Share Your Bounty This Holiday Season
By: Cyndi Young
The season of holiday celebrations continues. There are snack foods and desserts in my house I only prepare for the month of December.
It has become customary for me to whip up a double batch of old-fashioned Chex Mix the weekend after Thanksgiving which typically lasts through the end of December. ‘Tis the season for a variety of Christmas cookies, fudge and other sweet snacks as well.
Pears purchased from a member of the local FFA chapter are another treat during the holiday season.
Food is central to every gathering during the holiday season. While many of us celebrate a bountiful harvest from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, abundance of food is something many of our neighbors lack.
Early this fall, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service released an updated Household Food Security Report showing hunger is on the rise. The report confirms the pervasiveness of food insecurity in America, revealing approximately one in seven households – 13.5 percent – faced food insecurity last year.
Food insecurity was notably more prevalent in urban areas at 15.9 percent and rural areas at 15.4 percent, compared to suburban households at 11.7 percent.
Single-parent households led by women saw a food insecurity rate of 34.7 percent. The reports showed 13.8 million children lived in food-insecure households, a 3.2 percent increase from the previous year.
It should come as no surprise there is a sharp increase in food insecurity amidst historically high food prices.
But it is not only the price of food that is higher now. The cost of gasoline, housing and rent, used cars, utilities, insurance premiums, medical services, prescription medications, shoes, toilet paper, home appliances, clothing, dish soap and so many more items has increased exponentially in the past four years.
It breaks my heart knowing many of our neighbors in rural America are forced to make the difficult choice between buying food and other basic needs. Many probably do not know how many of their neighbors are struggling this holiday season.
According to Feeding America, food insecurity exists in every county in this country with levels varying across regions. Child food insecurity rates reach almost 50 percent in some counties. Rural counties make up 62 percent of all U.S. counties, but nine out of 10 counties with high food insecurity are rural.
The government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides financial assistance to many low-income individuals and families to help them purchase food. However, one-half of those experiencing food insecurity may not qualify for SNAP benefits because of program restrictions based on household income.
SNAP benefits are intended to supplement a household’s food budget, not to cover all of it. SNAP benefits cannot be used for non-food items like alcohol or tobacco.
Many of those food insecure families in our rural communities will not admit their need for help. They will not apply for the SNAP program or go to a local food bank for help.
What can you do to help?
Cyndi Young is the author of the Brownfield Ag News column “Cyndi’s Two Cents.ˮ This article was originally published by Brownfield Ag News on Dec. 11.
