|
|
|
|
Eat Well
Access to healthy, affordable food is not a given for many families in this country. Every day children go to school hungry and go to bed hungry. In the summer, when school breakfast and lunch programs are not available, the problem is exacerbated. Conservatively, 15 million children live in poverty in this country. Nationwide 22.4% of children are food insecure, which means that at times they do not have access to enough food or nutritionally adequate foods for an active, healthy life. In North Carolina, it is 27.3% of children. North Carolina and Louisiana have the highest rates of food insecurity among children below five (data is from 2010 and 2011). The change in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will have a negative impact on these most vulnerable families in North Carolina. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 23.5 million people do not have a supermarket within a mile of their home and 20% of rural counties are considered “food desertsâ€, counties where residents live more than 10 miles from a supermarket. Interestingly, low-income zip codes have 30% more convenience store than middle-income zip codes. This is significant because convenience store food tends to be more expensive and less healthy.
Many children eat unhealthy, sugar and chemical filled foods. This often results in high rates of diabetes and obesity among children and is considered to be a contributor to behavioral and performance problems. I am deeply troubled by the impact poverty and lack of information have on so many children (as well as their parents).
Fortunately, there are some amazing programs happening in the part of North Carolina where I live. The Interfaith Food Shuttle has just announced a food truck that will provide food in Durham. In Raleigh, the Oak City Outreach Center provided 1,101 meals to 672 people last weekend, meeting a need that was previously met sporadically, if at all. The Jamie K. Hahn foundation in Raleigh is establishing a Raleigh food corridor, a two mile stretch in downtown designed to link diverse parts of the city around the common economic, social, and ecological benefits of local food projects. These are great examples of progress around alleviating food deserts and there are others happening throughout the country. I have seen great examples in Philadelphia, PA and Austin, TX. However, it is not enough. Access to healthy, affordable food should be a right, not a privilege.
There is a growing army of men and women working to change the food world by bringing attention to the need to avoid toxins, talking about the value of real food, and demonstrating how to improve health through nutrition. I believe that our energies need to be focused on those who are most in need. Margaret Mead said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.†I am thinking about what I can do where I live to make a difference, what can you do where you live?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
