HUNGER CONFERENCE

The question posed to a group of 500 high school students Wednesday morning resonated of John F. Kennedy’s famed 1961 rallying call to the American public.

“What are you going to do to make America make good on its promises?” asked Joel Berg, director of national service for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Berg was the keynote speaker at an anti-hunger conference at the Wilshire United Methodist Church in the Wilshire district, sponsored by the Interfaith Hunger Council and Americorps, President Clinton’s national service program.

The Youth Anti-Hunger Conference drew students from across Los Angeles, offering education about hunger and how they can make a difference by volunteering through programs like Americorps.

“[The conference] helps young people think they can do significant things in their community,” said Carolyn Olney, associate director of the coalition.

After Berg’s remarks, the youngsters split into groups for workshops. Americorps members in the community gardening program demonstrated how to grow plants such as Swiss chard and watermelon.

April Drayton, 16, who is a student at Crenshaw High, said she was especially moved by a discussion billed as “It Could Happen to You.” April said she has considered running away in the past, and now knows that there are alternatives to “the streets,” such as teen shelters.