Sikeston woman attends Feeding America summit in D.C.

Theresa Taylor of Sikeston shows her certificate after attending Feeding America’s “Elevating Voices: Power Summit” in Washington, D.C. (Photo provided)

SIKESTON — A Sikeston resident and member of Southeast Missouri Food Bank’s Action Council was chosen to attend Feeding America’s Elevating Voices Power Summit in Washington, D.C.

According to Heather Collier, the food bank’s donor relations and communications manager, the Feeding America’s Elevating Voices Power Summit, which takes place annually, brings together people with “lived experience” from all over the country, giving them a voice in addressing hunger issues.

Collier said at the summit, individuals can connect with one another and key federal decision-makers to discuss what people facing hunger in the United States require to thrive.

The Food Bank’s action council is comprised of a group of community members with personal experience with food insecurity.

Theresa Taylor of Sikeston was chosen this year to attend.

“Feed America is over all the food banks and once a year they pick a different one from each state to go to D.C.,” Taylor said. 

Taylor said there were advocates from each state who participated in advocacy training sessions, conversations with decision makers and networking to establish connections.

Taylor flew to Washington, D.C., about two weeks ago, and said that it was her first time on a plane. She said she had always wanted to visit the Capitol. Taylor said in addition to the summit, she was able to go sightseeing in Washington, D.C. 

“It was an amazing trip and an experience of a lifetime,” Taylor said.  

Taylor said she was thrilled to be chosen to travel to Washington, D.C., because Feed America usually chooses someone from St. Louis to represent Missouri. 

“One of my favorite parts about the summit was being able to meet everyone from the different states and hearing what all they had to say,” Taylor said. “There were some people that came in who were from different states, but originally they were from another country and learning their stories was so interesting.”

According to Taylor, going to the Capitol was critical because of the Farm Bill. 

“One of the things that is at my heart is the homeless,” Taylor said. “And with the Farm Bill, there will be some changes made and when they do, it’s really going to hit the homeless the hardest.”

Taylor said the Farm Bill may exclude certain items from food packages for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“The homeless can’t cook; they are looking for food that they can grab and just throw in their backpacks,” Taylor said. “One thing the SNAP program is shutting down is a lot of the food that you can just grab and go because they want healthier foods. But if they start changing things too much, it will leave the homeless without having access to the food that they have.” 

Taylor said attending the summit was extremely important to many people because it allowed them to speak with U.S. representatives about the Farm Bill and explain things they did and did not want it to change.