As part of SouthCoast Serves' National Volunteer Week, a Food Justice Forum was held at the Woodland Commons on the UMass-Dartmouth campus on April 14, 2015. About fifty students, faculty members and guests attended the ninety-minute event to review the recently completed Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Assessment. LeDuc Center for Civic Engagement Assistant Director Deirdre Healy introduced Stephanie Reusch, MA, RD, of the Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Network and Sarah Kelly of The Island Foundation who both summarized the Assessment. Panelists Isabel Rodrigues of the UMassD Anthropology Department, Noreen Kelly of Project Bread, and Dr. David Weed of Partners for a Healthier Community then responded to the report and engaged the audience in a discussion of the issues surrounding food security in Southeastern Massachusetts. For more information, contact Deirdre Healy, Assistant Director for the LeDuc Center for Civic Engagement at 508-999-8641. (Forum photos courtesy of Ashley Nunez)

(Top row, left) UMD Sociology Department Chair Lisa Knauer and LeDuc Center for Civic Engagment Assistant Director Deirdre Healy were on hand to greet guests attending the Forum. (Top row, center) Samantha Smith, Gabrielle Monteiro and Meagan Lincoln stand next to their display of the UMD Hunger Initiative. (Top row, right) Christopher Carter stands behind his poster for the UMD Food Pantry and a sample dorm room compost bin. (Row two, left and right) Stephanie Reusch, MA, RD, of the Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Network and Sarah Kelly of The Island Foundation begin the Forum with a summary of the Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Assessment. (Row three, center) Ms. Healy introduces panelists Isabel Rodrigues of the UMassD Anthropology Department, Noreen Kelly of Project Bread, and Dr. David Weed of Partners. (Bottom row, left and center) Following remarks by Dr. Weed, Noreen Kelly talks about food insecurity issues among low income residents and urges participation in the upcoming Walk for Hunger. (Bottom row, right) A UMD student talks with Stepanie Reusch and Noreen Kelly following the Forum.