Pandemic-driven food insecurity among young people in Minnesota — and what people can do to help alleviate the crisis — will be the focus of a Zoom videoconference Feb. 24 at Corpus Christi in Roseville.
And two organizers with the parish’s Social Justice Committee shared what they hope the annual Lenten Forum’s focus on food insecurity will accomplish during a recent interview with host Patrick Conley for the Feb. 19 “Practicing Catholic” radio show.
Bill Brady
“We chose youth hunger for our theme this year because we’ve heard so much from our friends in the nonprofit world about how the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns … have really exacerbated food insecurity across the board, and in particular, among segments of the population that were already at risk — people of color, the indigenous communities and, of course, children and youth,” said Bill Brady, a retired communications professional and volunteer chair of the Board of Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul, a faith-based anti-poverty organization.
Mary Kristjanson, a junior at Highland Park High School in St. Paul, teen mentor and Sunday school instructor at Corpus Christi, is part of “The Good Club” at her high school. One activity that club takes on is collecting and distributing nonperishable food, and collecting financial donations to purchase fresh food for those in need.
Mary Kristjanson
“One in eight youth in Minnesota face food insecurity,” she said, “and this has only gone up during the pandemic.”
The Zoom conference, titled “Young and Hungry: Youth Hunger in Minnesota, and What We Can Do About it,” is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 24. It will feature Kristjanson, as well as Nate Youngblood, associate director of Every Meal, Fighting Child Hunger, and Kelly Miller, director of Indian Work at Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul
To receive a Zoom link, register for the event at ccmn.orgyouthhungerforum.
Kristjanson said she will discuss “food pop-ups” organized by her school’s club. To learn just what “food pop-ups” are and to learn more about the conference, tune in to “Practicing Catholic” at its 9 p.m. Feb. 19 airing or 1 p.m. Feb. 20 or 2 p.m. Feb. 21, all on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
“Practicing Catholic” is produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Other guest interviews on the Feb. 19 “Practicing Catholic” show are Father Charles Lachowitzer, who describes ways to prepare for Lent and the Easter season, and Dan Stokman, who discusses the impact of the pandemic on mental health.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic
Practicing Catholic on Spotify
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