Five on Friday – Food Insecurity Myths

This week our local foodbank held the ribbon cutting for a new facility and it was such an exciting day and definitely a favorite for me this week!  After purchasing and renovating an old beer distributor facility, the Brazos Valley Foodbank now has twice the space as the previous location with more freezer space, volunteer space and the ability to serve and grow to support the community like never before.  It was so amazing to see the director and her staff so excited to share the new facility and talk to the community about their jobs as it was evident they are all super passionate about addressing the food insecurity in the Brazos Valley.

One of the things they shared throughout the tour were myths about food insecurity.  Before I began volunteering with the foodbank, I was sadly misinformed as to what this really meant.  Food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is one way we can measure and assess the risk of hunger. In the United States currently, 1 in 8 people struggle with hunger.  In our community, 1 in 5 families struggle with food insecurity and if there are children in the household that number increases to 1 in 4.  Today I thought I would share with you 5 myths put together by the Brazos Valley Foodbank staff about our local foodbank  to help increase education surrounding foodbanks and how they serve their community.

Myth #1

All food is donated.  Fact:  59% is donated; 24% is from the USDA; 10% is purchased; 7% is reclamation or cosmetically damaged from grocers.

Myth #2

Food insecurity does not have an impact on health.  Fact:  Food rationing and missed meals can have a negative effect on people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, renal failure and immunodeficiency disease.

Myth #3

Food insecure people don’t want to eat healthy food.  Fact:  Processed foods are cheaper and more shelf-stable than fresh fruits and vegetables making processed foods a safer choice when resources are limited.

Myth #4

Childhood hunger is more prevalent in urban areas.  Fact:  Children living in rural areas are disproportionately affected by food insecurity.

Think about access.  Not only are these families struggling to actually afford food, they may not have access to a vehicle to even be able to have access to a food pantry or the grocery store.

Myth #5

If people who live in poverty just work harder, then they wouldn’t have to rely on government assistance.  Fact:  In our county alone, to earn a living wage, a family of three (1 adult, 2 children) must make $25.39/hour.

I don’t know about you, but that last one really makes an impact.  When I became a mom I was single and in college and thankfully had a family who was able to provide for most of my every day needs so I could focus on school.   Still, in order to not be a complete burden on my family, I applied for WIC (women and infant children) for support.  Once a month I attended a class aimed at parenting, food safety, etc and I picked up my cards for formula, cereal, cheese, milk, beans etc which I was able to take to a store and stock up on some groceries.  It is not easy to make a decision to ask for help and walk into a store and grab the “free stuff” and then walk through that check out line looking like a perfectly capable adult while others see you using government assistance.  It was a necessity for me to bridge a time when I needed assistance on my way to a life as a fully independent, tax paying citizen.

I cannot even think how much pride has to be swallowed to wait in line once a month at a food pantry to pick up a box of food to try and bridge the gap between the groceries you can afford during the month and your next pay check.  Nor can I imagine what it is like to be in high school and worry someone is going to know the backpack I’m carrying on Friday holds food to get me through the weekend when there may not be any other meals at home.  I’ve seen these people up close friends, it is not just an easy choice.

My hope is reading this may cause you to think a little differently about those in need.  Is there abuse of the system we have here in America? I’m sure there is but for every one of those who may be taking advantage, there is another person working all day trying to make ends meet, trying to make a better life for his/her family and not wanting to go home at the end of the day to face the empty kitchen because there is just not enough.

I encourage you to get involved in your community in one way or another.   Maybe this is not your passion but getting involved in any way will open your eyes to needs you were not aware existed.  I literally became passionate about the foodbank while serving on the elementary PTO after seeing all the backpacks one Friday waiting to go home with children.  The shock over how many children going to school daily with my own who were in a situation to need food on the weekend blew me away.

We are so blessed to live in an amazing community full of individuals who love to serve and do so with passion and grace.  Giving back and serving was not something I was raised to really embrace or fully understand but as it was introduced to me and I began serving and volunteering it truly has given me a kind of joy I can’t fully explain.  More than that it has made me realize how truly blessed my life is and by focusing on what others do not have it has lightened my load and caused me to honestly have less anxiety and worry in my own life.

Hopefully you learned something new here today!  Wishing you all a beautiful weekend! Link up your Friday Loves with The Blended Blog today.