What is food insecurity?

According to the FeedingAmerica website, food insecurity is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. This can be a temporary situation for a household or can last a long time. Food insecurity is one way we can measure how many people cannot afford food.

According to the USDA, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children experienced food insecurity in the United States at some time during the year 2020.

Unfortunately, many people in America struggle to meet their basic needs, which increases their risk of food insecurity. Lay-offs at work, unexpected car maintenance, or an accident on the job can suddenly force a family to choose between buying food and paying bills.

Pleasant Run Presbyterian has chosen to provide one meal to 32 people in our community who are suffering from food insecurity.  On two separate Saturdays, volunteers packed lunches which included meat & cheese and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, potato salad, fresh fruit, treats, and drinks.  We also included notes of encouragement in each bag. Another group of volunteers delivered these brown bag meals to people on the street and those in a local motel that is providing housing for low-income families. Our hope is to make an ongoing impact in the immediate community and raise awareness of this problem.

For more information about food security, go to the FeedingAmerica website.