F E ATU RE S
7
APRIL 15, 2011
HUNGER
Volunteers, food banks work to alleviate hunger issues
Continued from Page I
themselves as living in underdeveloped countries, but this is
right here in Greensboro, and it's one in four people."
Additionally, Greensboro and High Point ranked fourth
nationally in number of people who can't afford food,
according to the News and Record.
Though these numbers might be shocking to some,
Katherine Shelton, the pantry director at the Servant
Center's Grocery Assistance Program, thinks the numbers
might be worse.
"(A quarter) seems low," Shelton said. "There are a lot of
people they don't know about. There are a lot of people —
immigrants, people who use church (food programs) — who
aren't listed on formal paper."
Others aren't shocked either.
"Those of us that facili-
"Every community deserves the right to
healthy food - not just food, but healthy
food."
Senior Kelsey Vergin, intern at the Edible Schoolyard
tate (free meals) have always
been aware that many ...
who come to eat dinner may
have not had an opportunity
to eat a full meal that day
and may not eat again until
the morning," said Saralee
Gallien, an organizer for
the Greensboro chapter of
Food Not Bombs, in an email
interview. "There's a certain
level of normalcy that sets in
when you hang out with folks every week who do not have and helping," said UNCG freshman and GUM volunteer
a normative eating schedule or any stable ability to secure Caitlin Pantas. "1 didn't know about places like this before,
three meals a day." so this has been a great learning experience."
Others have seen this problem growing. "The people here are terrific," said first-year and GUM
"There's been a considerable increase of people coming volunteer Eileen Martin. "Tm planning on continuing vol-
(to Greensboro Urban Ministry)," said GUM Food Bank unteering here even after my hours are done."
Office Manager Val Marshall. "Not just to the food bank, Shelton suggested multiple ways students can help other
but to the clothing bank, our beds, and Pathways, which is than volunteering.
apartments for families." "Support local pantries; do food drives — they're a tre-
Some note that the problem goes beyond hunger.
"People buy less nutrition and more bulk," said Shelton.
"It fills people up, so they're not hungry, but they're not
healthy."
"Every community deserves the right to healthy food —
not just food, but healthy food," said Vergin. "But a burger
costs $1 and a head of lettuce costs $3; people can't afford
the healthy option."
According to Vergin, such issues arise from a food system
based on feeding people as fast as possible and making
money as fast as possible. Gallien blames systemic causes to
a greater extent.
"FNB recognizes this struggle (with hunger) as conditions
that are produced by capitalism and racism, which are two
structural institutions this country was founded by and con
tinues to operate through," Gallien said.
Regardless of what the
causes might be, there are
ways students can help.
"A lot of college students
volunteer to work with us
over here," Marshall said.
"Students don't have a lot of
money, so we'd much rather
have their time."
Some volunteers men
tioned the benefits of volun
teering.
T feel like I'm giving back
mendous help; grow a sustainable garden and learn how to
do it organically," Shelton said. "If we don't get (the young
er) generation involved, what's going to happen?"
Vergin also mentioned similar ways to help. She also
brought up self-education.
"(There should be) awareness — don't be ignorant,"
Vergin said. "People confuse (ignorance) with arrogance, but
ignorance is just not knowing. Students here should allow
themselves to know what's going on, and understand our
place of privilege."
First-year Eileen Martin volunteers at Greensboro Urban
Ministry's food bank in downtown Greensboro.
Life Before Guilford: Kyle and Erin Dell
By Meg Holden
Staff Writer
College relationships all end
at graduation. Once you get that
diploma, the "college" part of the
relationship is over, even if the
"relationship" part stays strong —
unless, that is, you stay in college.
Although they are no longer stu
dents, Kyle and Erin Dell have
maintained their college relation
ship since they met at Kalamazoo
College, in Kalamazoo, Mich. Kyle,
an associate professor of political
science and co-coordinator of the
environmental studies program,
and Erin, an assistant academic
dean, shared the details of their
romantic comedy before — and
since — coming to Guilford.
Erin, a Quaker, chose Kalamazoo
because of its study abroad pro
gram. An English and Spanish
major, Erin said that when she
thinks about college, she remem
bers always having a book in her
hand.
According to Kyle, his family
has connections to education as a
profession.
"I always thought of (teaching)
as the family business," Kyle said.
"But the older I got, I thought
about it, and I was like, 'I hate
the family business.' I wanted to
go and be a big-time lawyer ...
because I didn't want to be a poor
teacher."
After a well-loved professor
had a stroke and stopped teach
ing, however, Kyle reconsidered
his priorities.
"It really influenced me to think
about what was important and
what I really respected about peo
ple," Kyle said. "And suddenly,
the superficial parts of a lawyer's
lifestyle that I thought I wanted
were not what I wanted anymore."
The romance began when Kyle
transferred to Kalamazoo and the
two were introduced by a mutual
friend.
"I forget how I knew that (Kyle's)
roommate, Chris, was living in the
dorm —" Erin said.
"You were a social butterfly,"
Kyle said. "You were flitting
around the dorm."
"That is not true," Erin said.
"Don't say that, it makes me sound
like Tm an airhead. Anyway, so
I walked in and I was talking to
Chris, and Chris said, 'You need
to meet my roommate Kyle.' And
Kyle turned around and said, 'Hi,
nice to meet you,' and I was star-
struck."
The two were close friends
throughout their sophomore year at
Kalamazoo. Taking day trips, ring
ing the tower bells at Kalamazoo,
and studying in Washington, D.C.
together solidified Kyle and Erin's
romance.
According to Kyle, while work
(Left) Kyle and Erin Dell as students at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. (Right) Kyle, now associate professor of
political science and co-coordinator of the environmental studies program at Guilford, and Erin, assistant academic dean,
pose outside of Hege Library.
ing on Capitol Hill, staffers in
Kyle's office would sometimes call
Erin the "pinko commie girlfriend"
while Erin's office referred to Kyle
as the "fascist boyfriend." Political
divides didn't stop Kyle and Erin
from getting engaged their senior
year at Kalamazoo and marrying
a year later.
"Some people really give us a
hard time that we got married
so young," Erin said. "There's
that 'how did you know that you
wanted to be with someone when
you were 19?' thing. My parents
both said, 'you're kind of young to
know what you want for the rest of
your life.' And I said, 'I know what
I want.'"
After college, the two moved to
Boston for graduate school. Kyle
studied at Boston College and Erin
studied at Harvard University,
where she also worked placing
Fulbright students in graduate
schools. The couple's two children,
Sam and Phoebe, were born during
the Dells' 10 years in Boston.
"And then we moved here, and
it was very serendipitous," Erin
said. "Kyle and I wanted to be in a
place that reminded us of what we
had (at Kalamazoo), and to be able
to be on the other side of that and
to give back is really meaningful."