My seven year old son likes to play games of "What if" with his friends. He and his friend Andrew are non-stop what if-ers. In the car together the other day it was "Hey Andrew, what if I ate this entire ice cream cone in one bite?" "You're crazy, Simon, your teeth would freeze and fall out of your mouth." A little later while we were at the driving range hitting golf balls, it was "Hey Andrew, what if I hit this golf ball so hard that it flew over the road and those houses and kept going and going?" "That would be so cool Simon, it would keep going up in the air so high that people in airplanes would see it flying by the window -- It would freak them out!" His what ifs keep coming. It's what if the car flew over the Casco Bay Bridge while a ship was passing... what if the scooter could go so fast that we could pass all the cars... what if my skateboard had a rocket engine attached to the back of it. I love his games of what if because I play this game a lot, too.

My latest what if is this -- What if  more like-minded Maine people than ever before come together to help tackle the hunger problems that thousands of Maine people face every day?

If you read my latest entry about Steve Corry's soup, then you know that one of my passions is working on Share Our Strength Southern Maine's annual Taste of the Nation. The Taste raises thousands of dollars for Maine hunger organizations including: Cultivating Community, East End Kids, Maine Equal Justice and Preble Street. This year's Taste, which is June 22, 2008, features chefs: Steve Corry (Five Fifty-Five), Rob Evans (Hugo's), Larry Matthews Jr. (Back Bay Grill), Lee Skawinski (Cinque Terre), Sam Hayward (Fore Street), Jeff Landry (Eve's), Bryan Dame (The Edge) and Joe Boudreau (The Grille Room). This team of restaurant community leaders will join forces to produce an extraordinary meal. 100% of our proceeds go to the cause. These funds are critical, as childhood hunger in Maine is getting worse every year.

A few weeks ago Share Our Strength Southern Maine organized a working dinner at the Blaine House with Gov. John Baldacci and first lady Karen Baldacci. The purpose was to bring together a statewide mix of people who are fighting for an end to hunger in Maine. The meal included about two dozen anti-hunger leaders from Mane. It was a good experience. I returned home that night with hope that aligning efforts and creating a plan with clearly defined goals, objectives and steps, will lead to Maine becoming the first state in the nation to truly eradicate hunger.

The answer to my what if isn't simple. It's actually quite complicated. But the desired outcome is crystal clear -- we will eliminate childhood hunger in Maine if we join together and surround our children with nutritious food where they live, learn and play.

Everyone has strength and something to share. If you agree, I encourage you to learn more as you add your voice to Taste of that Nation, this June 22. Come with us to Cow Island. Meet Share Our Strength's founder, Billy Shore, and the two hundred and fifty other like-minded Maine people attending this important event. From there you might decide to take some other important steps. One can only hope.  

Cheers.