In the MDG’s (this stands for Millenium Development Goals which were set by the UN in 2000 to help achieve globally) we were to do a local profile capturing the ways that MDG’s 1 & 2 are being achieved in Chicago. The piece I did was about how MDG 1.3 (reduce hunger by ½ by 2015) was being achieved in Chicago. The purpose was to make people aware of MDG 1.3 being achieved. I am proud of conquering my fear of talking to people I do not really know because we had to interview people who related to our MDG. For example, I interviewed Jessica one of the main people involved in a program called The Night Ministry about how her project battles the fight against hunger.What I learned from the interview was that Jessica is an expert on fighting hunger. I learned how to write a profile in general that was backed up with statistics, an interview, and a news article. If you would like to read my article it is posted below.
Local Profile – Chicago
This Local Profile shows how one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) is being pursued in Chicago. MDG 1.3 aims to ensure that “Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.” (U.N. Target 2015 Plan) To show how this Goal is being addressed in Chicago, I made a graph of local statistics, interviewed an expert on the issue, and analyzed an excerpt from the news on the Goal.
The graph to the right shows food insecurity percentages in Cook County. 16.1% of the people in Cook County are insecure when it comes to where their food will come from. That is a lot of people, considering all people who live in the county. This shows that while there are people who can provide food for themselves, there are still people who cannot provide food for themselves because of issues they face. This graph relates to my topic because it shows that people have food security.
In Chicago, many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. On September 7, 2012 NPR did a news report about a Panera Café program called “Panera Cares”. In the article, they do not talk about the program meeting MDG 1.3 but it focuses on how it helps middle and lower class families with food insecurity. The Panera Cares is a normal Panera Café but, instead of having cash registers, they have donation boxes. People are usually confused when they see these. There is a suggested donation that goes with each item but if you donate less or nothing, its fine. They are funded completely by donations and if they receive extra, the funds go to local charities. Panera Cares relates to MDG 1.3 because it makes the community aware of food insecurity in their area and it allows common people to change where other people get their next meal.
I interviewed an expert on MDG 1.3. Her name is Keisha Watson. She is a board member of The Night Ministry. The Night Ministry is a nonprofit organization that is all about providing housing, food, health care, and connections to people who suffer with poverty and/or homelessness. Ms. Watson did not know what MDG’s were. When I asked Ms. Watson if she had experienced anything like this project before, she said she never experienced what they were been doing. She said, “I have never experienced such an amazing thing. We offer so much for people we don’t really know. It really has a great effect on the community.” When I asked about the people they help and their access to local resources, she said that a lot of people in the community don’t have access to local resources because of money issues that interfere with their lives.
After my interview and research, I have found that most of the ways that hunger is being resolved in Chicago, is not by the government but by private groups and charities. The fact that the government isn’t trying to help solve this huge problem is probably why many people in Chicago are suffering with hunger. That is why the problem is still becoming harder to solve. After doing this work with MDG 1.3, I see the people of Chicago are taking more steps towards fighting hunger while the government doesn’t really care so I see that the government is failing in solving this issue. Now that I know more about how hunger is being solved, I can contribute to solutions to get rid of it in Chicago and in my world.