A word to stem hunger
Local-cable special stresses resources
Putting healthy food on the table is a growing challenge for Massachusetts families, and it is forecast only to get worse because of the sluggish economy. There are resources out there, in the form of food stamps or school programs, but people often don't tap into them because of the stigma associated with asking for such help.
Those are some of the key messages from a special report filmed in Hopkinton last week that will be broadcast on local cable channels throughout the state starting in September.
The Waltham-based Massachusetts Medical Society brought together US Representative James McGovern, Project Bread director Ellen Parker, and local physicians to tape the one-hour program, "Hunger in the Commonwealth," at HCAM-TV in Hopkinton. It seeks to teach people what hunger looks like locally and how to combat it.
"Over the years I've met a lot of people who are hungry, who don't know where their next meal is coming from," said McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who represents 28 area communities, including a stretch of Interstate 495 from Marlborough to Plainville, on Capitol Hill. "In the richest country on this planet, food insecurity and hunger should not exist."
"Food insecurity" is a term that applies to people who can't afford to buy enough nutritious food to sustain themselves and their families. In his introduction to the program, McGovern tells the audience that the incidence of food insecurity has gone up 22 percent in the state in recent years. That translates into about half a million people statewide.
McGovern has put his message right where his mouth is. Last year, he and his wife spent a week living on the average food-stamp budget of $21 per person or $3 per day. He subsisted on inexpensive foods like ramen noodles and lentils, "which I used to love but now hate because I had so many of them," he said.
During the taping of the show, McGovern told the audience that in addition to being logistically challenging, the diet didn't feel good.
"I had headaches, I felt tired, I felt disinterested in a lot of things," he said.
The program on hunger is an outgrowth of a monthly series, Physician Focus, that the Massachusetts Medical Society has been taping at HCAM-TV for a few years. Like the series, the hunger special will go out to more than 200 local cable stations statewide.
"There's been a growing awareness that access TV has something to offer," said Jim Cozzens, station manager at HCAM-TV.
Still, few organizations take advantage of the opportunity to reach multiple local stations, he said. The Army and US Senator Edward M. Kennedy both distribute shows to many stations, he said, but other than that, it's not a tool that is widely used.
And maybe that's OK, he said. While he is proud of the shows he is spinning out with the medical society, particularly because they call on a wide range of local doctors, Cozzens said, too many large-scale shows would dilute the flavor of local-access cable.
"If I brought in 20 percent of my programming, I'm going to lose my identity," said Cozzens. "A large portion of my schedule really should be coming from my community."
Dr. Jim Kenealy, an ear, nose and throat specialist who lives in Hopkinton, led a panel of doctors along with McGovern as part of the show on hunger.
Kenealy said before the taping that many people think hunger is associated only with the swollen bellies and pinched faces that are televised from developing countries. While the problem is more visible in other countries, he said, it is "under-realized" here.
"Even in a community such as Hopkinton, the problem really does exist," he said.
There are many ways that all corners of the community can help, according to Parker, who as director of Boston-based Project Bread is active in fighting hunger across the state.
For example, she said, the Framingham schools have made a "cutting edge" move in hiring a chef who has brought nutritious food into the system's cafeterias. School meals are crucial for children, who are disproportionately affected by nutritional problems, Parker said.
But making cafeteria menus healthy poses a problem for many schools. For example, McGovern said, he got an earful from high school students in Fall River looking for his help during a visit.
"These high school kids were furious that their school was providing such terrible food for them," he said during the taping of the panel discussion.
Since McGovern's visit to Fall River's Durfee High School just over a year ago, the school has made many improvements in nutrition, said the principal, Ralph Olsen. There is a salad bar now, among other nutritious options, and the school hopes to expand the healthy offerings, he said.
"It's on a positive track, and the congressman was a part of making that happen," Olsen said.
McGovern has worked on several potential solutions as cochairman of the House Hunger Caucus. He recently introduced a bill calling for a White House summit on hunger and nutrition to focus national attention on the issue. He also helped get $10 billion into the federal farm bill to put toward nutritional programs like food stamps. He said the food stamp system is inadequate because grocery prices are escalating so fast.
"Food is the part of the budget that often comes last," he told the TV audience. "And with ever-rising prices on the basics of food and energy, families are finding it even more difficult."
For more information, go to projectbread.org, or call its hot line, 800-645-8333.
Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or lkocian@ globe.com. 