by Aaron Smullin
Hunger. What do you think of when you hear the word hunger? What picture comes to mind? Someone who is living on the street, has a dirty face and clothes in tatters? For some that struggle with hunger, this is the case, but for many this is not the life they live.
You may even think that hunger is not an issue in Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas. Unfortunately it is. In the 19 county area Second Harvest Community Food Bank serves, there are 52,000 individuals who are food insecure, meaning that an individual may not know where their next meal will come from. What’s even more startling is the fact that of the 52,000, over 17,000 are children. That equals 1 in 5 children who will not get a meal at home tonight.
You see, hunger is an everyday reality for many. There is a high likelihood that you know or are even close with someone who struggles with hunger. When your children or grandkids are at school playing with the other children at recess, there is a high likelihood that at least one of those children is food insecure.
Working at Second Harvest, I get to see and hear the stories from the individuals that visit Fresh Start, Your Community Market. Many of the Members we serve are working adults, who don’t make enough to cover the day-to-day expenses and buy food to nourish their family. Perhaps some had a great job and then the company streamlined its workforce, or closed all together. We serve seniors that have to choose if they are going to buy medication or food this month because they live on a fixed income. Those are the stories of who we see at Second Harvest and our Partner Agency network, not the individuals who are supposedly “taking” the hunger-relief system.
What we also hear is that despite having their own needs, many of those we serve find ways to give back. One Member, AR gives back by preparing recipes from the items she gets at Fresh Start and then sharing those with the other shoppers. Backpack Buddies recipient, AB gives back by sharing her Backpack Buddy with other children in her neighborhood. We find that many who have received services come back and volunteer in Fresh Start and can offer an ear to help individuals through the trying time of coming to the food bank.
So the next time you hear the word hunger, remember that why yes it could be a homeless person with a dirty face, it could also be your child’s friend at school, it could be the senior citizen at church and it could even be a member of your own family.
Aaron Smullin has worked at Second Harvest Community Food Bank for three years. He currently serves as the director of marketing.
Second Harvest Community Food Bank is a member of Missouri Food Bank Association and Feeding America.