Nourishing Ourselves and Each Other
I've been wanting to write and share something about the topic of food insecurity (and food waste too, but I'll post about that separately) for a while now, but, hesitated because I'm not an expert, merely, concerned. Watching already slim budgets to necessary programs get cut, puts food insecurity as a much larger problem. As people feel the squeeze, some hard decisions will have to be made, and to me, in a country as fiscally and materially wealthy as this one, no one, no one, should have to worry about food! Now, I'm not writing this to be a downer, or to cause fear, no...my hope is to create discussions about how we can help feed and nourish one another in strained financial times. And then, move from conversations, to action.
Fortunately, I reside in a city that has a good amount of farmers markets all of which take SNAP/WIC benefits, food sharing programs, low cost/overstock grocery stores and co-ops, food rescue charities, and low cost fresh produce access (in the fun form of a repurposed school bus no less!), community meals, and urban gardens. I'm also lucky to live with a roommate that shares meals and shopping costs, and work in a place that can eat for free and take things home if need be, to reduce waste. But, not every town and city has these things, and not everyone is able to eat and take home free food. So, my questions, which is me thinking a loud, are thus, and let's start within our/my own living situations:
Can friends, family, coworkers share meals once a week, maybe potluck style? Can neighbors do this too? Everyone takes home the leftovers! Can family, friends offset grocery bills for one another by pooling money for meats, produce, pantry and fridge staples?
Thinking broader now....
If you own a restaurant, do you let your staff take home leftover food or reuse it in other dishes? Do you run, or know people that work for community centers that can offer free or low cost cooking classes? Are you an educator that can propose school gardens, and use that produce to feed students (and create cooking classes)? Are your churches willing to host community meals and create gardens to help feed those in need? How about town/city leaders....can they/we come up with creative ways to fund community food projects, food rescue programs and more urban farming? Can we propose the idea to broaden what people can get with Snap and WIC benefits? It never hurts to ask these questions of ourselves, each other, and our civic/church leaders. We now have to think outside of the box, and create new avenues for everyone to have access to food, and we can't be islands unto ourselves anymore. It's going to take more of us. All of these thoughts and questions are ultimately about caring for one another. Community. In times of economic difficulty, community is the best way to do that. So, I ask myself and you..... how can we best nourish each other and our bellies?
Fortunately, I reside in a city that has a good amount of farmers markets all of which take SNAP/WIC benefits, food sharing programs, low cost/overstock grocery stores and co-ops, food rescue charities, and low cost fresh produce access (in the fun form of a repurposed school bus no less!), community meals, and urban gardens. I'm also lucky to live with a roommate that shares meals and shopping costs, and work in a place that can eat for free and take things home if need be, to reduce waste. But, not every town and city has these things, and not everyone is able to eat and take home free food. So, my questions, which is me thinking a loud, are thus, and let's start within our/my own living situations:
Can friends, family, coworkers share meals once a week, maybe potluck style? Can neighbors do this too? Everyone takes home the leftovers! Can family, friends offset grocery bills for one another by pooling money for meats, produce, pantry and fridge staples?
Thinking broader now....
If you own a restaurant, do you let your staff take home leftover food or reuse it in other dishes? Do you run, or know people that work for community centers that can offer free or low cost cooking classes? Are you an educator that can propose school gardens, and use that produce to feed students (and create cooking classes)? Are your churches willing to host community meals and create gardens to help feed those in need? How about town/city leaders....can they/we come up with creative ways to fund community food projects, food rescue programs and more urban farming? Can we propose the idea to broaden what people can get with Snap and WIC benefits? It never hurts to ask these questions of ourselves, each other, and our civic/church leaders. We now have to think outside of the box, and create new avenues for everyone to have access to food, and we can't be islands unto ourselves anymore. It's going to take more of us. All of these thoughts and questions are ultimately about caring for one another. Community. In times of economic difficulty, community is the best way to do that. So, I ask myself and you..... how can we best nourish each other and our bellies?
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