OXFAM transcript

The following is the transcript from my speech at the OXFAM Hunger Banquet held on December 1, 2005.



Thank you, and good evening.

I initially became involved with George and the KCOM OXFAM project because I felt I could offer resources on behalf of Hope’s Kitchen, as well as some kind of real perspective as I am the volunteer coordinator of that agency. However when we were looking for speakers to give first-hand accounts on hunger and it’s impact, it seemed reasonable and appropriate for me to share part of my life story for this event.

Hunger is a disease of circumstance. It does not occur in a vacuum, and it is the result of many factors: poverty, age, famine, disease, war; global, political, and economic instability. Ours was a story of circumstance- the circumstance of losing a house and losing our life-savings in the litigation surrounding that event. My mother and I lived alone and did not have strong ties to our family. Losing our house was an emotionally besides financially draining event, and was a demoralizing blow for my mother. After time our only option was to move into decrepit ‘roach motels’, and when even that became too expensive the only remaining choice was to move into our car, a 1978 Ford Pinto. When it finally gave out we lived in the city parks of the suburbs of Detroit.

There are two particular and defining milestones of true hunger. The first is fear. There is a real fear when you realize there is simply no more food, and the reality of another meal is an uncertainty. Fear consumes you for so long but then gives way to the second emotional milestone, acceptance and apathy. This phase personally, is more frightening than the first; as it is not simply an acceptance of a lack of food, but rather the acceptance of your position in life. Apathy is the path to fixation, and many of those who are hungry will remain hungry.

I am speaking to you today as one of the few who, through tragic circumstances, were able to escape poverty and hunger. However hundreds of thousands in the Unites States, and millions throughout the world are not so lucky.

In this small community of Kirksville, Missouri, the specter of hunger is all too present. Every third and fourth Saturday as many as three hundred meals are delivered to those in the community who would otherwise go wanting for food. To put this into perspective, I personally make visits to a little old lady in the community. She lives in a small house on Elson Street, alone. The first time I delivered food to her, she didn’t know how to open her door to let me in, and she keeps her own phone number by the phone so she can remember it- something she couldn’t do for that first meal.

“Honey, this is the first thing I’ve had to eat in days, and I’m so very weak. God bless you”.

And then I watched this very hungry woman take a small bit of the bread brought with her meal and share it with the birds, because she was worried that they had so little.

Real giving is done unconditionally. Compassion, generosity, and outreach are what will effect hunger. It has persisted with mankind since the very beginning, and will remain with us in this age of wonderful technology, globalization, and information. Only through the awakening of our compassion and humanity will we impact hunger, this disease of circumstance.

We are going to take a moment of silence, and I’d like you all to use that time to contemplate what hunger really means. Hunger is a very real thing. It is so easy to see it as a statistic. It is all over, and it is something that on a regular basis we avoid in the newspaper, or on CNN or National Public Radio. The majority of you in attendance this evening are here to become physicians, or to support those becoming physicians. You would not have chosen this path if you did not have compassion, or were not concerned about the welfare of others. But as physicians your responsibility moves beyond the health and welfare of the individual to that of humanity in general. I want you to understand that hunger is a very real thing, and it is among you. People are scared. There is no relief for them. There are no holidays.

Please take your moment of silence now.

Thank you.