Food is a necessity for all living things. Shouldn’t we all be able to live without the fear of hunger? Food insecurity occurs when any individual or household may not be able to access adequate nutritious food at any time during the year. Aspects that can contribute to food insecurity include finances, transportation, and the cost of nutritious food.
Finances
Families need to be able to buy enough food to feed all members of their family every day. Food insecure families may have to skip a meal, or even two, because they do not have enough food. Sometimes a parent may have to choose to go with less food so that their children may have a full meal. A family is food insecure if at any time during the year a family has to go without food because they do not have access or cannot afford enough food to feed everyone.
Transportation
Transportation is another aspect that affects food insecurity. A family or an individual must be able to physically access food. Having enough food available but not having access to the food is pointless. Individuals who can be affected by lack of transportation include seniors who have limited mobility and cannot easily get to the grocery store or families and individuals who do not have access to a car or enough money to ride the bus. If a family has to go without a meal because they cannot physically get one, then they are food insecure.
Nutritious Food
We all know how important nutrition is. However, sometimes healthy foods like fruit and vegetables are more expensive than the less healthy options like chips and candy. A family may have to choose to buy less nutritious food in order to have enough food for the entire week. If at any time during the year a family has to sacrifice nutrition to be able to buy enough food, then they are food insecure.
Finding Food in Orange County
If you are looking for local pantries in a city near you, visit the Google map on the home page. If you would like to to join us in our efforts to reach out to restaurants, please email us at wastenotoc@gmail.com.
Kathryn Siemers and Cynthia Aye are Public Health Master’s students at California State University, Fullerton.
