accountability. They are continuing to work with the government to bring quality education to all Kenyan children. Her work has been partially funded by the Global Partnership for Education.

Ms. Muthoni-Ouko has been touring the country, and Albuquerque is the last place she will visit before returning to Kenya..  One of her previous stops is in Missoula, Montana. Read Article in Missoulian newspaper.

Local RESULTS advocates invite you to join them this Sunday.  Here are the details:

RESULTS Fundraiser
Sunday, November 10,
Rafiki Cafe, 4300 Lomas
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Heidi Brooks (heiditoppbrooks@me.com)

One Campaign: Ice Cream, I Scream: End Poverty!

Join ONE Campaign volunteers in Albuquerque for the 2013 Week of Action to protect life-saving programs. Learn about the ONE Campaign and its fight against global poverty and aids. This is part of a nationwide effort by ONE members across the country  to take action and make sure our leaders know that we stand united to end extreme poverty by 2030.

The event will be held at the ice cream shop Pop Fizz in the South Valley.  Here are the details.

Ice Cream, I Scream: End Poverty!
Saturday, November 16, 
1:00 PM
Pop Fizz
844 Bridge Blvd SW # B

Register online for the event.   For more information, contact Ana Grande  (ana.grande@one.org)

Here is a poster for the event.

Rachel Ray Introduces 'The Story of Hungry'

The kitchen is my classroom. It’s where I learn, experiment and grow. But for too many children, success is out of reach because they come to school too hungry to learn.

Childhood hunger is an “invisible” problem here in the US. When you look at a child, you can’t see that she hasn’t eaten since yesterday’s school lunch, or that her parents went without dinner so that she could eat last night.

To shed some light on this silent national epidemic, the No Kid Hungry campaign created The Story of Hungry, a unique look at life through the eyes of a small girl struggling with hunger, and how something as simple as breakfast in the classroom can changer her day, her week — and maybe even her entire future.

I’m proud to be the first to share this important story with you, and to debut the video on my show. I’m deeply committed to making sure kids have a healthy start in life, and I believe that connecting them to school breakfast is one of the most important ways that we can do that.

-Rachel Ray
Bestselling Author, Daytime Show Host, Founder of The Yum-o! Organization

Singing and Celebrating Unity on All Saints Day

Music...gives wings to the mind, a soul to the universe, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, a life to everything. -Plato

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in November, singers from four churches in Albuquerque participated in a special event to commemorate All Saints Day and to raise money for the Ecumenical Institute for Ministry's scholarship fund. Choirs from Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church,  Second Presbyterian Church (with support from Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church), St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and Central United Methodist Church sang about unity, peace, faithfulness, faith, joy and other themes. Some songs were familiar and others were original pieces, including two pieces composed by David McGwire of St. Michael and All Angels.

Either way, the overwhelming message at the Bosque Center in Albuquerque was unity. "We are all sheep grazing in the same pasture," said Deacon Juan Barajas, quoting an Episcopal priest and teacher.

Oh, and the choirs managed to raise about $800 for a scholarship fund for the EIM.

Second Presbyterian Church choir directed by Karmen Van Dyke

Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church directed by Mary Frances Reza

Central United Methodist Church directed by Jerri Foster

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church directed by Darby Fagan

The Mystery of the Whole Resting in God

Love all that has been created by God, both the whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf and every ray of light. Love the beasts and the birds, love the plants, love every separate fragment. If you love each separate fragment, you will understand the mystery of the whole resting in God. -Fyodor Dostoevsky

Your Life as a Long Prayer

Your life ought to be as one long prayer that God's Spirit may work through all your thinking and acting to bless your neighbor.

-Peter Reisch

An (Evolving) Plan for Santa Fe's Food Future

The New Mexico landscape is one of many contrasts: deserts, mountains, meadows, orchards, and gardens; dry as the bones in the cemetery, our final resting place. Part of what defines our querencia, which gives us this sense of place, is our food, contrary to those who say that there can be no sense of place in today's global experiment. And our food cannot be separated from how we work the land and how we water our crops.

Again we learn from folklore: paravos, paranos, y para los animalitos de Dios; for you, for us, and for God's animals (and plants). Water is a don divino, a divine right, not a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. This dry landscape, with a beauty only we might understand and find sustenance in, is what defines our querencia. 

- Estevan Arellano New Mexican, Historian, Farmer, and Writer

That quote from Estevan Arellano introduces Planning for Santa Fe's Food Future. This is a dynamic blueprint that will evolve over the next several weeks and months, with the Santa Fe Food Policy Council and partners continuing to gather input from the nutrition, farming and consumer communities. Organizers have already put a lot of work into the plan and offer you  this draft document. (Even though this is not the completed version, the document already has some great information and beautiful photographs).
 
This plan represents the first step of our collective journey to building a local, healthy, and prosperous food system for Santa Fe County. Over the upcoming year, this document will serve as a tool to reach out to all corners of our county to gain input, understanding, and build relationships around how to design a local food system that works for us. Our process will culminate in the development of a final strategic food plan for the city and county of Santa Fe--- a detailed roadmap for action and accountability.

Within this process there is an opportunity for every person, organization and agency to help transform our local food system; with collective effort and innovative collaboration we can accomplish more as a community than we ever could alone. We will see this plan evolve from a call to action to a success story; its impacts felt in our daily lives. Together we will celebrate progress, overcome boundaries, strengthen partnerships, identify common shared goals and commit to action.

The plan was introduced as part of a Food Day Event on October 24 at the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute.  While the plan is still evolving and discussion is continuing, I recommend that you scroll down to Page 20 to the section entitled, At a glance: our recommendations. And stay tuned for updates.

Here is a video of the Oct. 24 discusssions, courtesy of  Jeff Ethan Green, a grassroots advocate of sustainability and healthy food systems.