FOOD INSECURITY

STATISTICS

  • 1/8 people in the US struggle with food insecurity
  • Food insecurity is more prevalent in households that have children, are headed by a single woman, and are African American or Hispanic
  • Food insecurity impacts health: it leads to impaired growth in children, chronic disease in adults, higher healthcare costs, and most missed days of work/lower income.
  • About 2.3 million people (or 2.2% of all US households) live more than one mile away from a supermarket and do not own a car.
  • Food deserts are most commonly found in black and brown communities and low-income areas. Studies have found that wealthy districts have three times as many supermarkets as poor ones do, that white neighborhoods contain an average of four times as many supermarkets as predominantly black ones do, and that grocery stores in African-American communities are usually smaller with less selection.
  • Studies have found that urban residents who purchase groceries at small neighborhood stores pay between 3 and 37 percent more than those buying the same products at supermarkets.
  • The consequences of long-term constrained access to healthy foods is one of the main reasons that minority and low-income populations suffer from statistically higher rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other diet-related conditions than the general population.
  • Over 75% of food at the Foodbanks of Southeastern VA and Foodbank of Peninsula are donated by large corporations. Both banks rely heavily on volunteers.
  • Over 45k people deal with food insecurity in Norfolk, 43k in Virginia Beach, 25k in Chesapeake and 17k in Portsmouth.


WEBSITES


TERMS

  • Food insecurity is a situation in which households lack access to enough nutritious food for a healthy, active life.
  • Food deserts can be described as geographic areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance.
  • Food justice is a view of the food system that sees healthy food as a human right and addresses structural barriers to that right. Primarily led by POC, food justice initiatives work to increase access to healthy food and end structural inequalities that lead to unequal health outcomes.
  • The meal gap is the number of meals still missing after the foodbank and hunger relief groups provide meals to plates that would have otherwise been empty.
  • It is more empowering to use the word hand up over handout.

 

FEDERAL AND LOCAL PROGRAMS

  • SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – money to purchase food, about $127 per person, per month
  • WIC – Women, infants, and children program – money to purchase pre-specified foods
  • School breakfast, lunch, and summer meal programs – free and reduced meals for students under 18 that qualify.
  • The Food Rescue Program collects food from 150 local grocery stores, restaurants, and retailers to salvage food before it spoils.


LOCAL CONCERNS

St. Paul’s Community Food Desert
The last grocery store in this region of Norfolk closed in June 2020. Harris Teeter is the closest supermarket, a mile and a half away. This closure is considered a devastating loss for the largely low-income African American community. Many of the region’s residents do not have a car for transportation.


VIDEOS

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nvcqKHJT6N0 – root causes of food insecurity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HakCAdPrlms – the importance of speaking out against stigmas of food assistance programs


LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank
Union Mission Ministries
United Way of South Hampton Roads
The Salvation Army
Samaritan House

 

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