It wasn’t that long ago that hunger was generally perceived in a vacuum. But today, food insecurity is being seen as a health problem that impacts over 41 million people nationwide, with a financial toll estimated at $160 billion a year.
Food insecurity has slowly declined over the last several years, but the scope of the problem–and its implications on the health of families and our communities–is continuing to garner increasing attention, especially across the healthcare industry. The medical community has come to understand that a host of social factors outside of the clinical setting, including food insecurity, have an immense impact on health outcomes. The conversation is changing, and now includes food banks such as ours.
The problem of hunger in our communities is not so much a shortage of calories as it is a shortage of resources to secure more nutrient-rich options. People who are struggling financially are, understandably, often more concerned with quantity than quality. It is not all that uncommon to see people who are malnourished or poorly nourished also struggling with obesity.
At Second Harvest, we believe not only that everyone deserves to eat, but that everyone deserves to be able to access fresh, healthy foods to support a well-balanced diet and good health.
We’re serious about nutrition, which is why we are examining our nutrition policies, why we have trained nutrition professionals on staff, why we are focusing on increasing fresh food donations and building our food bank and our network capacity to store and distribute these items, and why we are appealing to our community of supporters to consider the nutritional value of the foods they donate.
We are committed to helping our neighbors today and to finding ways to make an even bigger difference tomorrow. And, of course, all we do is made possible through your continuing and inspiring support.
Thank you for all you do to create a stronger future for our children, our seniors, our families, and, ultimately, our communities.
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