Announcing the 2020 World Food Day Poetry Competition Winners
14 October 2020, Washington, DC – Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 World Food Day Poetry Competition. The third annual contest, under the theme, “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.” received 50 submissions from poets living in DC and surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia.
Observed annually on 16 October, this year World Food Day calls for global solidarity to help vulnerable populations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, to make food systems more resilient, and to recognize the critical role that food heroes play along the supply chain. This year’s celebration also marks the 75th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO).
The FAO Liaison Office for North America, Poetry X Hunger and the Capital Area Food Bank hosted this year’s Competition with support from Split This Rock. Judges Jesse N. Alexander, a teacher, poet, and second-place winner of the 2018 World Food Day Poetry Contest; and Cheryl Morden, a retired expert from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with over 30 years of experience in international development policy analysis and advocacy, had the tough job of selecting the top candidates.
The first place-winning poem is “Testimony” by Brian James from Manassas, VA. “This poem is a testimony to the power of love to endure the hardships and humiliations of life to provide for loved ones,” noted Cheryl Morden.
In second place is “Grow. Nourish. Sustain. Together” by Methany Eltigani, followed by “Do the Math: Spring 2020, Quarantine Edition” by Sunu Chandy, both of whom reside in Washington, DC.
Additional honorable mentions go out to “The Book Bag Store" by Aressa Willians (Upper Marlboro, MD); “Did They Know” by Joy Alford (Temple Hills, MD); and "Bounty" by Donald Illich (Rockville, MD).
The winners were announced by Hiram Larew and Aaron R. at the 2020 World Food Day Commemorative Ceremony hosted by FAO North America today.
“Simply I write because poetry connects the human spirit, it unites us all. Poetic words move us to create action, to soothe and help others, and to prayerfully cleanse the stain that worldwide hunger has upon all of our souls,” said Brian James, first-place winner. Brian Donnell James is an emerging writer who has been published in Africa, Europe, and throughout the United States. He had recently published work in several poetry anthologies, magazines, and journals. Much of his work centers around racial harmony, love, and taking a stand against discrimination of all forms.
“When poems can help create empathy for one another and inspire us to stand up against inequities, we are one step closer to building a system which has no place for hunger and malnutrition,” said Vimlendra Sharan, Director of FAO North America.
“Thanks to the winners for bringing powerful poetry to World Food Day!” said Hiram Larew of Poetry X Hunger, which encourages poets worldwide to speak back to hunger.
“In the wake of the pandemic, many people around the world are seeing the impacts of food insecurity as never before – both across continents and around the corner,” said Hilary Salmon, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB). “We’re incredibly proud to be a partner in shining a light on this issue, and in working towards Zero Hunger as part of one global community.”
As part of this collaboration with this competition, CAFB hosted Aaron R, winner of the 2018 World Food Day Poetry Competition, for a poetry residency program. The residency resulted in the production of a powerful poem; My Name is Hunger by Aaron R.
Additional Links
Read all the top poems and honorable mentions at the Poetry X Hunger website
2020 World Food Day Poetry Announcement
2019 World Food Day Poetry Competition Winners Express Powerful Views on Zero Hunger
2018 Poets Call for Zero Hunger in First of Its Kind World Food Day Contest
Read the top three winners
2020 World Food Day Winning Poems
First Place: Brian Donnell James (Manassas, VA)
“Testimony”
I was a teenage father then, with little money
My wife and I saved our lunch so our son could eat
And we went without a meal that day
As night approached we had hoped he would sleep until morning
And with every twist and turn he made, my anxiety rose and fell
But as toddlers do, he rose hungry
Rubbing circles on his belly
He was trying to be a big boy
Trying to control the desperation,
I saw in his eyes
I nodded to my wife
And gathered change from everywhere, anywhere
Between cushions and under couches
Closets, desk and cabinet drawers
And I was off to shop with newly found pocket change
Enough for instant noodles, kool aid, bread, and peanut butter
Even as I counted out the change, and people in line smirked and commented
The cashier and I knew I didn't have enough
My eyes swelled, and I
Tried to control my desperation
She smiled and said, “well that's just enough”
Bagged my food
And I left
Walking back to our little apartment
I will never forget that feeling
Emotion overcame me
Not embarrassment or shame
Just thankfulness
Just love
I’d do anything
For my boy
Second Place: Methany Eltigani (Washington, DC)
Grow. Nourish. Sustain. Together.
Grow
We mention food deserts as if nothing can grow there
Like we cannot plant seeds to water and sow there
I find it hard to believe when there’s plenty to spare
That there are still those of us whose cabinets are bare
Is it that we don’t care? Is humanity so rare?
What stops us from building gardens everywhere
For all to eat and be merry with plenty to share?
Nourish
We nourish ourselves with the food on our plate
But for some there’s never enough to satiate
To flourish and grow, to live and create
We must be free from hunger and pain
If we all work together, this pain can abate
In a world free of hunger that we cultivate
While so many suffer, there’s no time to wait
Sustain
Making change is one thing, but we must make it last
That means no one left out, not one outcast
If our actions are our future, we must learn from our past
And answer all the questions that were too hard to ask
Where have we failed, how can we surpass
All that I know is we have to act fast
To make food insecurity a thing of past
Together
If divided we fall and united we stand
Then we all must learn to lend a hand
It’s true that some problems are far too grand
To ever be conquered by just one man
But hunger is solvable if we’re all in on the plan
Just by joining together, our reach will expand
And touch every corner of every land
Third Place: Sunu Chandy (Washington, DC)
Do the Math: Spring 2020, Quarantine Edition
Math Problem 342: If your breakfast comes from school and you don’t go to school then what happens? If your lunch comes from school and you don’t go to school then what happens? If your afternoon snack comes from the afterschool program, and it is all canceled until further notice, then what happens?
Math Problem 343: If your mom loses her job at the restaurant because no one is allowed to dine out during the pandemic, then what happens? If your mom loses her job at the restaurant and then can’t bring home food at the end of the night, then what happens? If your mom loses her job and then there’s no money for groceries, then what happens?
Math Problem 344: If your health insurance is tied to your job and then you lose your job, then what happens? If your employer only gives health insurance to full-time employees and then you get your hours cut, then what happens? If you are furloughed and can barely make rent, much less food, then what happens?
Math Problem 345: If your unemployment check barely pays for your rent and then there’s no money left for food, then what happens?
Math Problem 346: If the church with the food pantry and the friendly smile is now closed until further notice, then what happens?
Math Problem 347: If there is one gallon of juice in the fridge and there are four children and the juice is gone by Wednesday, then what happens?
Math Problem 348: If there are three stalks of broccoli, and six people in the family, then what happens?
Math Problem 349: If the toddler is allergic to wheat and all the food at the new food donation place contains wheat, then what happens?
Math Problem 350: If there are 680,000 people living in Washington DC, and most of them are not hungry, then what happens?
Math Problem 351: If there are close to 680,000 living in Washington DC and 1 out of 10 residents of the metropolitan Washington DC region is food insecure, how many people is that? And if nearly ⅓ of them are children, how many children is that?