By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For more than a decade, the Brown Bag Food Project has been building on its founders’ belief that no one should go hungry. The project has been making the Bowling Green area a better place – one loaf of bread, one gallon of milk, one bag of rice at a time.
The efforts of the organization to feed the hungry were recognized with the Drum Major for Peace Award at the 36th annual tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., hosted Friday by the Bowling Green Human Relations Commission
This award is given annually to someone who benefits the BG community and exemplifies the teachings and values of King – courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service.
The Brown Bag Food Project, founded by mother and daughter team Peg and Amy Holland, does that by working to end food insecurity in the Bowling Green area.
In accepting the award, Peg Holland reflected on King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“Amy had a dream that no one should go hungry,” Peg said.
That was the beginning of the Brown Bag Food Project in Amy’s garage in 2013, Mayor Mike Aspacher said. Since then, the organization has touched the lives of countless individuals and families.
“They’ve been making a profound difference in our community,” Aspacher said of the organization that remains all volunteer. “They are determined to make a difference – to help make sure no one goes hungry.”
Brown Bag now serves about 1,200 people a month.
“We never envisioned it would grow this big,” Peg Holland said. “We don’t turn anybody away.”
After the program, Amy Holland stressed that unlike some other food pantries, Brown Bag doesn’t draw geographic boundaries. “We don’t care who you are, or where you’re from,” she said. “Hunger doesn’t know borders.”
Brown Bag works on a simple concept, said Pastor Robin Small, of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church.
“If somebody’s hungry, they are going to find them some food,” said Small, who is also a member of the city’s Human Relations Commission.
Lindsay Jo Durham, president of the HRC, presented the Hollands with a $200 check, and it was noted that a drive for donated items will be held Monday at Grounds for Thought.
The keynote speaker at the event, Leah Budke, talked about the importance of food as the “building blocks for a healthy and happy life.”
Budke, a health education specialist at Wood County Hospital, said an estimated 13% of Wood County residents had issues of food insecurity in the past year. Some face the difficult decision of whether to buy nutritious food or pay their bills.
Hungry children struggle in school, since poor nutrition affects their ability to focus and grow properly. Good food is vital throughout life, Budke said, citing the role of nutrition in pregnant women and senior citizens.
Nutrition also affects mental health, she added.
“The stress and anxiety of not knowing where your next meal is coming from” can have adverse effects on mental wellbeing, Budke said.
Food banks are crucial, she said.
“They are places of hope. They make sure nobody goes to bed hungry,” Budke said. “They are a buffer against stress and insecurities.”
Organizations like the Brown Bag Food Project “reach individuals who may fall through the cracks in our community,” Budke said, encouraging all to get involved through donations, volunteering, or spreading awareness.
Music for Friday’s event was provided by students of St. Mark’s Lutheran Academy, who sang songs of peace.
Piano music by Ariel Kasler, an associate teaching professor at Bowling Green State University, began the program. Kasler’s great grandfather, Dr. Joachim Prinz, came to the U.S. in 1937, after being driven out of his native Germany, where he had served as rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin for 12 years.
Prinz quickly established himself in his adopted country as a fighter against racism and bigotry. A highlight of his civil rights activity was speaking at the 1963 March on Washington directly before King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
