The fight to cure hunger is a long and often uphill battle. The USDA recently released the findings of their annual study on Household Food Security in the United States for 2022. The report indicates a notable increase in food insecurity from 2021 to 2022 across various demographic groups, with the number of individuals in food-insecure households rising to 44 million, including 13 million children. This marks a 31% increase for all individuals and a 44% increase for children compared to the previous year, representing the highest rates and numbers since 2014 and the most significant one-year surge in food insecurity since 2008.
While this is something that we have seen in the community, a new light is cast when a set of numbers is published that paints such a picture. It is important to remember in times like this that fighting food insecurity is a community effort. Second Harvest does not provide a single meal's worth of food without the backbone of hard work and sacrifice made by our partners, donors, and volunteers. This is a time to rally together and find a way that you can join the fight against hunger!
Eat the Cookie An Anonymous Story from The Facing Project
Damn it. The Starbucks drive thru again?! Are you kidding me? Ughhh. Resist. The. Cookie. And then I ask myself, why? I affirm, I deserve the cookie. Lack mentality isn't something new for me. Generations before me suffered from this beast of burden that bound us to poverty.
Operation Full Pack's, The Journey Home, Offers New Perspectives
The Journey Home is a veterans’ shelter in Winchester, IN that distributes Second Harvest groceries to the community once a month. There are a number of reasons—such as pride and stigma—that veterans may be reluctant to come directly to us for assistance, so distributions like these are a vital method of getting them fed.
Giving back to those who served is clearly a top priority to those involved with Journey Home, and after speaking with some of its volunteers, it became abundantly clear that Winchester’s veterans are getting the support and respect they deserve. Janet, one of the distribution coordinators, told us simply that “[veterans] deserve the best we can give them, because they protect our country.”
We're excited to welcome Mack Kemp, our new Mobile Market Coordinator for our new Mobile Market program coming in 2024! Mack comes to us from Bloomington with a Food Justice Studies degree. He interned at a Healing Garden and has driven a Community Kitchen Food Truck to deliver hot meals to children facing food insecurity.
The Mobile Market will reach rural communities and food deserts so that underserved communities can have access to food and other vital resources.
