Summer Break Is No Vacation From Hunger
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By Jeremy Swiger
As the heat sky rockets to ninety degrees and above, many families are sitting around the dinner table with a heavy feeling on their chest. It has nothing to do with the humidity, although it certainly doesn't help. These families are facing a tough question, "where will dinner come from?" Many families in our community struggle with food insecurity, which as defined by the Oregon Center for Public Policy is "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." This is to say although they may not be starving, they are barely able to keep their head above water, and every day there is a struggle as to from where the next meal may come.
Being food insecure or hungry changes your perception of everything, and is a difficult cycle to break. Anyone who has had to face this obstacle in their lives can testify how emotionally taxing the situation can be. As a recent series of studies from Princeton economist Dean Spears has noted, "poverty appears to have made economic decision-making more consuming of cognitive control for poorer people than for richer people." The reasoning is simple; if you don't have to worry if you can afford an item or not, you can simply decided based on whether you would like the item or not. Want to get the larger bottle of laundry detergent so you don't have to buy another bottle as soon? Sure, why not. Choosing between laundry detergent and food, or laundry detergent and gas for the car, now that is a much harder question.
So as temperatures rise, and the summer season kicks off, many in the hunger world on both sides of the issue are concerned. In many cases, donations are down at this time of year, and with less food flowing into pantries and soup kitchens, fewer people are able to receive help from these sources. Unfortunately hunger is a 365 day a year problem. Thankfully, there are 365 day a year solutions as well, many taking only a small contribution of time or money.
With many people taking time between thunderstorms to work in their garden, the question is what to do with the harvest while it's still fresh. The answer is simple. If you have extra you can donate it to the York County Food Bank to provide for someone who doesn't have the luxury of fresh foods. Have a little bit of extra space in the garden? Why not buy an extra pack of seeds and make the most out of the space. All fresh fruits and veggies are appreciated, especially since they are a commodity.
Don't really have a green thumb? There are still plenty of ways to get involved. With summer comes picnic and party season. These are a great way to bring family and friends together over some hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and watermelons. Along with a normal picnic item, ask people to bring a little extra to be donated to the food bank. With many grocery stores gearing up for the season with specials on picnic essentials, why not take the free item from your buy one get one free sales, and donate it so someone who can't afford one. Feel free to get your friends in neighbors involved. With the support of picnic and neighborhood food drives, we can work to end hunger in York County.
The poet Daniel Berrigan presented a fantastic idea, "Sometime in you life, hope that you might see one starved man, the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or bought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even." Although you may never get the opportunity to see how the small things you do make a difference, know that even without being witnessed, they are still a life saver for those in need.
