Freedom from Hunger

As we celebrate our freedom this Fourth of July, I thought that we should also reflect on Foodshare's goal of freedom from hunger.  When I asked some Foodshare staff how they defined a "hunger free community," here are some of the responses I received...

 

• Hunger free community … Since I cannot envision a community where 100% of its citizens were able to provide for 100% of their individual needs, there will always be people that need to rely (at least partially) on others.  The first source for help should be the family.  When that is not enough, it is the responsibility of the community to provide the help.  There is no more basic necessity than food.   

• Hunger free community – Everyone (or at least some huge percentage of people – 99%?) gets their food through ‘normal’ channels (grocery stores, farmers markets, community gardens, backyard gardens, restaurants, etc.)

• A hunger free community provides enough emergency food resources (e.g. SNAP, WIC, school meals, summer meals, food pantries, soup kitchens, etc.) to address any individual’s immediate need for food at any time.  In addition, it has systems in place to address the underlying causes of hunger so that, over time, the overall need for emergency food assistance is minimized.  Finally, in a hunger free community, all persons are always able to access enough healthy food, whether through emergency food resources or otherwise, to support and sustain their well-being

• Hunger free community... Children wake up every morning with the smell of mama cooking, the schools concentrating on education instead of breakfast, lunch programs, children healthy and able to concentrate on education.  Parents with less stress, worrying where the next meal for the family will coming from, equaling a better community. Less crime, less stress on family life. Happier home life.

• Hunger-Free means not having to wonder where your next meal is coming from.  It may be a combination of self-sufficiency (ability to purchase with own income), local organizations and/or government programs.

• A hunger-free community is a community where all people, regardless of economic status, can access to healthy, nutritious food at any time.

• Everyone has access to enough healthy food through the normal channels (ie: able to purchase it retail) or through established government programs such as SNAP, WIC, School and summer meals.  Pantries and community kitchens would no longer need to exist and could change their focus to providing a self-sufficiency safety net for those in short term crisis. 

• A community where all people have easy access to the food they need to be healthy and productive.

Norman Rockwell's famous painting
"Freedom from Want" might be an old
definition of "hunger free" but what
is today's definitiion?

The multi-faceted vision of these employees is inspiring.  There are as many definitions of hunger free as there are people involved here, but they are all meaningful and all speak to some component of Foodshare's mission and work to end hunger in greater Hartford!

 

How would you define "hunger free community?"

 

However you define it, thank you for being part of the movement to create it!  And enjoy you holiday weekend!