Submitted
Editor’s note: The following was sent to the Hamilton County Reporter from Faith Hope and Love Community, an Indianapolis nonprofit which “aims to be a catalyst for change by engaging in relationships with food insecure neighbors on their path to self-sufficiency through missional food pantry training.”
Faith Hope and Love Community (FHL) announced the 15th annual FHL Week’s theme is Hunger Awareness Week from July 20 to 27. This is the first series of events in Indiana where businesses, churches and local residents will come together to raise more awareness of the food insecurity problem that has been lingering in the state. This week is dedicated to raise awareness in order to help alleviate hunger.
Around 1 in 9 Americans suffer from food insecurity, about 42 million. In Indiana, 1 in 6 Hoosiers are food insecure, totaling 910,000. Indianapolis was labeled as one of the largest food deserts in the nation.
Food insecurity plus food deserts equals hungry children, families and workers. This has profound effects on communities’ immediate health, as well as state and national health.
Beyond stress and fatigue, serious and long-term health problems have links to food insecurity, even the profitability and security of your business. Type 2 diabetes and heart problems are responsible for thousands of deaths and millions of dollars in medical expenses each year and are also closely linked to food insecurity. The negative health effects reach beyond the walls of hospitals and into schools, neighborhoods, businesses and homes.
Food insecurity has been directly linked to multiple measures of failure in school, from truancy and behavior issues, to grades and test scores. Income plays a major role in food insecurity: 72 percent of households affected by food insecurity live at or below the federal poverty level with a median annual household income of $9,175.
A staggering 29 percent of repeat food pantry clients have full-time jobs. A study from Clemson University found that a 1 percent increase in food insecurity led to a startling 12 percent increase on violent crime. Another study by a university revealed that more than one-third of college students are food insecure. These issues are affecting Indiana’s neighborhoods and cities.
And yet, a study revealed that America has more than enough food to feed everyone. But the land of plenty is also the land of waste. According to some studies, $162 billion worth of produce (alone) is wasted and 63 million tons of food is wasted every year. Households contribute the most waste, which is about 27 million tons.
So where’s the gap between 42 million people experiencing food insecurity and 63 million tons of wasted food? Beyond the physical help, relational, logical and spiritual solutions are needed. Hunger is complex and cannot be solved by just food alone. There needs to be a redefining of the deeper role of food pantries – not just a place to distribute food but a place of establishing a community of faith, hope and love. In the process of giving food away, there needs to be an uncovering of the other deep-seated needs such as relationships, job training, education, counseling and other referrals. Beyond the pain of hunger is also pain of emotions that affect one’s interaction with others; it affects the learning capacity of the children and the productivity and safety of workers.
Many Hoosiers are not aware of these unfortunate statistics. In an effort to raise the public consciousness about hunger and innovative solutions, FHL is hosting the Hunger Awareness Week in Indiana.
Schedule of events
- Hunger Walk from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 20 at the Indianapolis Canal starting at Walnut Street basin. Corporations and other organizations are invited to take a part in this hunger walk. State Senator and Indianapolis mayoral candidate Jim Merritt will speak about hunger.
- Prayer Walk on Sunday, July 21. Local churches will do prayer walk for an hour in their own neighborhoods and will start simultaneously at 3 p.m. The prayer walkers are encouraged to bring canned goods to their local churches to help in raise hunger awareness and help local food pantries.
- Hunger (0-0-1) Challenge on Monday through Friday, July 22 to 26. This event is to challenge individuals to experience how it feels to be hungry by eating one meal a day. Each participant is encouraged to raise awareness and support the cause of Faith Hope and Love by raising funds in alleviating hunger beyond bags of groceries. At their option, they can join a group of people who will be walking from one food pantry to further experience the plight of some food insecure population. Details of the route will be published at info.
- Hunger Awareness Community Gathering from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27 at 1100 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis. This is open to the families and residents to fellowship, fun things with the kids with former Indianapolis Colts players and food trucks. Call 317-572-5793 or email info@fhlinternational.org for available vendor space before July 17.
About Faith Hope and Love Community
Faith Hope and Love Community is a catalyst for change by engaging in relationships with food insecure neighbors on their path to self-sufficiency. Poverty creates real challenges for individuals, their families and communities. Growing numbers of Indianapolis residents are struggling to make enough money to consistently feed and support their families. Despite the Indianapolis community’s heroic efforts, far too many people continue to go hungry and require food assistance. Faith Hope and Love Community is redefining the deeper role of a food pantry in a neighborhood: It’s about people, not just about food.