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As the recent U.S. government shutdown disrupts vital food assistance programs and November as National Homelessness Awareness Month, Love Beyond Walls announced the launch of Project Open Fridge, a campaign to provide direct, stigma-free access to fresh food for families and children impacted by hunger. In honor of the 42 million Americans facing loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Love Beyond Walls founder Dr. Terence Lester will sit atop a refrigerator for 42 hours throughout the week at the Love Beyond Walls national headquarters in College Park, Ga. Dr. Lester encourages those who are able to donate nonperishable food items such as pasta, rice, pasta sauce, canned goods, cereal, ramen, granola bars at the Love Beyond Walls office.<\/p>\n
To observe National Homeless Awareness Month (November), Dr. Lester is calling for food donations, donations to Zion\u2019s Closet, the purchase items from the Amazon wish list for Love T. Nolan Elementary in Fulton County School District and to share his mission on social media.<\/p>\n
For many Americans, the shutdown has exposed the silent crisis of food insecurity impacting 1 in 5 children in the U.S. The burden is overwhelming school districts, educators and principals who witness students coming to school for their only meal of the day.<\/p>\n
The campaign builds on Love Beyond Walls\u2019 mission to amplify the voices of\u00a0people experiencing poverty and homelessness\u00a0through practical love and community action.\u00a0Love Beyond Walls initiatives like Project Open Fridge, Love Feed and Zion\u2019s Closet restore dignity, hope and while empowering communities with accessible and healthy groceries for students and their families.<\/p>\n
Project Open Fridge operates under a \u201ctake what you need, give what you can\u201d model, ensuring the refrigerator pop-up is stocked with fresh produce, meals, and pantry staples in neighborhoods most affected.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/imterencelester\/<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing the increase firsthand through our Love Feeds program,\u201d says Dr. Lester. \u201cThe need is growing by the week. We\u2019re getting more calls even from working families.\u00a0Principals in our partner schools are telling us that resources are drying up food-wise. Dr. Spencer from our first Zion\u2019s closet just told me they have run out of food. She and other principals say students are coming to school hungry. Zion\u2019s Closet is our direct response to this crisis, and this campaign helps draw attention to what\u2019s really happening in schools that are trying to do more with less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every hour Dr. Lester spends on top of the refrigerator, doing his typical work as founder of Love Beyond Walls, is tied to students who are missing school because they don\u2019t have food, clean clothes, access to hygiene, or stable housing. It\u2019s not just symbolic, it\u2019s a spotlight on crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m giving up the comfort of a traditional office space to welcome discomfort because the truth is, this is what many students live with every single day,\u201d says Dr. Lester. \u201cInstead of sitting behind a desk, I\u2019ll be spending my workday on top of a refrigerator to bring attention to how many students live without the basic food security that so many take for granted. The goal is to create space to talk honestly about poverty, hunger, education, and how systems continue to fail our most vulnerable students.\u201d<\/p>\n
RLC welcomes and encourages individuals who engage in critical thinking at the intersection of faith and justice to contribute to our blog. The views and opinions expressed by our blog authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of RLC, its staff, members, or officers.<\/em><\/p>\n