August 2013

Dear FeelGooders, Welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful summer, and that you are ready for another epic year of hunger-ending action. John Coonrod, the Executive Vice President of The Hunger Project, recently wrote: The notion that we are all in this together is no longer an abstraction.Its in the daily news. Its our lived reality. In other words, were starting to get it: for the human family to survive, we need to cocreate a world where everyone can thrive. This was a major theme at this years Big Cheese Summer Instituteattended by students from 16 chapters and by our partners and friends from around the world. It was there that we heard about the international communitys call for a new global target to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty from the face of the earth by 2030. This exciting possibility is a first for humankinda call for a global partnership guided by a people-centered and planet-sensitive agenda, based on the principle of our common humanity. Ending hunger in our lifetime is now closer to reality than ever. So this academic year, as an outcome of our time together this summer, the entire FeelGood movement will be invited to respond to this call to end hunger by 2030. Together, we are taking our delis to a whole new level. Youll hear more about this exciting invitation as part of the VCA that all chapters, including yours, will complete in the first few weeks of school. More information on this coming soon! Until then, we offer this start-of-year Welcome Kit as an expression of our gratitude and love for you all! In it youll find New FeelGood gear. From aprons and hats to a small sample of deli-related items that we are featuring in the Cheese World store this year!

Ribbons (& instructions) for an exercise called Our Ties to Ending Hunger - a great way to reconnect to each other and our awesome mission. We recommend you do this exercise on your first or second chapter meeting with all your members.

In the meantime, remember that the entire FeelGood World staff is here for you. Questions? Concerns? Just want to chat? Drop us an email at changemaker@feelgoodworld.org. As many of you say, FeelGood is a way to love the world. Its so true. FeelGood is a space and community through which we can explore how to be in loving relationship with ourselves, our immediate communities, our human family and our planet. Heres to another year of this journey of discovery and embodiment of love, as the most inevitable response to the realization that we are all one. With love, gratitude and appreciation, The FeelGood World Team Kristin, Talis, Kern, Corin, Sarah, Rachel and Shelly

OUR TIES TO END HUNGER

[Read the following aloud, but not the parts that look italicized like this.]
First, everyone should take a ribbon from the envelope. Second, everyone will need a pen or marker. We all know were here to end hunger, one grilled cheese at a time. This exercise is an opportunity to reconnect with our mission - and to remember WHY were working toward that vision. What would it look like if we lived aligned with a worldview that acknowledges our interconnectedness?

So, close your eyes and imagine a world free from hunger. What do you feel? What is possible now that no one is hungry? How do people relate to each other in this world? What brought about the end of hunger?

[Pause for a minute and let people explore these questions silently.]
As you open your eyes, write a few words on your ribbon that represent what ending hunger means to you.

[Give people a minute to do so.]

Now pair up with one other person here. Tie their ribbon around their wrist and allow them to do the same for you. As you are doing this, share what you wrote on your ribbon.

[Give people two minutes, then reconvene the group.]

Would anyone like to share with the group what ending hunger means to you?

[Take 3-5 minutes for additional sharing, depending on your time and the size of your group.]