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Group Ethics Case Study: Addressing Zero Hunger

Olivia Schmidt, Santo Butler, Layla Muraisi, Taryn Sczyrba

University of South Florida

LDR 4204: Ethics and Power in Leadership

Professor Goldsmith

June 24, 2021

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The United Nations

During the Second World War, the number of deaths caused by famine outnumbered

the number of military losses (Grada, 2019). Even after the war, there were long-term effects

of famine and malnutrition due to rationing that led to smaller body size, health conditions,

and other symptoms (Grada 2019). This was one of the many effects of the war, and the

world did not want to see the amount of devastation that occurred happen again. This led to

the founding of the United Nations in 1945 by 51 countries each dedicated to maintaining

“international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting

social progress, better living standards and human rights” (United Nations, 2021).

The United Nations continues to serve four purposes: (1) “to keep peace throughout

the world”, (2) “to develop friendly relations among nations”, (3) “to help nations work

together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, diseases, and illiteracy, and

to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms”, and (4) “to be a center of

harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals” (United Nations, 2021). They

exemplify this by attempting to maintain international peace and security, protecting human

rights, delivering humanitarian aid, supporting sustainable development and climate action,

and upholding international law (United Nations, 2021). The United Nations also has to work

with the other agencies within the UN system to achieve their purposes (United Nations,

2021).

The United Nations is currently made up of 193 Member States, and with that many

countries involved, there must be some moral code of conduct, or else we are faced with the

moral dilemma of the corruptive nature of power (United Nations, 2021). To maintain its

ethical baseline, the UN established its Ethics Office. The UN Ethics Office’s goal is to

promote an ethical organizational culture based on the UN core values of integrity,

professionalism, and respect for diversity while also following the values outlined in the
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Code of Ethics. For UN personnel, this also includes maintaining independence, loyalty,

impartiality, integrity, accountability, and respect for human rights (United Nations, 2021).

The core values are depicted in a graphic model so the members have a deeper understanding

of what is meant by integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity. The overarching

theme for this model is the goal, “to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies

and stakeholders to create the world we want,” (United Nations, 2021). Then the three core

values are linked below it. Integrity in the model consists of being open and transparent,

taking responsibility, and following through (United Nations, 2021). Respect for diversity

consists of listing and amplifying what you hear, giving and taking honest feedback, and

helping others succeed (United Nations, 2021). Lastly, professionalism consists of aiming for

excellence, unwavering from hard tasks, and constantly innovating (United Nations, 2021).

These are all important ways in which the Member States and staff of the UN must act and

operate on.

Despite the UN having a model of core values, that does not exempt them from

failures or moral struggles. A recent example of this is how the United Nations handled the

coronavirus throughout its introduction, peak, and current trends. Their lack of an appropriate

response showed how they were unsuccessful in uniting the world and tackling the issue as a

globe versus independent countries. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “The

pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation- a test we have essentially failed,” he

continued to say that there is a “disconnect between leadership and power,” (Lederer, 2020).

This demonstrates that just because you have power does not mean you are a leader, and just

because you lack power does not mean you are not a leader. Guterres’s words would suggest

that the United Nations needs to adhere to its core values by being transparent in what is

happening around the globe, tackling the problem, calling for unity, and implementing action

plans. Their struggle to cope during the coronavirus resulted in a call for reform, but it is hard
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to get 193 Member States to agree to the reform even though it is necessary for better

leadership (Lederer, 2020). Perhaps an attempt at reframing would be beneficial because they

would be able to view a situation from several optics or alternative frames. Multiple

perspectives would have aided them in being a leader who, under McCrimmon’s definition,

would be “promoting new directions…” (McCrimmon, 2007). Hopefully, due to this recent

COVID-19 struggle, they are able to see that they need to reframe, promote new directions

for their organization, and reform in order to be the international organization that is

promoting new directions for the benefit of the world.

Even with its downfalls, the United Nations is still an organization with influence that

is trying to improve our present and future. The United Nations aims to be a center for

harmonizing the actions of nations and functions as a blueprint for creating a more

sustainable future through the implementations of the 17 sustainable development goals.

These 17 goals work to address a range of social and environmental needs. We are focused

on sustainable development goal number two, Zero Hunger, which addresses an issue that

plagues nations across the world: hunger.

Global Hunger

To begin our discussion about hunger it is important that we clarify what classifies an

individual as being hungry. Hunger as defined by Action Against Hunger is “the term used to

define periods when populations are experiencing severe food insecurity—meaning that they

go for entire days without eating due to lack of money, lack of access to food, or other

resources” (Action Against Hunger, 2021). To better understand hunger, it is important to

look at the macro and micro levels of hunger and its cause.

Hunger is an issue in all countries, but there are several that are especially suffering.

These countries as of 2021 are The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, South Sudan,

Syria, Nigeria, and The Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) (World Food Program USA,
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2021). The commonality between these countries is that they are all dealing with various

forms of war. Yemen is heading to the biggest famine in modern history due to the proxy war

between Saudi Arabia and Iran on its terrain. The principal questions that remain are “What

can we do to help people there?”, “Why aren’t the countries close to them helping them

out?”, “What is our moral responsibility and how can we make a difference?” and “How do

we help both those that are hungry near us and far from us?”. One key difference we noticed

is that in the United States, about 35 million people in 2019 suffered from hunger (Feeding

America, 2021) with a population of about 328 million people in 2019 (Population Clock,

2021). In countries where the majority of their population is hungry, how can local efforts

occur if there is no one financially secure enough to help? For us, about 11% of our nation’s

population is food insecure, which means that local efforts can make a visible difference.

However, in cases where the majority of a country’s population is hungry, there will not

always be enough people to create and sustain local efforts.

Hunger in Tampa Bay

It has been previously suggested that the number of people in Tampa Bay who are

food insecure could fill the seats in Raymond James Stadium by a factor of eleven (Feeding

Tampa Bay Hunger Facts, 2021). This issue has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19

pandemic, where 1.3 million citizens are now unsure of if and when they will get their next

meal- more than twice the estimated prevalence in 2019 (Feeding Tampa Bay, 2021).

Furthermore, despite being known as the “nest egg” state, Florida has a food insecurity rate

of 8.2% in people who are 60 and older (Senior Food Studies, 2021). This number, being

within the top 20 of all the states, suggests that not every older person has enough money for

which to retire in Florida (Senior Food Studies, 2021).

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Meals on Wheels PLUS

Since 1972, Meals on Wheels PLUS has been a localized effort of Manatee county to

address these issues. Being one of the largest nonprofits in southern Tampa Bay its mission,

like that of many other non-profits, is to “. . . assist individuals to live independently by

providing nutrition and caring, supportive services” (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2021).

However, what makes Meals on Wheels PLUS particularly impressive is the four systems it

has in place in order to accomplish its mission. The first of which is ‘Home Delivered Meals’,

a meal delivery service for those who are homebound and cannot afford consistent meals.

Each day, volunteers pick up boxed meals from a local catering company and deliver them to

those who qualify. Previous to the pandemic, drivers were encouraged to make friendships

with the clients and engage in conversation as much as possible. For many of those served,

this has made the experience more than just about receiving food, but also about forming

connections. The second branch of Meals on Wheels PLUS continues on this idea. The Day

Break Day Center branch could be described as a daycare for elders who cannot be left alone.

It shares many of the same characteristics: volunteers make snacks, movies are watched, and

field trips are arranged. But what it more so provides is a place for the elders to get out of the

house and enjoy their days with others. Once the night is reached, the fourth branch,

Friendship Dining, steps in. For the more active elders, this dining service provides cooked

meals and nighttime activities. It reaches its peak popularity during the holidays, a time when

the majority of its guests would normally be left alone and hungry. The last, and arguably

most impressive service offered, is the Food Bank of Manatee. Many are familiar with the

term “food pantry.” The distinction between the pantry and a bank is pure scale. While many

churches and nonprofits may have seasonal food drives that result in food being dispersed

within their group as a pantry, the Food Bank of Manatee is a series of warehouses with year-

round food collection, storage, and dispersal. It is currently the largest hunger-relief effort in
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Manatee county, having provided over 55 million pounds of food to the area since the

organization’s inception (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2021).

On a more personal note to the intentions of our project, of the ten or so nonprofits to

which we reached out, Meals on Wheels PLUS was the only organization that called us back.

We got in contact with their Vice President of Development, Amy Towery. This

demonstrates once again their commitment to helping every aspect of the Tampa Bay area,

even if it’s ‘just for a school project’. The interview lasted around ten minutes and consisted

of two parts. The first of which discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their

services. The UN’s zero hunger goal was designed for a world untouched by a viral outbreak,

and it is now unclear how much the virus has affected this goal at the local level.

Unfortunately, Ms. Towery let us know that they had to shut down both the Day Center and

the nighttime dining services in response to the new regulations. Sadly, this means many of

the food insecure elders spent much of their time alone during the pandemic. Furthermore,

there was a volunteer shortage as many of the older workers had to resign because of their

increased mortality risk. Still, Meals on Wheels PLUS responded to these challenges with

admirable effort. They radically expanded the food banks’ capacity, created a socially

distanced “dive thru” lane for pickup, and began handing out 2-3 days full of free groceries

for anyone in the local area without questions asked (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2021). The

second part of the interview focused on the UN’s Zero Hunger resolution. After being asked

what her thoughts were on the scale of such a goal, given her experience at the ground level,

Towery responded, “I think those ambitious goals are certainly worthwhile to shoot for, but

also understand that they can't be done in the silo. . . I think that there would be few and far

between the number of organizations who could have the partnerships and the leverage that

would be needed to have a goal like that.”. She went on to say that it is important to

remember that hunger security depends upon on so much more than food, especially in
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developed countries, “. . . housing, living wages, and access to medical care. You’ve got to

look at that [food insecurity] with a really broad. . . it's knowing what can be the determining

factor between families having or not having the food they need to feed their family.”. Meals

on Wheels PLUS has and continues to be a leader through its effective, ethical practices.

Ethical and Moral Implications

A host of moral scandals in the non-profit sector have eroded the public’s trust,

inducing the need for clearly outlined policies and procedures (Rhode & Packel, 2009). When

an organization is established around a charitable purpose such as a zero hunger initiative,

there are certain expectations from the public as to how the organization should be ethically

and morally run. Addressing these ethical concerns requires an organization like Meals on

Wheels PLUS to perform “obligatory action,” meaning that their actions aren’t optional,

instead, they have a moral duty to fulfill to the public (Timmons, 2003, p. 3). In the interest

of displaying their commitment to ethical leadership, the values outlined on Meals on Wheels

PLUS’s website are listed as service excellence, community, integrity, employee well-being,

innovation, and continuous improvement (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2020). By committing to

these values, Meals on Wheels PLUS is undertaking the role of a leader in its community.

Showing leadership simply means that an individual or organization is acting in a way that

also gets others to act (Ciulla, 1998, p. 14). As a leader in their community, Meals on Wheels

PLUS uses their capabilities to create change with the goal of ending hunger both locally and

nationally. One of the values listed by Meals on Wheels PLUS is “community”, which they

define as “...donors, our sponsors, our Board Members, the agencies we serve, and the

community partners who support us.” (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2020). Each separate

community entity is somehow involved with the progress and development of the

organization and is acting based on the leadership example Meals on Wheels PLUS sets. By
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aligning their values with their actions, Meals on Wheels PLUS is enacting moral courage in

its highest form, which is according to Kidder (2005) to “defend human life,” and that “no

life is expendable”. On their website, Meals on Wheels PLUS states that “the programs and

services we provide are a literal lifeline to babies, children, families, adults, and seniors in

Manatee County.” (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2020). The services that Meals on Wheels PLUS

provides are crucially important to their community because they are concerned with human

life and well-being.

Laws and Professional Standards

The organization Meals on Wheels PLUS and its stakeholders are subject to certain

laws and regulations when performing operations. A common tax category that is associated

with non-profits is section 501(c)(3), a portion of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (IRC)

specific to nonprofit organizations (Kagan, 2021). For an organization like Meals on Wheels

PLUS to be tax-exempt through this section, they cannot be organized with the benefit of

private interests (Kagan, 2021). In the case that one or more individuals from a charitable

organization deviate from the original values outlined in their mission statement, they are not

acting ethically and cannot be allowed favorable tax treatment. Because organizations like

Meals on Wheels PLUS operate for the public, they must also maintain transparency to the

public. On the Meals on Wheels PLUS website, they state that they “...strive for

transparency,” and have “made their most recent financial information available for your

review.” (Meals on Wheels PLUS, 2021). The ‘financial information’ made available to the

public is Form 990, which functions as an overview of the organization’s activities for that

year (Weltman, 2021). Filing the appropriate annual forms and making financial information

available to the public can be considered following an ethical code of conduct. However,

failure to follow law and professional standards may suggest that an organization is acting

with “dirty hands”, meaning that a leader has made the conscious choice to reject or violate
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moral principles with the consequential end result of harm done to other individuals

(Keohane, 1998, p. 153). Persons who hold a certain amount of power over an organization

and are in the position to exercise their influence can be easily corrupted by a false idea of

their authority. There is a “potentially corruptive effect of power” (Keohane, 2010, p. 152)

which often reveals itself when a leader who, in their duties, uses the power of their position

for their own interests rather than the interests of their organization or constituents. An ethical

and thoughtful leader should realize that engaging in fraud or other dubious measures to

achieve a goal is immoral. Only when a dilemma arises where a leader must choose the lesser

of two evils should a leader not be condemned for making a difficult decision (Keohane,

1998, p. 159).

Conclusion

Meals on Wheels PLUS is continuing to address the UN’s Zero Hunger Sustainable

Development Goal through their local work with the Manatee County community. We have

learned that efforts at the micro-level can lead to changes at the macro level. Meals on

Wheels PLUS is part of a network of micro leaders reinventing how we can tackle the hunger

crisis; hunger is not solved only by feeding people, but also by narrowing in on issues

tangential to what is causing them to be hungry. Some areas tied into hunger are social

isolation, transportation needs, financial wellness, and advice. Once other local organizations

take notice of how leaders like Meals on Wheels PLUS are addressing the issue of hunger,

they will hopefully adopt similar practices adjusted for their community’s needs. However,

we do understand that what is driving hunger locally is not the same cause for hunger in other

areas of the world, so it is important to understand that solutions for hunger are going to look

different globally. This recognition of difference is key to creating ways to address the issue

of hunger in different areas around the world.

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