By: David Hutabarat
Hunger Free Colorado works to end hunger. Of course, when we say hunger, we aren’t talking about that feeling of hunger you get before deciding if you want to cook at home or order out. We’re talking about hunger – often chronic hunger – that is caused by food insecurity. To understand our work, it might be helpful to first understand what food security is.
How is food security defined and measured?
Although different organizations have slightly different ways of defining and measuring food security, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines “very low food security” in the following way: “At times during the year, food intake of household members is reduced and their normal eating patterns are disrupted because the household lacks money and other resources for food.” [1]
The following are criteria that the USDA uses to measure food security [1]:
- Worried food would run out
- Food bought did not last
- Could not afford a balanced meal
- Cut the size of a meal or skipped a meal (due to lack of funds/food)
- Ate less than they felt they should
- Hungry but they did not eat
- Lost weight
- Did not eat for a whole day
What does food insecurity look like in Colorado?
In Hunger Free Colorado’s most recent hunger survey (taken April 2021), 1 in 3 (33%) of Coloradans are food insecure, meaning they lack reliable access to nutritious food. Households with children also remain at the forefront of Colorado’s hunger crisis, with 44% unable to consistently put healthy food on the table, posing risks to the long-term health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of children across the state. Among households with children, 30% of adults reported having to regularly cut back or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money to buy food. [2]
Who is affected by food insecurity?
Anyone can be affected by food insecurity at some point in their life. As mentioned earlier, 1 in 3 Coloradans are food insecure [2]. This means if you or your child’s class had 20 students, six or seven of them may be food insecure.
While experiencing food insecurity, there may be feelings of shame, embarrassment, anxiety, or fear. Because of this, it’s sometimes hard for people to reach out or seek resources.
What can you do to help?
You never know who in your life may be experiencing food insecurity. Oftentimes, knowing that someone you trust accepts and welcomes you can be the impact needed to reduce stigma – it may even be the encouragement someone needs to seek out food resources.
- Talk to friends and family about food insecurity, commonly known as hunger, and promote organizations that are working to end it. Share resources, like our Find Food page, on social media.
- Learn about hunger in Colorado and from Coloradans experiencing hunger. People are complex and food security is just one aspect of people’s lives. Just about anyone can face food insecurity at some point in their lives but it does not define who they are.
- If you have experienced food insecurity and feel comfortable doing so, talk about it with trusted friends and family or use our
Share Your Story platform. - Listen. If someone you know talks about their experience with food insecurity, listen and support them.
There’s so much more to it!
Of course, there is a lot more to food security than what we’ve covered in this post. We plan to share more to better paint the picture of hunger and ending it.
Meanwhile, ask yourself and consider researching:
- What are the systems, histories, or policies that perpetuate food insecurity? Many of these systemic disparities have specifically targeted Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals and communities.
- How does food insecurity connect to other issues like housing, transportation, health care, employment, wages, etc.?
- What are the solutions to ending food insecurity and how do we work on short-term and long-term solutions?
We hope you will continue with us through this work. If you join our newsletter, you’ll receive updates on hunger in Colorado, the steps you can take to help end it, and more.
One thing is for sure. It will take multiple people like yourself to make it happen.