Tuesday, 24 June 2014

Starving for meaning in New York

Ashley Wells, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Bhikkhu Bodhi (Buddhist Global Relief)
New York City: Reaching Youth Starved for Meaning (buddhistglobalrelief)


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Bhante
The Reciprocity Foundation was established in 2006 to address the plight of homeless youth in New York City.
 
[Two years ago] in 2012, when they found that the homeless students were arriving hungry and unable to focus, the RF team started a vegetarian meal program  called “Starved for Meaning.” 
 
We won't stand for sexism, racism (FEMEN)
Meals, prepared collectively and served “family-style,” with a moment of gratitude before the meal, fulfilled the students’ hunger for community, dialogue, and meaning.
 
Last year, with the help of Buddhist Global Relief funds, the number of meals doubled and there was an increase in the number of youth coming to the center for food.
 
Bombarded with propaganda from the NY Times
In a questionnaire about the program, 100 percent of the youth said that their life improved as a result of the meals, they felt a greater sense of belonging, and they felt more optimistic about their life.

[This is June 2014 and] over the next year, BGR funding will help the Reciprocity Foundation increase the capacity of the vegetarian meal program for homeless youth in NYC and expand the food program to reach young people living on the streets. This and the next in the Bronx are annually renewable projects:

Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Global Relief Charity (BuddhistGlobalRelief.wordpress.com)
URI_Greenhouse 1
New York City: Community Garden Plots in the Bronx (Fiscal BGR Projects)
 
Occupy Wall Street (Carolyn Cole/latimes.com)
The Urban Community Food Project (UCFP) was started in 2011 as an initiative of the Urban Rebuilding Initiative. Its mission is to build a sustainable food system throughout New York in order to fight poverty and resultant food insecurity.
 
UCFP’s farms are located in the 16th Congressional District of the US, an area that has the lowest median income and the highest rates of unemployment and [police state mass] incarceration in the nation. UCFP works with at-risk youth, young adults, and formerly incarcerated men in local neighborhoods to convert urban spaces into food production sites. The food grown on these sites is donated to neighborhood food pantries and homeless shelters. The BGR grant will help UCFP fulfill its goals for 2014-15, which include:
  1. Developing four inner-city farms that will produce 5,000 pounds of produce for local food pantries and soup kitchens;
  2. introducing a new fitness program called “good food and fitness go hand in hand”; and
  3. offering regular workshops on sustainability, urban farming, green technology, and civic action.
Without a Doubt – It’s Time to Get to Work on Climate Change
Ayya

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