The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

We hear it from a young age, “Don’t play with your food.” Mostly, it is about not making a mess for others to clean up, but it is also a reminder that food is a gift and resource not to be squandered. To be sure, we had our share of fun most times when food was integral to a gathering. It is a habit that grows with us into adulthood. Cliches abound regarding how to get the youngest among us to eat all their food rather than waste it. Meals become a game at times, a test of wills on other occasions.

Does it really matter whether a banana is served whole or in small slices? No, but we discovered our own kids ate the slices over the whole banana every time. Dollar-sized pancakes or large flapjacks? It was always the smallest cakes that held their interest, especially if mouse ears and decorative touches were added. Alligator lasagna was always a hit, in fact anything alligator-ish seemed to do the trick.

We are fortunate every day when we wake up and have enough food to eat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes food security as people “having access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.” U.S. households deemed food secure in 2021 constituted 89.8 percent of all households. Another 6.4 percent were described as food insecure, while 3.8 percent were described as very low food secure. Insufficient money and resources were at the center of very low food secure persons, with single parent households especially vulnerable. Over five million children were included in the food insecure category in 2021. (https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics/#Food%20Security%20Status%20of%20U.S.%20Households%20in%202021)

What of the very low food secure category? What plays into it? Mental and physical health issues are indeed factors, but a variety of other issues are also involved. Employment, cultural settings, and geopolitical instability are all implicated in some ways. It is a reminder that food insecurity topics are complicated and difficult. Sounds a bit like church, doesn’t it? An elderly (wise) pastor lamented to me that the violence of the world will be at its zenith when scarcity of water and food become a reality, a human tipping point as it were.

Where does that lead us? First, know your neighbor(s). Some of the most immediate indicators of food insecurity might be right next door. Embarrassment is a factor at times that can be overcome by knowing someone who cares. Identify your local food bank to volunteer, or to donate goods and services. More and more, food bank cards redeemable at local grocery outlets are being used instead of handling and providing outdated food items. Some food organizations provide opportunities to sponsor families, particularly during holiday times. Ask questions in your local community how best to help. You will most certainly be graciously met by other great committed volunteers. Consider a world free from hunger. It begins with us in the smallest of ways.

“Hunger is not a problem. It is an obscenity. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

–Anne Frank