Watch AARP Massachusetts' Virtual Discussion on Hunger in the African-American/Black Community

More than 5 million people over age 60 are food insecure, meaning they do not have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. This leads to a higher risk of developing serious health issues, especially for the African American/Black community.

If you are looking for more AARP resources and information on hunger, please visit: www.aarp.org/blackcommunity

The Elder Nutrition Program offered via the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the ASAP/AAA network is a great resource for older adults. Click here for more info on nutrition for seniors and click here for SNAP benefit info.

The Malden YMCA is operating 3 markets (food pantries) in Malden, Medford and Everett which are open to anyone from any community with no identification or documentation required. We offer pre-packed grocery bags of fresh, frozen and shelf-stable foods and household items and will do home deliveries within our three city service area. Please visit www.ymcamalden.org and click on COVID-19 Resources for schedules and locations.

Click here for the schedule for the About Fresh Truck.

If you missed the discussion on June 30th, watch below

Join AARP Massachusetts for a panel discussion on hunger Tuesday, June 30 via Zoom.

Speakers:

Vivien Morris, MS,RD,MPH, LDN

Vivien received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University, a Master of Science degree in nutrition from Framingham State University, and a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University. She is a registered dietitian and public health professional with extensive work in Boston’s communities. She is a founder and chair of the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition, an organization that she is most proud of. She is a founder of the Boston Organization of Nutritionists and Dietitians of Color (BOND of Color). BOND is a professional organization devoted to increasing the number of African American and Afro Caribbean nutritionists and dietitians and providing nutrition education in the community.

Vivien coordinates the Kennedy Community Garden and Edgewater Neighborhood Association, both utilizing the passions of local residents to make the Edgewater neighborhood a wonderful place to live. She serves on the steering committee of Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, a statewide effort working toward a sustainable and equitable food system. Additionally she serves as Community Relations Manager- Mattapan for the Boston College Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action. In this capacity, she works to connect the resources of Boston College to assist local Mattapan organizations to address community needs. Vivien has been a community activist throughout her life and gets the greatest joy from seeing the coming together of community members of all ages to strengthen relationships and use their collective power to improve our village.

Josh Trautwein, co-founder of Fresh Truck:

Josh is co-founder and CEO of About Fresh, a Boston-based non-profit that partners with health systems to strengthen communities by getting healthy food to the households that need it most. The AF Fresh Truck program is a mobile market that sells more than $1 million dollars annually of healthy food across 25 Boston communities, and the AF Fresh Connect program is a digital payment platform that enables health systems to cover the cost of healthy food for patients and analyze related health impacts. Josh was inspired to start About Fresh while working at a community health center in Boston and encountering food insecurity among his patients after the only grocery store in the neighborhood closed. Josh, is also a soccer player, a Special Olympics soccer coach, and a graduate of Northeastern University that finished with a degree in Sociology.

Khara Burns, Director of Project Bread:

Khara Burns is a dedicated food access advocate. Growing up she began participating in Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger event, later worked as a Hotline Counselor, and is now the FoodSource Hotline Director. Khara is proof of the way professional dedication and person passion translates to effective advocacy for the most vulnerable populations in our Commonwealth. A Boston native and an original child of the integration of the Charlestown Bunker Hill housing project, Khara is no stranger to the challenges facing the countless families in our Commonwealth. In 2017, Khara was the recipient of the Light of Dawn Award. Khara remains a tireless voice for families. As a proud mother of two, she has made it a personal mission to do her part to end hunger in Massachusetts.

Moderator: Joseph Feaster, Jr. Esq. President and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts:

Joseph Feaster, Jr., an attorney for over 44 years and a community leader, has always been engaged in public and community service. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and Northeastern School of Law, and since 1998 has been counsel to the law firm of McKenzie & Associates, P.C. located in downtown Boston.

He serves on the board of directors of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (ULEM) for the past 5 years and has been chairman since October 2017.

He previously served as ULEM vice chairman and chair of the development committee. He has also served as president of the Boston Branch NAACP and was president when the national association’s convention was held in Boston in 1982, chairman of the board of Dimock Community Health Center, vice chair of the board of Neighborhood Health Plan, and Speaker of the House of the National Association of Community Health Centers, to name a few.

Feaster is married to Phyllis Feaster, has a daughter Aalana, son Joseph (deceased) and a grandson Jaedin. Feaster, like his son Joseph III, is an organ donor.