NO MAS HAMBRE (NMH) is an initiative presented by LATINO together with the AARP Foundation and others to educate Latinos about food insecurity and encourage them to get involved. Now in its fourth year,  NMH seeks to engage the Latino community through articles in LATINO, our website at NoMasHambre.com, our annual NMH Summit, and a series of regional forums around the country to explore local issues. These community conversations bring together Latino leaders, anti-hunger activists, elected officials, journalists and others to discuss ways of addressing hunger and related issues such as nutrition, childhood obesity, SNAP outreach, and food insecurity among the elderly.

Last November, an NMH Forum was held in Providence, RI at Johnson & Wales University, represented by Mim L. Runey, LP.D., Providence Campus President and Douglas Stuchel, an Asst. Professor in the School of Hospitality. Keynote speakers included Kathleen Connell, AARP Rhode Island State Director; Peter Asen, conveying a greeting from outgoing Mayor Angel Taveras; and Secretary of State-elect Nellie Gorbea, who made history by being the first Latina elected to statewide office in Rhode Island. Award-winning director John Martin, AARP, showed an excerpt from his film Hungry in the West End.

Panelists on the roundtable discussion moderated by LATINO Publisher Alfredo Estrada included Heather Amaral, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels of RI; Anna Cano-Morales, Director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University; Mario Bueno, Executive Director of Progreso Latino; and Hiram Lopez-Landin, Program Analyst, AARP Foundation.

One theme in the discussion was demographic change in Providence, which is now 40% Latino, as outlined by Anna Cano-Morales in her presentation. Nellie Gorbea congratulated Mayor-elect Jorge Elorza, a Harvard graduate of Guatemalan descent. Latins in Providence comprise a diverse and dynamic community, the subject of a future article in LATINO.

Mil gracias to AARP Rhode Island, our hosts at Johnson & Wales, and all our partners and participants in our Providence NMH Forum.

PROVIDENCE

(l-r) Hiram Lopez-Landin, Anna Cano-Morales, Heather Amaral and Mario Bueno