Gustavus Adolphus College

“Community Food Security” is the theme for this year’s Gustavus Adolphus College MAYDAY! Peace Conference—an annual event devoted to a topic relating to human rights and social justice. This year’s conference is set for Wednesday, May 2 and individuals may register that day between 8:30-10 a.m. at Linner Lounge, located in O.J. Johnson Student Union.

Among other events, the daylong conference will feature presentations from author Janet Poppendieck, who wrote Sweet Charity: Emergency Food and the End of Entitlement, and Mike Hamm, Ph.D., chair of sustainable agriculture at Michigan State University.

Poppendieck will discuss the content of her book, which challenges the premise of the U.S. food emergency system. She essentially argues for programs that help the poor gain access to public sector benefits, through counseling, advocacy, and job training. Similarly, Hamm’s presentation will discuss his findings from researching community-based food systems and community food security.

Another feature of the 2007 conference is the “Locavore Lunch,” with the college Dining Services serving only foods that have been produced within the region. The meal is intended to emphasize the consumption of local products, in an effort to decrease the negative environmental effects of nationally and globally shipped goods.

Dating back to 1981, the annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference signifies the international distress call as well as a call to action. Previous conferences have focused on topics such as the necessity and effectiveness of international sanctions, global perspectives on the arms race, the tension between energy and the environment as a roadblock to peace, and the unfolding crisis of aids in Africa.

First established by Florence and the late Raymond Sponberg of North Mankato, Minn., the conference is free of charge and open to the public. To obtain additional information about the conference, e-mail collegerelations@gustavus.edu or call 507/933-7520.