Started in Philadelphia in 2008, Witnesses to Hunger is a research and advocacy project partnering with the real experts on hunger—mothers and caregivers of young children who have experienced hunger and poverty. Through their photographs and stories, Witnesses advocate for their own families and others and seek to create lasting changes on a local, state and national level. Learn more about Witnesses to Hunger's history.

Witnesses to Hunger began in Philadelphia but spread across the nation, creating a diverse collection of sites, all working to bring a voice to those experiencing hunger and working for change.

Witnesses to Hunger is a project about the participation and action of those who know firsthand the experience of raising a child on a limited income. The photographers of the project are mothers and caregivers of young children who used digital cameras to frame the issues most important to them and to their children. Exhibiting their photographs to the public is only the first step in this dialogue. They are using these photographs and their life experiences to inform policymakers and make changes in their own communities. They are living testimony of the need for legislation to put an end to hunger and poverty.

All too often, policies and programs are created without the participation of the people who are most affected. The true experts on maternal and child health and poverty are the mothers of young children. These moms focus their lenses on their children, on their neighborhoods, on their daily grinds at work and on welfare. They are teachers with valuable lessons to impart. Each of us is invited to look and listen for their guidance.

Witnesses to Hunger is a registered trademark of Drexel University. Use of the program's name, materials and images must be approved by the Center of Hunger-Free Communities and Drexel University.