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Fighting Hunger Together: How Communities Can Support Food-Insecure Families · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Today's topic is one that touches many lives, how to help when families face food insecurity.
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  Welcome to Talking FACS, where we share research-based information that you
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  can use to strengthen your family, your community, and our state.
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  I'm your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support
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  with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  Joining me today is Dr. Courtney Luecking, our Extension Specialist for Food and Nutrition.
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  She is here to discuss ways community members can step up and help with hunger
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  and food security in their community.
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  I'm so glad that you're here today because this topic is so important and so relevant right now.
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  Yes, thank you for having me, Mindy. You know, food insecurity can really happen
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  at any time and to anyone.
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  And having a variety of resources available is key to supporting families when
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  access to nutritious foods is disrupted. So that is such an important point.
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  Food insecurity isn't always visible, and it can affect anyone. So where do we start?
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  I think it's always nice to reflect inward a little bit. Like,
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  what do we need? What's going on in our house?
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  If our needs are met, then we can start to think about how we can comfortably
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  help or give to others. And so it's really about starting small and being intentional.
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  What about when someone needs help right now? What does immediate support look like?
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  One of the first things that we can do is share information.
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  People need to know what resources are available and how to access them because
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  these resources change all the time.
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  And like we said, food insecurity can affect anyone at any time.
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  And so it might be someone's first experience with it and they don't know where to start.
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  And so places in the community, thinking about what information you can share,
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  oftentimes food banks or food pantries are going to have food assistant resources.
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  There can be meal programs through a variety of locations, including soup kitchens.
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  A lot of faith-based and nonprofit organizations have ongoing support for food assistance.
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  And depending on the time of year or just current circumstances,
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  they might modify what that looks like.
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  Then during the school year, school breakfast and lunch programs are valuable
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  resources for families that have children.
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  Meals on Wheels and congregate meals for older adults are a great resource for our older adults.
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  And then there can be special programs like the Women, Infants, Children program.
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  We oftentimes call that WIC, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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  And then we also have food recovery organizations like Glean Kentucky that help
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  transfer fresh fruits and vegetables to locations around town where people can access them.
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  So there's a lot of places that local communities might have.
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  So I think starting with, okay, who are these places? Where are they located?
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  How can we get in touch with them? Are there certain days that they offer their services?
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  Are there certain eligibility criteria? So, for example, some programs have
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  sign-up deadlines or they serve lunch on a Tuesday, for example.
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  So it's really important to share not just who or what has resources,
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  but really the full picture so people can select and plan appropriately.
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  Yeah, I know in my community, there's a church just down the street from me
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  that shares a lunch meal every Saturday.
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  And so that is a place where people who need a meal can go and know that they
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  can get a meal every Saturday and they put banners out and you see people driving
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  in and going to get lunch every Saturday afternoon.
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  So it's something that people have become aware of and they know to expect that
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  that meal is available. Great.
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  So I love the list that you provided because it has something really for everyone,
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  you know, whether you're a senior adult or you're someone with children,
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  there is something for you on that list.
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  And if you need to drive and drop, I guess is what I would say.
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  If you need to run and pick something up or, you know, if you have to go and
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  get a meal, then there are opportunities available.
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  Sometimes the need is closer to home. How do we deal with that?
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  Yeah, yeah. So I think a great step is to check in on friends, family, and neighbors.
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  Now, this can be hard. There's a lot of pride associated with being able to provide for families.
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  And so some folks may not feel comfortable talking about it,
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  whether that's asking for what they need or in checking on whether someone might
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  need anything related to food.
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  And so I think the first step is to assess kind of what's your relationship
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  with that person and what do you feel comfortable doing? Yeah.
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  If there's more subtle or casual ways, like inviting people over for a meal
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  or dropping off meals, it can be food.
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  You were talking about that Saturday meal in your community.
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  And in my head, I was like, wow, I bet that develops a sense of community among
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  the folks who attend that.
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  And so in times that people might benefit from some outside support,
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  like spending time with them through a shared meal can be a really great way
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  or sending them home with leftovers.
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  I think about as a college student, like my parents always sent me home with
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  leftovers and that was really helpful because it fed me for a couple of days on end.
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  I was thinking about the food program that we have on campus.
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  I remember when it first started, it was like, if you need food,
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  come and get it. And then it evolved into this, if you want to enjoy a meal
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  with friends, come and eat. So there was no stigma involved.
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  Yes, because that's one of the hard parts around, again, it's that pride.
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  It's like the way, you know, each community is different, how they view these topics.
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  And so that stigma can be a real barrier to people accessing resources,
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  whatever shape or form they come in.
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  And I think of my grandma, like she was eligible for food assistance benefits,
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  but was like, no, no, no, I don't need those. Someone needs them more.
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  And ultimately, my dad was able to talk her into it. He's like,
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  no, you deserve these just as much as everyone else.
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  Like, it'll just help out with your groceries each week. And so I think those
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  kinds of conversations can be really valuable, too, having like you're not taking away from anyone.
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  I think there's always a good about that. Yeah. I love that, too.
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  So once we have met those immediate needs, what's the next step?
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  Gosh, we can start to think about a bigger scale, like we can go beyond our
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  family and friends. And again, this is all dependent upon a person's capacity.
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  No one is expected or required to do everything.
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  And so thinking about what is the best fit? Is it someone in your family supporting them?
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  Or are you in a professional or a social circle in a way that you can coordinate
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  or contribute to larger scale efforts?
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  Maybe donating money to trusted charities or food aid organizations.
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  Oftentimes they can buy in bulk. So money itself can be the most valuable.
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  That way they can access these kind of reduced cost food items.
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  The dollar goes further. You could contribute to local pantries or blessing
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  boxes. I know will pop up around Kentucky a lot.
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  But maybe money is not something that you have. Time is a very,
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  very valuable resource.
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  A lot of these efforts are volunteer run. And so whether that's managing donations, stocking shelves,
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  packing food bags, getting people to and from places where they can access food
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  assistance, maybe it's dropping groceries or a food box or meals off to someone.
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  There's a really a lot of ways that people can contribute to community level.
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  I would just say, though, to coordinate efforts, right? Like,
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  I think it's smart to not recreate the wheel or duplicate efforts.
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  So kind of get an understanding of what's going on in the local community.
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  Are there ways that you can kind of boost the efforts that are ongoing?
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  Or maybe you identify a gap and there's a way that you could fill a different name.
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  Yeah, I think that that is so important. I know my dad has a truck,
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  and so he is able to help move food from one place to another.
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  He doesn't have the strength to lift the food out of his truck,
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  but they have other volunteers who can do that.
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  But because he has the capability of providing the transportation,
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  then that is one way that he can help. So, even at 85, he is still able to be a contributing member.
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  So, that is important for a lot of people, I think. It's amazing.
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  And it is because transportation can truly be a barrier.
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  We can have all these resources available, but if you can only get them at a
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  certain location, that might exclude a lot of people from taking advantage of that.
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  So, yeah, I'm glad that you reinforced that transportation is a really important
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  part, whether that's through volunteer efforts or somehow otherwise coordinated
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  through vouchers or things like that.
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  Well, all of these ideas and strategies and suggestions and tips have been so helpful,
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  and I think that they are going to be beneficial to
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  everyone who listens and especially to our communities and our listeners who
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  are in need so that we can provide whatever support that we can to make those
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  who are food insecure and those who want to help those who are food insecure.
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  Provide ways to find each other.
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  Yes, yes. And Mindy, I just want to do a shameless plug for our local extension
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  offices because they are a wealth of resources.
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  And sometimes we don't always know, like, is it a bag of foods?
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  What can we create with these foods?
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  Or how can we really maximize what we make and have on hand for these foods?
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  And the extension office has so many like tangible resources or links to websites
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  or videos. But and they have classes, too, that can kind of walk you through the planning.
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  Kind of how do you make that dollar stretch?
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  Yeah, how do you make these nutritious, delicious meals that have only a few ingredients?
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  And so really want to encourage folks to connect with their local extension
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  office or learning how to grow their own foods, depending on what kind of time
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  of year it is. little container gardens or there's so many different ways to
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  kind of contribute to the bucket of.
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  The nutrition needs of what a family has. Exactly. And I just love everything that you've suggested.
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  And it is so important to find those resources in your community.
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  And then, of course, check on your neighbors. If you have resources,
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  donate what you have, whether it's money or time or the ability to move food where it needs to be.
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  But always make sure that you're coordinating with others because no man is
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  an island and we need to work with our communities and make sure that we are
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  doing the best that we can with what we have.
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  And then, of course, we always want to support those long-term solutions so
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  that we have what we need when we need it.
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  Courtney, thank you so much for joining Talking Facts today because whenever you come,
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  you always have so much to share and you share it with a smile on your face,
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  which I know the listeners can't see, but I feel like they can hear it.
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  And so that is important.
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  So if we think about the one small step that we can take this week to help a
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  neighbor in need, then I think it's going to bless us all.
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  Until next time, I hope that everyone will stay connected and keep caring.
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  And thank you for always being connected and caring.
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  Thank you. If you are just tuning in, you're listening to Talking FACS,
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  and you can find us wherever you listen to your favorite.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking FACS
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  We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management,
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  family development, and civic engagement.
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  Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local extension
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  agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
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  We build strong families. We build Kentucky. It starts with us.