Hey, you! Drop what ever you are doing. Stop texting your mom. Turn off the TV. Take a second to answer these two “what if” questions. What if you were diagnosed with a life-threatening illness like cancer, HIV/AIDs or Multiple Sclerosis? What if on top of dealing with that illness, you were food insecure? Fortunately, many of you reading this blog post are lucky enough to not experience either of those things. However, throughout our communities, country, and world, people have to deal with the combination of these horrible things everyday.
Similar to most of you, I do not know what it is like to be food insecure or experience a life-threatening disease. I am your average healthy, female college student. And even though I didn’t request to be that way, I sometimes find myself feeling guilty for being fortunate enough to not know what either of those difficulties are like. I believe good health is something most people take for granted. Before taking nutrition classes, I was not aware of what it meant or what it looked like to be food insecure. Food insecurity can be defined as inability to afford nutritionally adequate and safe foods. Hearing stories of people being unable to shop and cook, and/or don’t have the money to buy food breaks my heart. Studies have found that most adults living in food-insecure households report being unable to afford balanced meals, worrying about the adequacy of their food supply, running out of food, and cutting the size of meals or skipping meals. In addition to not being nutritionally stable, some of those people are also fighting life-threating diseases. Without proper nutrition, these suffering people don’t have the means to getter better and maintain healthy lives. Individuals battling illnesses have a low quality of life and according to a PubMed journal article, being food insecure will only make matters worse. “Potential consequences of food insecurity include hunger, malnutrition and (either directly or indirectly) negative effects on health and quality of life”. Together diseases and food insecurity take the lives of thousands of people everyday.
This blog post is not supposed to make you feel guilty or ashamed. It is however, meant to inform you of the struggles that are happening right outside our doors. The combination of my passion for nutrition and love for people is really touched by this problem that is apparent in our country. If you are anything like me, you are probably asking yourself, “as a college student, what can I do to help?” The answer to your question is: a lot! Become more nutritionally familiar with your own community; spend time researching organizations near you to get involved.
Open Arms Minnesota is a great example of an organization aiding families who are dealing with food insecurity and illness. This non-profit organization prepares and delivers free nutritious meals every week to individuals who are struggling to maintain healthy lives. Each meal is tailored to meet the nutritional needs of every illness and individual. Each year Open Arms Minnesota rescues individuals and families from food insecurity and heals them from life-threating diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Multiple Sclerosis. Not only do they serve their clients food, they offer nutrition education and provide love and care. There are endless opportunities to volunteer within this organization, individuals can help plan meals, prepare food, and deliver prepared meals to clients. This isn’t the only organization making an impact, I am sure there a many more near you calling your name to help.
So what are you waiting for? Start providing hope to the hopeless. Start now.
To find out more information about Open Arms Minnesota, click here!
Seligman, H. (2010). Food Insecurity. The Journal of Nutrition, 2, 304-310.