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December 06, 2021

‘A Place at the Table’ Brings Hunger Issues to the Fore

It’s a season of celebrations, but many New Jersey families are struggling to provide their families with the most basic foods. The sophomore class at the Academy of the Holy Angels spent their retreat getting to the heart of hunger issues in the local community.
 
“A Place at the Table,” which was organized by AHA Campus Ministry, featured a hunger snack activity, a budget challenge, and a presentation by Community FoodBank of NJ Schools and Community Outreach Manager Diana Levy, LSW.
 
Levy discussed the work being done by the food bank, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity in New Jersey, and teen volunteer programs that are available through CFBNJ.
 
AHA students Faye Kontzamanis and Nikki Theodorakos volunteer for the CFBNJ Teen Advisory Committee, and spoke at the retreat. Angels Alina Keshishian and Katherine “Amanda” Donohue are involved with the food bank’s Teen Leadership Council.

 

Retreat leaders noted that anyone can experience food insecurity, including someone who lives in a home in a suburban neighborhood, but may not have money to purchase enough food or medication.

 

Since the pandemic reached the United States, a significant number of people who patronize food banks are those who were impacted by COVID-19 related issues, including job loss.

 

The sophomores found the budget exercise enlightening. Each breakout group received an $18 budget and a list of food prices, and were asked to purchase food for one day for a family of five. AHA Campus Minister Maryanne Miloscia explained that $18 is the approximate amount of assistance that participants in SNAP (Food Stamps) receive. Students dealt with various situations, including the need to purchase food for an infant, or a family member with a gluten-free diet.

 

One student noted how intense it can be for families to supply nutritious, filling food while working with a tight budget and accommodating other concerns. The sophomores commented on the amount of time and advance planning that had to be devoted to food shopping, and realized how a limited budget means you can’t always have the things you want. Another Angel discovered that some families ignore dietary challenges to save money.

 

Participants in the hunger snack activity randomly received a bag that contained anywhere from one to 50 snacks. Participants had to determine how to make the distribution more equitable. One student said this activity demonstrated that wealth is random, and people do not choose to be poor.
 
“This tells us how people do not choose to be born into a social class,” this student wrote. She added that the activity revealed the importance of sharing with others.
 
The sophomores reflected that the retreat relates to the Academy’s philosophy by underscoring the importance of working toward equality and care for everyone, and the need to share.
 
“Holy Angels is a caring, empathetic school and focuses on being progressive and helping others for the future versus helping themselves in the present,” one student wrote.
 
“I talked about it with my mom, and we both agreed that you can’t just tell people to ‘work for’ necessities,” she added. The student noted that individuals can still find themselves struggling despite their hard work.
 
As a group, the sophomores donated 274 pounds of non-perishable food to CFBNJ that day.

 

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from many cultural and religious backgrounds.

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