“Food used the right way can end hunger. Food used the right way can help fight obesity and malnutrition. Food when prepared the right way can help improve the environment. Food can be the answer.” – Chef José Andrés
Food certainly can be the answer, but there is much work to be done to ensure that every individual and family throughout our country has access to quality, nutritious food. Food is a building block for community. Through food, we connect, create, and strengthen communities, and build a society and institutions that are fairer and more just.
And together, during Hunger Action Month, we’re asking YOU to join the fight to end hunger.
Your power, voice, actions, and commitment will ensure no person has to make an impossible choice between food and other necessities like medicine, utilities, or childcare. We’re encouraging all Americans to stand together to increase awareness, to take action, and to dedicate time and energy towards finding and advocating for transformative policy solutions.
In the wealthiest country in the world, no one should be hungry. We must collectively work together to ensure that none of our friends, family, or neighbors goes without food. It’s fair to say that food touches every aspect of our lives. It is a part of how we communicate with one another, and it is one of the ways we express joy and share our love for those we care about.
“Food means fun and family. My daughter loves to cook, and she loves to help me out in the kitchen when I am preparing meals,” says Rochelle, a guest at the Federal Way Food Bank. “Food is what brings us together and preparing and sharing meals together allows us to open the gate to become more connected and to have deeper conversations.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed significantly amplified what were already high rates of hunger and food insecurity. A sharp rise in prices on food, rent, transportation costs, and other necessities has hit lower-income households particularly hard. When the money runs out, people must pay the rent before they buy groceries.
As pandemic related emergency assistance expired, like the expanded child tax credit and free school meals programs, millions of children and families were plunged back into poverty.
“The first six months that we lived here I decided not to come to the food bank even though my family had a major need to. We didn’t come here because of our pride,” says Nataliya, a guest at the Arlington Community Food Bank. “I told myself we didn’t need it and that my husband and I would come up with a plan. But I then realized that the credit card bill was going up because we were spending so much money on food. I don’t have any money to go and just get groceries right now, so I’m glad to have access to fresh produce here because this is kind of it for my grocery shopping,”
When people are fed, those who have been shut out and overlooked can envision a world in which they have the capacity and freedom to live an empowered life.
This Hunger Action Month, join Food Lifeline as we commit to equity and food justice for all. Where all communities have the capacity and resources to choose the food system that meets the needs of their local neighbors. Working together, we believe hunger doesn’t have to happen.
