To recognize and honor Father’s Day we’re highlighting a few of the many inspiring dads the WhyHunger team works with in the food justice movement. Here, they share how fatherhood has impacted their work in the fight for nutritious food for all. Enjoy!

Photo by: Luis Sanchez Saturno

Don Bustos, American Friends Service Committee

How has being a father affected your approach to and perspective of your work within food justice?

I have a son Emilio who was born with Down syndrome, so I’m concerned about the chemicals use to produce food that could affect his health and as people, our overall dependency on an unjust food system. I think about how growing food is not only a food justice issue, but a social justice one. The act of providing healthy food for you, your family and friends, and not being dependent on a system that dictates what to eat based on a for-profit system is important.

As a father and an activist, what recommendations do you have for engaging young people in the movement for a better food system?

Young people need guidance, leadership, instruction and a home base. They need to be encouraged and supported in their successes and their struggles.  This allows for discovery, innovation and building of self-awareness. Learning who they are and what is of value helps them to become engaged in things like the movement for a better food system.

Does your family have a favorite meal to make and eat together?

We enjoy all meals because we grow, harvest, prepare and make healthy foods together, produced in our local region when possible. We also always thank the creator for the blessings we receive as a family, and that’s what makes each meal special.

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Erik Talkin, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

How has being a father affected your approach to and perspective of your work within food justice? 

I have six kids so sometimes it feels like food justice should involve me starting my own food bank! In ages they range from 23 to 4. Each child is usually a re-education about all the things you’ve forgotten. My youngest, Mia, is very interested in food and cooking. She likes to do it all herself and already can see how important food is and she is aware of what foods are healthy and which ones are not.

As a father and an activist, what recommendations do you have for engaging young people in the movement for a better food system?

It’s easier to involve kids in something that they’re naturally doing already, which is why food literacy (cooking / planning / budgeting  / storing) really sinks in if it is taught interactively from an early age. For our organization, it’s the number two focus right after the provision of nutrient dense food. Our Food Literacy In Preschool (FLIP) program starts off this process, which continues with different programs until high school graduation.

With Mia, she has been used to cooking since the age of 2 ½. She has her own tools and frying pan and is very proud of her own pink paring knife, which she uses to cut vegetables and occasionally menace her father. It’s a lot better than using play food and play knives. Teaching kids to grow something is also a great way of engaging them in improving the food system.

Does your family have a favorite meal to make and eat together?

Mia loves to make scrambled eggs with mushrooms or to make a salad of chopped vegetables, black beans and olives. We love any meal that our daughter has helped to cook.

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Joel Greeno, Family Farm Defenders

How has being a father affected your approach to and perspective of your work within food justice?

As a dad to daughters Abigail (8) and Anna Marie (4) I have a great sense of responsibility and believe in working hard. I often work from sunup to sundown on the farm and think it’s important to respect the land, respect what you grow and that’s something I teach my daughters. By not living in an urban area, we have really precious moments on the farm and I hope people who are consuming the food, also have respect for the land and people who work it.

As a father and an activist, what recommendations do you have for engaging young people in the movement for a better food system?

As adults we have to create more opportunities for the youth to be engaged. They want to get involved. And it’s good for them to grab soil, get dirty, grow food and develop an appreciation for what they have and an understanding about the people who struggle for access to healthy food. Take advantage of the seasons, create school gardens and encourage them. Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you can’t.

Does your family have a favorite meal to make and eat together?

Yes, a favorite meal of ours is slow-cooked beef roast, with potatoes (Abby loves peeling potatoes!), onions, carrots and topped with applesauce. And we end with cherry pie for dessert. We try to get everything from the farm and it’s a great time.

 Thank you to our participants and Happy Father’s Day to all!