We’re going to sit with this image from a protest at Capitol Hill ahead of the passage of the budget, because we believe in raising our voices, even when it doesn’t go our way, maybe especially when it doesn’t go our way. In Isaiah we read, “Cry with your full throat, without restraint; raise your voice like a shofar.” So now, we’re going to talk about what we can do together to turn this tide and in this new unique moment of the shutdown.
We can see, in our history, that it is absolutely possible to solve hunger – and to do that, we need two things:
We need the American public to understand hunger as a systemic issue, that the government can and must respond to. And we need the government to respond – expansively, comprehensively, and without judgement about why someone has been brought to the point of needing assistance.
In this, what feels like the golden age for polarization, that might feel like an impossible task. But I assure you that it’s not – and we know that, because the investments that we are making in states that are some of the most hostile to public benefits programs like SNAP/food stamps are achieving important, significant wins.
In 2023, for example, Nebraska’s governor announced his refusal to implement the new Summer EBT program, a program Congress passed to help close the summertime gap for families whose children rely heavily on school meals during the school year. 150,000 families in Nebraska would be eligible for this additional support if implemented, but the governor opposed it in principle. Because of MAZON’s long-term investment in anti-hunger partners in the state, they were able to lead the charge in Nebraska’s state legislature, passing bipartisan legislation in 2024 to implement the program with such overwhelming support that it over-rode the governor and made it impossible for him to veto. That delivered $18 million in additional food assistance to Nebraska families.
So we know it’s possible – and we are ready and willing to do what it takes. And yes, even in light of the incredible burden on states that is coming down the pike.
Because what it takes, really, is all of us.
We need each of you to join us in three actions:
The first is to Educate – take what you learned today and tell your family, your friends, your neighbors. Listen to how we talk about hunger and poverty in our community conversations, and help shift those conversations to ones that are more informed about who is struggling with hunger and why that struggle persists. Invite MAZON to speak – we’re so grateful to be here, but we can do a virtual tour of the Museum from anywhere – we’d love to talk to your book club, your kid’s Girl Scout troop, your other chavurot or faith community groups in your circle, anytime, anywhere!
Second, we invite you to Advocate: Join us in insisting to our elected officials that hunger is solvable, and hunger requires THEIR response. MAZON can help you organize any level of advocacy you’re interested in, from postcarding events, meeting with your political leaders, and more. Visit mazon.org/take-action or email us at outreach@mazon.org to learn more.
And finally, you can donate: your support of MAZON allows us to continue this essential work, educating the American public, advocating with our leaders, and investing in our nation’s anti-hunger infrastructure in our country’s most food-insecure states. We cannot do any of that work without you.
Museum Map
WISHING
TREE
The Proof is in Our History
- 1.Welcome
- 2.Welcome
- 3.The Age of Mass Migration - Landing
- 4.The Age of Mass Migration - Main
- 5.Immigration from Europe
- 6.Early Activists
- 7.The Great Depression
- 8.Charity Is Not Enough
- 9.Hunger is No One's Fault
- 10.The New Deal
- 11.Political Compromises
- 12.An Unequal Recovery
- 13.Back Door Exclusions
- 14.Hunger, Justice, and Civil Rights - Landing
- 15.Hunger, Justice, and Civil Rights - Main
- 16.The Walk for Decent Welfare
- 17.Televising the War on Hunger - Landing
- 18.Televising the War on Hunger - Main
- 19.Hunger in America
- 20.The Great Society
- 21.Bipartisan Consensus
- 22.Nixon Works to End Hunger
- 23.The Unmaking of the Great Society - Landing
- 24.The Unmaking of the Great Society - Main
- 25.President Reagan
- 26.The Myth of the Welfare Queen
- 27.Cementing Stereotypes into Policy
- 28.A New Bipartisan Consensus
- 29.Where We Are Now - Landing
- 30.Where We Are Now - Main
- 31.The Pandemic
- 32.Patching our Safety Net
- 33.One Big Beautiful Bill Act Signing Ceremony
- 34."Cry with your full throat, without restraint; Raise your voice like a shofar!" - Isaiah 58:1
- 35.Our Wish for the Future
- 36.End tour
Welcome to the Hunger Museum, a virtual project of MAZON.