In 2008, a group of women from North Philadelphia were given cameras to take pictures and speak out about their firsthand experiences with hunger and poverty for a project known as Witnesses to Hunger. By 2013, that project had grown to include over 80 Witnesses in sites from Boston to Baltimore. Witnesses have and continue to spark dialogue, engage and inform policy makers, and inspire change.

Major Exhibits

Witnesses to Hunger exhibits not only displayed the visual representation of first-hand experiences of poverty and hunger, they provided Witnesses the opportunity to speak directly to policy makers and community influencers to advocate for change. Below is an overview of the many major exhibits hosted by Witnesses to Hunger over a ten-year period. 

• Second Annual Youth Forum (Philadelphia) - September 14-15, 2018 - View Youth Forum photos
• My Voice Matters: Inaugural Youth Forum (Philadelphia) - September 2017 - View Youth Forum video from Feminista Jones
• EAT Café (Philadelphia) - February 21, 2017 - View opening reception video
• Democratic National Convention, African American History Museum (Philadelphia) - July 25-28, 2016 - View exhibit photos
• THEARC: Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (Washington, D.C.) - January 13-31, 2016
• New Haven City Hall (New Haven, Connecticut) - September 4-19, 2014
• Boston City Hall (Boston) - May 1, 2014
• United States House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building (Washington, D.C.) - April 3, 2014
• Five-Year Anniversary Exhibit, Drexel University (Philadelphia) - December 11, 2013
• Gallery Eleven One (Camden, New Jersey) - September 18, 2013
• Campbell Soup Company Headquarters (Camden, New Jersey) - June 11, 2013
• Fighting Hunger in Maryland Conference, University of Maryland (Baltimore) - October 12, 2012
• Beyond Hunger Conference (Philadelphia) - May 12, 2012
• Massachusetts State House (Boston) - March 12, 2012
• Drexel University (Philadelphia) - January 11, 2011
• Vineyard Haven Public Library (Martha's Vineyard Island, Massachusetts) - August 10, 2010
• Rhode Island Community Food Bank (Providence, Rhode Island) - April 19, 2010
• International Conference on Women's Health and Urban Development, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) - April 7, 2010
• Anti-Hunger Policy Conference (Washington, D.C.) - March 10, 2010
• Cambria County Community Arts Center (Johnstown, Pennsylvania) - February 6, 2010
• Pennsylvania State Capitol (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) - January 11, 2010
• Marywood University (Scranton, Pennsylvania) - November 16, 2009
• Community Action Partnership Conference (Philadelphia) - September 9, 2009
• United States Senate, Russell Senate Building Rotunda (Washington, D.C) - May 9, 2009
• Drexel University (Philadelphia) - December 8, 2008

Witnesses

Witnesses to Hunger are tireless advocates, working for change in their own communities and on a city, state, and national level. Their work includes speaking out at various events and briefings, participating in webinars and blogging, and partnering with other advocates to create change. The following community members acted as witnesses at one point during the activity of each site.