When Food is Scarce

I’ve been thinking a lot about food insecurity lately. Not because I’ve run into problems, but because I know so many are struggling. Food prices keep going up, and here in the U.S., SNAP benefits have been cut.

I also recently started training to volunteer at a local food pantry called Project FEED. It’s conveniently within walking distance of my condo, and I’ve gone twice now. It’s made me think more about those who don’t have enough to eat.

Thinking about hunger differently

At my second training session, one of the other volunteers made a comment that struck me. She said, “I’ve never known what it’s like to be hungry – well, except when I was dieting.”

This reminded me how much I dislike the diet mentality. It feels almost insulting if I consider the idea of deliberately going hungry when so many people can’t buy enough food. When I look at it from that perspective, dieting seems so bizarre, and yet, so many people (myself included) have tried it.

Quite a few of the people coming in have children, sometimes several. How hard it must be for those parents, not knowing if they can keep their children fed. And considering how much growing kids can eat, how hard for those kids to not know if they’ll have enough, or if they’ll have to go through the day with a gnawing hunger as the backdrop for whatever they want to do.

Preserving dignity

The other comment that caught my attention was when a volunteer said she liked to have those coming in pick the specific items they want to put in their shopping cart. She tries not to do that herself, even for items they want, because she feels it helps preserve the dignity of visitors to do it themselves.

Note that this is a generic image, not Project FEED

In fact, a focus on dignity is true for every aspect of the work. We certainly welcome everyone warmly and don’t pry into their circumstances, but that comment really drove it home. Being able to take something off the shelf and know you can bring it home probably provides a sense of normalcy, even if it’s fleeting.

This approach is likely also important for those who have a hard time asking for help, which I think is many of us. Coming to a food pantry to begin with could be hard, a reminder of how little control someone has over their life, without additional reminders of that.

And I can’t help thinking that while we don’t know what circumstances cause someone to come in, almost any of us could end up in that situation after a layoff, a serious accident, or other challenges.

I realize I’m very fortunate to have never been in such a situation. The only time I can remember not having enough money for something I needed or wanted was my freshman year in college. I went to an ATM to take out money to pay for some antibiotics, and I discovered I didn’t have any money left in my account. My mom was able to send the money, but I felt embarrassed even asking her for help. I’m not sure I could have brought myself to ask a complete stranger for anything.

The other aspect that makes me want to be mindful and considerate of those who come to the food pantry is that many of them are likely very afraid right now. It’s only been a few weeks since ICE killed someone in Biddeford, which isn’t far away, and I can’t imagine what the immigrant community is going through. Not all of those needing food assistance are immigrants, but many are, and I want to make them – and everyone else – as welcome as possible.

No one should have to go hungry

I’m trying to keep all this and more in mind as part of this new volunteer venture. I’m glad that organizations like Project FEED exist to help those facing food insecurity, but I’m also both sad and angry that so much need exists. And considering that this particular organization has been around since 1975, I don’t think that need will go away anytime soon.

I probably can’t do much to put an end to the systems that lead to food insecurity, but I’m glad to help others get the food they need. I look forward to continuing that work.