A National Shame

I find it unconscionable that in 2023 America, more than 44 million people cannot afford to buy food for themselves and their families.

Food insecurity, as it is called, has been one of the causes about which most care for decades. My church in California used to have 'food barrel Sunday' collections of non-perishable food once a month. I donated through the government's Combined Federal Campaign every paycheck to the local food bank. I never miss an opportunity to donate food to any food drive of which I become aware. I donate once or twice each year to my state's largest food bank, which provides food to smaller food projects throughout the state. I also donate a couple of times each year to Meals on Wheels, which provides hot meals and companionship to the elderly in their homes.

Yesterday my city's police and fire departments collected food donations at several grocery stores in the city. When I dropped off my bag of groceries, I chatted for a couple of minutes with one of the firefighters. He said the response had been good. As I talked to him, I noticed a woman and her son of roughly 10 years old hand two cans of food to one of the firefighters. 

I buy canned goods such as soup and vegetables throughout the year when they are on sale. I do the same with boxes of cereal and packages of pasta. Then I add some of my stock of non-perishable food to the bag. 

I live in a state that is rather poor, and food insecurity is a real thing for many. One in every seven people faces hunger. One in every five children faces hunger. 

Our schools now provide free breakfast and lunch to every child, with a focus on providing locally produced and nutritious food. During summer months when schools are not in session, some school districts offer sack lunches for students. Others send children home on Friday with enough food to get them through the weekend.

This is what we need -- creative ways of ensuring that our children have enough food to grow and to learn. 

I saw a story on the national news yesterday about a 17-year-old Iowa farm girl whose parents allowed her to take 1/2 acre of their land to grow fresh produce for the local food bank. Fresh produce is always needed by food banks. This young lady crew tomatoes, green beans, peas and lettuce.

The next year she expanded her mini-farm to a full acre and added more than a dozen new crops.  She gave more than 7,000 pounds of fresh produce to nine local food banks. Next year she hopes to expand her farm to 2 acres and donate produce to a dozen groups. Others are getting on the bandwagon by donating seeds for food crops.

This is a wonderful example of what an individual can do to help ease hunger in our nation. We can't all farm a couple of acres of land, but I believe each of us can do something. If we can't donate money, maybe we can pick up an extra can of soup or vegetables when on sale. Maybe we can volunteer at a food bank. 

It continues to sadden me to realize that the United States still has so many people struggling to provide food to their families.

So I ask my readers, during this season of giving thanks and throughout the year, to please remember our less fortunate neighbors and do what you can to help.