Sydney Kate Watson, asst. arts & living editor 

As the semester ramps up, it is easy to imagine the holiday season, the season of giving, being a distant memory. While life moves forward, individuals and families experiencing food insecurity remain. 

During the season of giving, many people want to participate in food drives or donate money to a local food bank. Those in need appreciate those actions and they do help people who are not food secure, but food insecurity is a problem people face year-round according to Associate Professor of Sociology Sarah Allred. 

“Food insecurity is a 24/7, 365 day per year crisis, it doesn’t just pop up around the holiday season,” Allred said. 

According to Feeding America, food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to enough food for every individual in a household to live an active, healthy life. While each individual’s span of food insecurity differs from short to long term, there are over 38 million individuals, which is about twice the population of New York, who are suffering from food insecurity. The non-profit has identified that the number of people searching for food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic has risen to more than 60 million people, which is about twice the population of Texas for reference. 

Feeding America also acknowledged that many people in America are one job loss or medical emergency away from experiencing food insecurity. Freshman Millie Carpenter said that people experiencing food insecurity may be sitting next to you in class.

“There’s not some separate part of society where these people function,” Carpenter said. “There are people who struggle with food insecurity all around us all the time.”

As Allred said, there are more people suffering from food insecurity than we may ever realize. People may be wary of identifying themselves as food insecure due to the negative connotations around asking for help in America.

“We’re in a society that tends to shame people for seeking help,” Allred said. “Shames people from effectively saying out loud, ‘I can’t do this, I need some help.’”

After recognizing the need that is year-long, the next step is to assist the individuals who are in these food insecure situations. There are multiple ways to do this, and if all you have time to do is cut a check or donate food, then that is fantastic. Although, when donating food, make sure to consider what items are being donated. Are these items healthy and what people actually want to eat, or are you trying to clean out your pantry? 

The excess of unhealthy donated foods can create health problems for people who suffer from food insecurity, such as high cholesterol and weight gain. Carpenter noted that these health conditions create a negative stigma that people who suffer from these conditions are not food insecure. According to Carpenter this stigma should be addressed and the health conditions that food insecure people suffer from are due to lack of quality food and an excess of sodium and preservative-filled foods. 

“A lot of the times when people donate food, they are donating canned things or things that are really preserved,” Carpenter said. “You have people eating a lot of unhealthy foods, things that are not good fuel for their body.”

While donating quality foods and money to organizations is helpful, Carpenter and Allred both said that giving time to your local food pantry or soup kitchen is not only beneficial but also a one-of-a-kind experience.

According to Allred, there are many roles or pathways available to those who seek to alleviate food insecurity problems because more help makes for effective work.

“If you can’t bring the food, offer to help do it,” Allred said. “Sometimes the challenge is finding enough hands, to do that work, but it’s a very humbling experience.”

For students, it might seem especially challenging to find time during busy schedules to help those in need, but Carpenter urged that a small window of time can be dramatically helpful. 

“The everyday person passes up a lot of opportunities to do good because they think they don’t have days of time, but sometimes all it takes is an hour of spare time,” Carpenter said. 

Volunteering your time with local organizations and donating food or money are beneficial ways to help those experiencing food insecurity, but Carpenter said that people can go a step further to help: connect with these individuals on a human level. 

“It’s wonderful to give meals or give money, but a lot of the times what people really need is companionship,” Carpenter said. 

According to Allred, many times, individuals who are in a position to give do not have a personal connection with those in need, and this personal connection is of great importance when caring for others. She said that one reason some people lack knowledge about how to help address the problem is because they don’t have regular contact with people who experience food insecurity. In that sentiment, it is easier to reach out to people like one would to a friend. 

“Too many of us really don’t understand what’s needed among those who need,” Allred said. “We don’t have any personal relationships with people who are among those in poverty and or experiencing chronic food insecurity.”

Accoring to Allred, food insecurity has documented, long-term consequences on health, academic performance and overall well-being. 

“It is really, very harmful, and it has long term negative consequences,” Allred said. 

Allred urged that when caring for those experiencing food insecurity, people remember food insecurity inflicts harm in multi-dimensional ways. It is not so much a challenge to address as it is a state of emergency due to the severe consequences it has for those experiencing it.