DEFINING FOOD INSECURITY

Having adequate access to food is one of the most basic human needs and yet, hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from a lack of access to food. Food insecurity refers to the lack of access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food required for a healthy life. It is a widespread challenge that affects individuals, families, and communities across various socio-economic backgrounds. This issue is often rooted in poverty, unemployment, and disparities in income, limiting people’s ability to afford and access food. Additionally, food insecurity is linked to more intricate systemic factors such as unequal distribution of resources, vulnerabilities to economic shocks and environmental changes, as well as other factors. 

It is evident that there are various faults in today’s food systems and policies that have led to the rapidly growing amount of people without access to food. The continuously growing population coupled with poor modern eating habits appear to be the root cause of food insecurity worldwide. Along with this, the recent events of the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war have greatly added to the turmoil by further limiting the accessibility of food.

LOCAL RESEARCH

While conducting our initial research on the issue of food insecurity, we contacted several local food pantries to collect information about the issue in our local area (the Rockaway/Dover area). We were able to interview Mrs. Sanchez from the Salvation Army in Dover and Mr. Dublanica from the Denville Food Pantry. The comparison between the Salvation Army in Dover and the Denville Social Services program highlights the common challenges faced by their food pantries and their respective communities. 

With a notable increase in families needing food assistance, Sanchez emphasizes that the demand for support of their food pantry has escalated. As food pantries are often run on the kind donations of community members and volunteers, there needs to be additional funding set aside for food assistance programs like these to help sustain operations. After our conversation with Dublanica, it has become clear that those in need are often unaware of the resources that are available to them. Due to this lack of awareness, groups such as senior citizens, those without access to the internet, those who speak different languages, or those struggling with mental illnesses are not able to acquire the services they need.