One in eight District residents are struggling with food insecurity. It’s hard to believe, but some 32,000 households in our nation’s capital have a hard time putting food on their table from week to week.
The term “food insecurity” indicates a lot more than what we typically consider when we think of “hunger.” It’s not just that empty feeling in the stomach. It means that thousands of DC residents–senior citizens, school children, the unemployed and the underemployed–wake up every morning with limited or uncertain access to nutritious and safe food.
Food security, on the other hand, means making sure that everyone has an opportunity to participate in the life of our community as fully developed citizens. This entails more than just income. Food security is partly determined by the very urban environment we live in: Are there places to purchase fruits and vegetables and other nutritious food in your neighborhood? In many DC neighborhoods, there aren’t.
Food security is also a matter of who and what we know: Are our children learning the critical value of nutrition? Do we have opportunities to learn from each other about healthy cooking and eating habits?
When any of our neighbors don’t have the tools to get enough of the right kinds of food, our whole community suffers. Food insecure children are at higher risk of physical and mental health problems, developmental delays, difficulties in school and ultimately lower lifetime earnings. People who can’t afford to maintain a balanced diet are more likely to become obese and face a host of other diet-related health problems.
The good news is, people are working hard every day to improve our community’s food security. There is a movement afoot to make healthy food available to all. Small and large retailers, service providers, farmers, co-ops, and community gardens all have a role to play. The aim of this blog–a collaborative effort of social service providers, gardeners, policy analysts, and food writers–is to shine a light on those amazing efforts and the issues that drive them.
Stay tuned, and please share your ideas and feedback as we work to grow this community effort.
