Ohio Campus Compact

VISTA Voice
Volume 6, Issue 1 August-November, 2010

Food Security Edition

Staff
Nicholas Weber
Editor, Writer
Defiance College

Raven DeVoll
Writer
John Carroll U.

Zaia Thombre
Writer
Marietta College

Rebecca Fensler
Writer
Wright State U. Editor’s Note
Inside This Issue Hello to all our readers and fellow the 2010 Summer Associate VISTA
VISTAs, and welcome to the VISTA program, community gardens and an
Summer Associates
Voice! The VISTA Voice is a interesting new project that can help
Program
-Page 2 quarterly newsletter that is dedicated you start a food security conversation
to highlighting some of the ambitious in your community or on campus.
Make a Difference projects that OCC VISTAs from
Day across the state have been working on.
-Page 3 Warm regards for the cold months,
A new issue is released each quarter,
each themed around a different -Nicholas Weber, Editor
Alumni Corner
-Page 4 poverty alleviation focus area. This
first issue is focused on food security
The Paper Plate projects. Among those highlighted are
Campaign
-Page 6

“When you share your last crust of bread with a beggar, you mustn't behave as if you were
throwing a bone to a dog. You must give humbly, and thank him for allowing you to have a part in
his hunger.”- Giovanni Guareschi
VISTA Voice, Page 2

Summer Associates Program; John Carroll University’s New Community Garden

by Raven DeVoll

More than 1.4 million

Ohioans receive emergency food
assistance each year, according
to the “Hunger in Ohio 2010”
study released by the Ohio
Association of Second Harvest
Foodbanks. Ohio food pantries,
soup kitchens, and other
assistance agencies have
experienced a 78 percent
increase in clients served, many
struggling to choose between
food and other basic necessities.
Ohio Campus Compact Summer
Associate VISTAs confronted the
lack of food security in their integrate the fresh food into executive board and is in the
communities and on their their daily meals. She began a process of planning a 5K run
campuses, creating new nutrition program for the food fundraiser for the spring.
programs to address this issue. recipients, educating them on Augustine Izzo, a JCU senior, is
Nutrition programs, community how to cook the fresh continuing to advance the
gardens, and food pantries are vegetables. nutrition program Distelrath
some of the VISTA initiatives Distelrath’s work with created to include recipes and
created to help community the food center has helped her food preparation instructions in
members access food. to see the effects the recession various languages to reach all
Catherine Distelrath, a and poor economy have had on the clients served by the center.
recent summer associate at John the local community. “Working Autumn Partlow, one of
Carroll University, served as the at the center really teaches you the associates at Marietta
key coordinator for JCU’s new that you can’t judge someone by College, worked on a food
c o m m u n i t y “You can’t judge only looking at them. security project too. Partlow
garden. Distelrath Different people are served with Marietta College’s
someone by only
and six faculty going through community partner Harvest of
volunteers tended
looking at them. different times in their Hope, a food recovery program
the garden all Different people are lives; you just never with a community gardening
summer, donating going through different know their story,” she component. HOH receives
fresh produce to times in their lives; said. Even though donated food from grocery
the H e i g h t s you just never know Distelrath’s summer stores that has reached its sell-
Emergency Food their story.” of service has come to by date but is still good to eat,
Center located in a close, she still and takes the food to area
Cleveland. After generating 86 volunteers with the Heights agencies and pantries. HOH’s
pounds of produce, Distelrath Emergency Food Center on a community garden is the 8th in
realized the people served by the weekly basis. She serves as the the county and provides
center were unsure how to youngest member on its gardening classes,
VISTA Voice, Page 3
plots, seeds, plants, and tools for
those unable to afford
gardening. Last year HOH had
77 gardeners in two
communities. All of HOH’s
work is accomplished by more
than 100 volunteers, donating
approximately 2,600 hours in
2009.
Fighting Hunger and Homelessness on Make a Difference Day
by Rebecca Fensler
On Make a Difference
Day 2010, volunteers across Ohio
joined together to make a
difference in their communities.
Ohio Campus Compact VISTAs
throughout the state partner
with members or resources on
their campus and local
communities to address issues
su c h as hunger a nd
homelessness where they live.
OCC VISTAs are in a unique
position to mobilize students as
volunteers for projects of this
nature in the community. The
Working with HOH,
Partlow created and
coordinated a donation-based
farmer’s market in which
recipients donate only what
they can afford. The produce for
sale is generated from the
community plot of one of the
Harvest of Hope gardens. This
following are just some of the
projects VISTAs from OCC
coordinated for Make a Findlay’s OCC VISTA, served as
Difference Day.
On October 23, youth
volunteers and students from
the University of Findlay worked
together on a project called
“O ne M a tter s: Pr oj ec t
Connect”—a resource fair for
homeless families or individuals.
The event was planned by
members of community
organizations such as Blanchard
Valley Medical System and Legal
new initiative is completely run
by RSVP volunteers.
Throughout the summer the
mini farmer’s market served 20-
30 consistent clients each week.
Heather Eichner, current
OCC VISTA at Mount Union
College, is also addressing food
security during her year of
service in Alliance. Eichner will
be working 10 hours per week
at the Alliance Community
Pantry, a choice food pantry
scheduled to open this
November. She will be co-
writing the operations manual,
create review policies and
procedures for the pantry, craft
the volunteer packet, and
completing client assessments
and surveys once the pantry
opens. Mount Union's first
official event in partnership
with the pantry will be the
Trick or Treat for Canned
Goods on Saturday Oct. 30.
Aid of Western Ohio. Gwen
Stembridge, the University of
a member of the event’s
planning committee. During the
event, guests were paired with a
volunteer who served as a guide
for the day and were provided
much needed resources such as
flu-shots, blankets, socks, dental
checks, benefit counseling, legal
aid counseling, and hygiene kits.
Continued on Page 4
VISTA Voice, Page 4
Continued from page 3 reading and math.
In Dayton, over 60 Westwood School is
students and volunteers from located in a low-
Wright State University income neighborhood
collected more than 3000 and an astounding
pounds of food for students at 100% of students who
Westwood PK-8 School, a attend the school
Dayton public school. Wright qualify for free or
State University is currently in reduced lunches.
its third year of partnership with Sarah Twill, a
Westwood School. Gillian professor in the Social
Wynn, Youth Programs Work Department at
Coordinator/OCC AmeriCorps Wright State, recognized the
VISTA at Wright State, need for additional food
coordinates tutoring and assistance for Westwood
afterschool programs at students. She had discovered
Westwood. Volunteers and many children who receive free
service-learning students tutor and reduced lunches at school
Westwood students, offering often go hungry on the
them help with homework and weekends; some children may
helping them build skills in not eat between lunch on Friday
and breakfast on Monday
morning without the
assistance of the
school lunch
program. To address
this issue Professor
Twill and students
from her Social
Work Class (many of
whom are tutors at
Westwood) worked
with WSU’s OCC
VISTA, to
implement the
Alumni Spotlight; VISTA Leaders Pursue MPA Degree at Ohio University
Thinking about what to served with Marietta College for
do next year? Two VISTA two years focusing on hunger
alumni, Renee Steffen and Kelly issues, becoming a VISTA
Hatas, decided to get their Leader her second year. Kelly
Master of Public Administration was a VISTA for three years at
degree at the Voinovich School Shawnee State University
of Leadership and Public Affairs focusing on environmental
at Ohio University. Renee programs in her first year, and
“Good to Go Backpack”
Program. Under this program
book bags would be filled with
nutritional foods that children
can prepare themselves, such as
fruit cups, pudding, and granola
bars. Students partnered with a
local Kroger to host a food drive
to collect donations for the
backpack program. Students
handed out information and a
list of items being collected to
customers entering the Kroger
store and encouraged them to
purchase items for the food
drive while they were doing
their shopping. Enough food
was collected so that each
Westwood student would be
able to receive a bag before the
Thanksgiving and Christmas
holidays.
hunger and homelessness in her
last two. Additionally she also
became a VISTA leader in her
third year.
When asked why she
chose to get a degree in Public
Administration, Renee said she
was largely influenced by her
VISTA Voice, Page 5

supervisor at Marietta College,

Tanya Judd Pucella. She stated,
“It wasn’t until Tanya
recommended it that I seriously
considered applying.”
Coincidentally enough, Kelly,
with her undergrad in
International Relations, did not
know what she wanted to do,
and found out about the
program through Renee.
Both VISTAs have had Renee Steffen Kelly Hatas
good experiences with the
program. Renee affirmed, “It’s freedom. Ohio Campus Compact to their
been awesome. I couldn’t be Both stated that they did not choice of a degree in Public
more pleased. I’m the graduate have a specific interest area of Administration. Kelly states,
assistant for the Nonprofit poverty alleviation, but rather “Being surrounded by a group
Alliance, and some of my work they enjoyed working with all of individuals that all really care
with the Marietta nonprofits social justice issues. Although about social justice or changing
directly relates to my work the future is ambiguous for or improving upon issues in
here. Those connections both of them, Renee said she society, which nonprofits [also]
definitely help, and we are could see herself working as the seek to address, was really
supportive of each other.” executive director of a inspiring.”
Although Kelly has only just community foundation or Their advice for VISTA
started her program, she really potentially working with the members after service: Keep
enjoys the school work and is state government. Kelly would the VISTA passion for serving
working on implementing a like to work with a nonprofit in others alive and always carry
grant called Together Ohio. a leadership role. Both attribute the experiences you had with
Being a VISTA before the time spent serving with you.
entering grad school has helped
Steffen and Hatas deepen the
Program Development at a Glance
meaning of their program. Here’s a quick glance at the resources OCC VISTAs
Renee claimed that she could have generated between August and November
draw on her experiences as a
OCC VISTAs: 34
VISTA and relate it to her
course material. Kelly stated, Total Volunteers: 5182
“It gave me direction on what I
felt I should do with my life and Baby Boomer Volunteers: 149
as a career.” Both women
Service Hours Contributed: 50,599
talked about how much they
enjoyed the autonomy that they Cash Resources Raised: $50,233
had as VISTAs and how OU’s
program allows them the same Non-cash Resources: $21,180.68
VISTA Voice, Page 6
The Great Paper Plate Campaign;
A Unique Way to Start a Poverty or Food Security Dialogue on Your Campus
By Nicholas Weber
In our position as
VISTAs, we work with or hear
about dozens of social action
projects any given week. This
past September at a the weekends because both
conference for the Ohio Benefit
Bank, I came across a unique
idea for raising poverty
awareness unlike any I had
encountered before and wanted
to share this with everyone else.
This project is known as the
Paper Plate Campaign.
On July 30th of this year,
Dateline NBC aired a special
documentary about poverty and
food insecurity in America,
chronicling the struggles of a
Southwest Ohio town facing an
astounding 70% unemployment
rate. Making the situation
worse, the local food bank,
“Friends and Neighbors”, the
sole source of food for many of
the families in town, was
running low on food to
distribute and struggling to
gather enough money to keep
its doors open another month.
That is when Lisa Roberts, the
sole owner/operator of Friends
and Neighbors came up with a
brilliant, yet simple idea to
bring national attention to their
cause; hand paper plates out to
community members and
encourage them to write on the
plates about their experiences in
dealing with the recession,
unemployment and hunger.
Lisa eventually collected
thousands of these plates and
mailed them directly to the
White House in an effort to get
the government’s attention.
Inspired by this event,
the Ohio Association of Second
Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF)
has taken this idea statewide in
what it is calling the Paper Plate
Campaign. The concept is
simple; with 10.5%
unemployment, everyone in
Ohio has stories about how the
recession has affected them or
someone they know. The paper
plate campaign encourages
them to share their story with
lawmakers in Washington.
I mention this because
the paper plate campaign is a
great opportunity to start a
dialog a b o ut p ove r t y,
unemployment or food security
in your community or on
campus. Here at Defiance
College, we passed out plates at
several of the Service
Leadership meetings on
campus, collecting over 100
unique stories. Each meeting
quickly turned into
conversation about how
students are feeling the effects
of the recession in their lives.
Some of their confessions were
as surprising as they were
shocking; one student admitted
they send money home from
their campus job each week
to help pay bills. Another
shared with us that they
now avoid going home on
parents recently lost their jobs
and the reality of falling behind
on bills and utility disconnect
notices had created a tense and
depressing atmosphere at home.
The Paper Plate
Campaign is an excellent, safe,
unique icebreaker to use if you
are looking to start a poverty
conversation on your campus.
Better yet, it is extremely cheap
and easy to start; all you need
are paper plates! Then simply
ask students how the recession
has touched them or someone
they know.
In most cases, OASHF
will provide you with plates and
cover the cost of shipping them
to and from the college. When
you are done, all you do is send
them back to OASHF where
they are collected and will be
sent to our lawmakers in
Washington DC.
If this sounds like a
project you may be interested
in, contact Lisa Hamler-Fugitt,
614-221-4336, the Executive
a Director of OASHF.
Also, for those
interested, the full documentary
can be found at MSNBC.com,
under the title “Friends and
Neighbors”.