I’m Tired of Hunger

A mom with 2 kids just got a job after a year of unemployment and a constant job-search. She works full time at minimum wage, but her income is high enough to disqualify her for food stamps and free meals for her kids at daycare. Three months into her new job, she is in even more dire straits than when she was unemployed: a week into the month, her fridge is nearly empty. When she had SNAP (food stamps), it was a matter of stretching her allotted funds through the month. Now, her check goes mostly to rent and child care. Her 3 year old son, who didn’t get adequate food the first year of his life, now suffers from behavioral problems, impeded speech, aggression, and hyperactivity because the lack of nutrients and calories during his critical first months affected his brain development—his increased medical care adds to the mother’s financial responsibilities. This woman and her children are food insecure.

In 2012, 15.4% of Wallowa County residents suffered from food insecurity. That’s roughly 1,050 people. A household is food secure when it can feed all of its members healthy, appropriate, and adequate food all of the time. A household is food insecure if there are periods when some or all members don’t get enough food, or when there’s less quality or variety of food due to financial constraints.

This issue is often referred to as “hunger.” “Hunger” makes me think of a grumbly stomach, the lack of a snack, the 15 minutes before dinner is ready. If I say that 49.1 million Americans are hungry, it sounds like a whole lot of Americans haven’t had lunch yet. I’m not at all downplaying the problem—I believe that it’s a nationwide crisis— I have a personal tiff with the term. Hunger is a physiological state that happens to everyone; it’s uncomfortable, but it’s easily fixed by eating again. “Hunger” doesn’t describe the psychological pain parents undergo when they can’t feed their children enough food and the negative health effects whole families experience when they live in food insecure households. I think relief organizations continue to use the term “hunger” because “food insecurity” sounds distant and little incomprehensible.

So if I say that 49.1 million Americans are food insecure, a figure from Feeding America’s website, what exactly does that mean? Food insecurity is a constant balancing act between the many expenses of modern life—rent, car repair, gas, clothing, medical care—and food.

Feed America reports that “84 percent of [the households our food banks serve] with children report purchasing the cheapest food available, even if they knew it wasn’t the healthiest option, in an effort to provide enough food for their household.” This statistic begins to describe why food insecurity is so terrible for peoples’ health. The truth is, calorie for calorie, junk food filled with sugar, simple carbs and starch is cheaper than fruits, vegetables, protein and whole grains. In a household where the budget is already stretched, buying healthy food can get really difficult. Not having enough money to buy food often translates into an unhealthy diet, which translates in chronic diseases and high medical costs. The USDA reports that “adults in food insecure households are at a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.” Food insecurity is also closely tied to obesity because the quality of food purchased often declines with available food budget dollars.

In children, the problem is arguably even more impactful. A report from the Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program, an ongoing nationwide survey of low-income children done by Children’s Health Watch, reports that: “Babies and toddlers from food insecure families are 76% more likely to be at developmental risk than babies and toddlers from food secure families… Preschool children from food insecure households have more emotional and behavioral problems such as aggression, anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity.” Food insecurity is a major road-block on a child’s road to success. Feeding America reports that 15.8 million children lived in food insecure households in 2012. When we as a society allow food insecurity to continue, we put that road block in front of 15.8 million children, and that makes it a whole lot more difficult for them to reach their potential.

There are many local efforts here in Wallowa County to solve this huge issue. Community Connection and its food pantry, local food drives, and produce donations from Wallowa Community Garden and the Magic Garden to schools, senior centers, and food pantries being just a few examples.

A new program seeking to solve the health problems of food insecurity is SNAP Match at farmers markets: this coming season, SNAP participants who spend food stamp dollars at the farmers market will receive up to 5 dollars in a match to buy fruits and vegetables. It is innovative programs like this, along with sufficient federal funding of larger programs like SNAP, WIC, and school lunch/breakfast programs, that have the ability to end food insecurity in this country, and in our county.