Some days, getting a healthy meal on the table can be tough. Maybe it’s because you’re strapped for time or you’re zonked at the end of the day and crashing on the couch sounds easier than cooking. But for many people, the problem is a lack of access to nutritious food. According to the USDA, 49 million Americans are food-insecure, and more than 16 million kids live in households with hunger. Whether they live in a food desert where fresh food is scarce or they just don’t have the financial means to afford it, they aren’t getting the nutrition they need to live a healthy life. Here are some ways you can help.
Volunteer to Distribute Food… Nonprofit food banks allocate food-to-food pantries, which usually hand out boxes of food directly to people in need, as well as meal programs, such as soup kitchens and homeless shelters. You can help by sorting, labeling, and repacking donated food; transporting it; or preparing or serving meals. And since many food banks don’t require a regular commitment or even a long orientation, you can volunteer even if your schedule is tightly packed or inconsistent. To find a food bank near you, go to feedingamerica.org.
…Or Help Grow It Some community gardens let children and adults who live in food deserts grow a portion of their own food on a limited budget while learning valuable gardening skills, while others grow food for distribution to hunger-relief organizations. Either way, you get to work outdoors, get your hands dirty, and help beautify your neighborhood or a nearby one. Not a green thumb? There are often opportunities to weed, mulch, compost, help build raised beds, and more. Go to communitygarden.org to get involved, or visit letsmove.gov/community-garden-checklist for info on how to start a garden in your community.
Use the Power of Your Purse Strings Giving your grocery dollars to companies that support food access, like Pacific Foods, can help fight hunger. Since partnering with the Oregon Food Bank two decades ago, Pacific has donated more than 9.4 million pounds of healthy, nutritious food. They work with local farmers to transform surplus crops into soups that are donated to the Oregon Food Bank, and they make organic produce, meats, and packaged goods available to their employees at deep discounts. They also donate nutritional meals during breaks to public-school kids in Portland, Oregon, a state where nearly a third of kids are food-insecure, meaning they’re not sure where their next meal will come from.
Donate to No Kid Hungry One in five children struggles with hunger, according to nonprofit Share Our Strength. Their No Kid Hungry campaign connects kids in need with nutritious food; teaches their families how to cook healthy, affordable meals; and engages the public to make ending child hunger a national priority. They do this by hosting culinary events benefitting children in need, petitioning legislators to provide wholesome school breakfasts, leading store tours to help low-income families learn to make their grocery dollars go further, and organizing bake sales to raise funds to end childhood hunger. Learn more at nokidhungry.org.
Raise Awareness of the Problem Now that you know food access is a problem, spread the word. A few ways to do it: Launch a virtual food drive to raise awareness and funds, then ask your friends to join via email or social media. Send a letter to the editor of your local paper about summer meal programs, or take the No Kid Hungry pledge. Or share a picture of a meal you’ve made with Pacific products using @PacificFoods and #NourishEveryBody and Pacific will donate a meal to a family in need. Plus, you’ll show you share the same values Pacific does: simple, healthy ingredients grown sustainably to ensure the kinder treatment of people, animals, and the planet—and a belief that everyone everywhere deserves access to nourishing food. Learn more at NourishEveryBody.org.