End Food Insecurity For Food Day 2013

My #ThrowbackThursday this week isn’t providing a nostalgic recipe revamped or getting all sentimental about my favorite Halloween candy growing up.

Instead, I want to discuss a critical topic that I’m extremely passionate about.

Today, October 24, 2013, is Food Day, a day of action celebrating the national movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. Aside from focusing on the consumption of REAL food (because let’s face it, Americans have a serious 24/7 convenience snacking problem) it’s also a day to focus on the fact that there are millions of people in the world, and our backyard, who are FOOD INSECURE. As a nutrition student, my blog is generally about sharing healthy eating tips, recipes, and fun facts that I think others should know. At the same time, I often think about those who are not as fortunate and cannot just walk into the supermarket to buy whatever healthy foods their hearts desires.

In our country, there are over 47 million people on food stamps. For those who have less than $1.50 for a meal (sometimes the price of ONE red pepper in New York City) nutritional compromises can be made to get the most caloric bang for their buck (literally). The COST of less nutritious versus healthier food is heavily debated (and a topic for another time, but check out this infographic), but one thing’s for sure, we MUST make healthy food more readily available and end food insecurity. 

Several weeks ago I attended the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park. I admit I was originally motivated to win free tickets for the lineup (Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, and Stevie Wonder — WOAH!), but as I watched videos and read articles about the mission behind the Festival, I was surprised by some statistics, saddened by what I learned, and motivated to help.

Global Citizen wants “to amplify and unite a generation’s call for justice” to end extreme poverty by 2030. The movement focuses on several important public health platforms such as education, gender equality, healthcare accessibility, water sanitation, and hunger. Through celebrity-packed festivals and advocacy campaigns, they hope to raise awareness and money to combat these issues…look how many people showed up:

 

In the last 25 years, extreme poverty has been halved. But in our own backyard, many Americans do not know where their next meal is coming from. Let me share some scary statistics: 

• About 15% of Americans live in poverty.
• More than 47 million people are on food stamps (< $1.50/person/meal)…Almost 22% of those people are under the age of 18.
• 14.5% of American households battled “food insecurity” in 2012 (not knowing where their next meal is coming from).
• 1 in 5 children don’t have access to nutritious food on a regular basis.

FOOD DAY is the perfect occasion to highlight how we can help END extreme poverty & food insecurity. While you can focus on feeding yourself and your family REAL food, FOOD DAY 2013 is also a reminder to GIVE BACK and help those who do not have easy access to nutritious food.

• Waste less. Plan ahead and buy what you and your family needs. Studies have shown that Americans throw away nearly HALF of their food…that accumulates to $165 BILLION annually. In particular, unsold fruits & vegetables in the supermarket account for most of this waste.
  • To cut down on your waste, re-invent leftovers for lunch, make a pantry meal, or freeze leftovers for another time.
  • Only buy for a few days at a time. Make more than one trip to the supermarket or farmer’s market each week so you’re only buying what you know you’ll use. In NYC we’re lucky enough to have these produce carts every few blocks: 

• Volunteer your time. Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and schools all need volunteers to help cook and serve food, especially as the holidays approach.
  • Check out worthy non-profit charities helping solve America’s food insecurity crisis (such as Feeding America or No Kid Hungry)
    
• Join a Food Day event. Although today highlights this important cause, events for this organization take place nationwide and year-round. Click here to find out more.
• Become a well-educated Global Citizen. Read more about this organization and its movement here.
• Donate un-used canned and non-perishable food items. Most of us have extra cans of beans or a box of pasta that we can spare…so quit being lazy and donate to a food drive.
• Get political. Let Congress know that they should NOT be cutting federal expenses for food programs. With some of the proposed legislation, families can lose 20 meals a month.

I hope this FOOD DAY you try to eat more REAL food and think about what action you’re going to take to help end food insecurity. Share this message with your friends and family to help spread the word…the more who help, the more successful we’ll be!