The Problems of Food Insecurity in America

When I was a little girl the word “America” meant red, white, and blue flags glistening in the wind over sparkling waters and clear skies and a future as bright and the southern sun on a sweet Virginia summer day. I never had gratitude for the cornucopia of opportunities I had. In my younger years I was completely unaware of reality for some people in our nation and sacrifices that were made. The power I have over my life today has been because of change driven by concerned citizens and we’ve got some more work to do.

The US has a reputation for being very diverse on the outside, but we have exponential room for growth on the inside. Our society is bent on grouping. We get categorized and classified based on what we look like, where we live, how we speak and how much money we have. It is essential to grow more accustomed to making an effort to understand the situations of those around us. No two people are the same and being able to identify differences and work to accommodate others we will begin to eliminate our fears and start to heal against stereotypes. Misunderstandings are at the root of hate. If we try harder to gain understanding we will become more comfortable turning focus on issues that require national cooperation.

The United States is facing an epidemic that is affecting more people than you think. It knows no race nor geographic location. It is called “food insecurity”, which put simply, is the idea that someone does not know where their next meal will come from. According to Feeding America, a leading organization for improving food accessibility, 48.1 million Americans are living in food-insecure households last year. Some poverse, rural areas rely on small grocers as their main means to get groceries. These smaller chains offer limited fresh produce and only maintain a stock of shelf-stable, low-nutrient snack foods. Often larger chain grocery stores that carry fresh produce are generally inaccessible due to lack of transportation. Increasing accessibility of nutrient rich foods is dependent on the support of local farmers. Tax subsidies, common for large producers of corn and soy, could be spread out supporting farmers to get their products to places where 1 in 6 Americans facing hunger.

Our concerns for resources should be equally as concerning as acceptance of diversity and availability of food. Deforestation threatens our future and the quality of the air we all need to live. Big tree consumers should be required to reforest areas where the ecology has been devastated. By planting a tree in the place of another we will reverse the effects of approximately 18 million acres destroyed each year, according to FAO. This step will secure a brighter future for America.

America the Beautiful has an array of dreamers ready to make changes necessary for our country to prosper. As we grow our ideas we can encourage a global force of innovative thinking making positive changes for all.

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