“Leaving Food On The Table During This Pandemic”
William Jackson, M.Ed.
The pandemic has affected families across this nation,
it has disrupted jobs, isolated families, created
divisions between people in politics and social justice
issues.
The pandemic also has shown the disparities between families
and their security in food. There are many lessons that have
been learned; the access to food, housing and living a life
with family that is consistent with living in the United States
of America.
The reality is that even before the pandemic families where
already experiencing challenges in obtaining food and food that
was healthy.
Food deserts, food insecurity and food deficiency are words that
are used in the media constantly when the discussions centers
on what is lacking in millions of American homes. This nation
has grown use to seeing other countries lacking of food, other
countries with children crying when hungry and no food is available,
other countries where parents are weeping because their children
are hungry and there is no food. Scenes of parents not begging for
themselves, but for their children.
The pandemic is showing that Americans are no different than what
is going on around the world and yes it has touched Black, White
and other cultures. My wife and I have been volunteering at food
distributions with our church, with community organizations and
obtained food for families that do not have transportation to
even get to the many sites that are distributing food.
Organizations like Farm Share https://www.farmshare.org/
have been doing the work in communities across this nation for
years. Because of the devastation of families that are in deep
need of food now Farm Share and others are being highlighted by
news media to share what resources are available to communities
that are in need.
Many parents and grandparents do not have to tell their children
not to leave food on the table because there are starving children
in the world. Now parents and grandparents in this nation are the
starving families and children are eating every morsel of food
because they may not be able to eat a consistent meal during the week.
Schools can only provide so much, children from elementary to high
school, colleges and universities have had to deal with food insecurity
from time to time with students, but now the need is greater because
many students cannot receive help to get food from their families
because their families are struggling as well.
Lessons that should be learned for this nation that cross cultural,
generational, gender and racial lines families are in need of consistent,
nutritious and life giving food.
Not food filled with sugars, chemicals, artificial ingredients and
foods that just fill stomachs and not nourish the body. Farm Share’s
calendar of distribution shows across the nation where the next food
give always are so families can prepare to attend and obtain what is
needed without getting out of their vehicles. Where people can obtain
food for the elderly that are not mobile where people that are disabled
can receive food that does help build strong bodies.
The United States of America is not as secure as we are lead to believe
there are more homeless, there are more mental health issues, there is
more poverty, there is more of an educational system where students are
not being serviced as they should be and Black and Brown children are
not receiving quality education because of alternative initiatives
impacted in racism and injustice.
Farm Share is providing services for all families on distribution days.
https://www.farmshare.org/fooddistributions