I am composing my column this week on the road. I am not in any
famous wine area like Sonoma or Napa, but rather in the city of Los
Angeles.
I am composing my column this week on the road. I am not in any famous wine area like Sonoma or Napa, but rather in the city of Los Angeles. The reason for my travel to the city of angels is to attend the ninth annual California Hunger and Food Policy conference, sponsored by a partnership between The California Endowment and MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.
This is my fourth visit to the conference. Usually, when someone mentions the word “conference,” I shudder. They usually are boring, lengthy and not extremely stimulating. Thank goodness that has not been my experience with this one.
Toward the close of the conference’s first day, the organizers had scheduled a wine reception prior to dinner. We nibbled on passed appetizers and sipped some wine under a full moon. The day had been long, so it was nice to relax and enjoy the company of friends that I only get to see once a year.
As we made our way to dinner, I stopped by my room and snagged a few bottles of wine that I had brought with me. I had planned to share a nice assortment of wine from some of our local producers.
We popped a few corks and started pouring. As I proudly talked up the wine region of Santa Clara and San Benito counties, a conversation grew around the continued reports we all have heard about the health benefits of drinking red wine, in moderation, on a daily basis.
We have simple conversations everyday about health. In this case, ours touched on wine. One of my previous columns listed a few benefits in more detail.
Suddenly, something hit me. It was not the woman across the table that I was flirting with, but something else.
As the conference’s workshops and round-table discussions began to sink in, I thought to myself about the four million people in the state of California who live with hunger and food security issues. What are their conversations like? For many, the conversations are probably not about the health benefits of red wine, but simply when their next meal will be.
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger has been in existence since 1985. MAZON is a national nonprofit organization that allocates donations received from the Jewish community, through tithing and other means, to more than 300 hunger relief agencies nationally and internationally. Working closely with a number of different agencies, like California Food Policy Advocates, MAZON has the goal of increasing education and advocacy to affect change in the long-term and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.
We can all agree that there is general awareness about the skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity, Type II diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease – evidence that the current environment does not support healthy eating or activity.
Dr. H. Eric Schockman, executive director at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger writes, “I have yet to encounter anyone who makes an argument for children going to school with empty stomachs or seniors having to choose between buying food or medicine.”
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed legislation to fight obesity and promote a healthier California. This is very important because factors that influence eating and activity are shaped by the decisions of businesses and government – factors outside the control of individual parents or families.
According to the California Health & Human Services Agency, an ambitious forward-reaching plan will challenge all of us – government, business, community organizations and individuals – to make California a national model for healthy living.
The vision includes having schools offer only healthy foods and beverages to students; promote daily physical activity for adults and children; ensure that produce and other fresh, healthy food items are affordable and accessible in all neighborhoods and drastically reduce the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages to children.
Many times in this column, I have spoken about the wonderful connection wine has with food. We have many choices and options when it comes to securing and consuming wine. This is the privilege we have by living in a state with immense wealth, productivity and potential.
Sufficient food on the table and access to proper nutrition is not a privilege – it is a basic human right that we all have and all must advocate for.
Cheers!
David Cox is a wine enthusiast and executive director of St. Joseph’s Family Center in Gilroy. He can be reached at wi**********@***oo.com.
