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FACTS: There are an estimated 1.6 billion or more people who lack adequate housing, and experience food insecurity globally according to social scientists around the world.  This is a staggering number of people into and out of homelessness and who also don’t have a sustainable food support system.  There are many reasons for this and the issues that result in homeless populations and food insecurity are very complex.  Often interrelated and individual factors like family violence, mental health, substance abuse, and a breakdown in service delivery by social, health services or institutions are the root cause.   

The homeless population’s health and human development are severely impacted with the average life expectancy about 30 years less than those with homes.  Further, those who remain homeless have a 45% risk of suicide and 9% to 29% have attempted suicide. 

African-Americans, Veterans and Hispanic-Americans are among those mostly affected.

The number of food-insecure individuals world-wide is estimated to exceeded 821 million and was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Roughly, a quick calculation makes that one out of every nine people.  Food insecurity can be traced directly to certain economic factors like constrained financial resources, poverty, decaying urban areas, environmental changes, global trade markets and agricultural conditions. 

Due to lack of sufficient food resources in poor neighborhoods people are forced to search in waste bins, trash cans, and dumpsters for food.  Poverty is a primary cause of food insecurity in the United States.  According to United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. wastes approximately 31% of food, equivalent to 133 billion pounds and an astonishing value of $162 billion dollars a year.   

FOOD INSECURITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FACTOR

 Before the COVID-19 crisis over 37 million people, including more than 11 million children, lived in a food- insecure household according to statistics in a recent research study. 

Prior to the Covid pandemic,  some of the lowest food insecurity rates nationwide were evident.  Post Covid, the current crisis has reversed and wiped out those milestones of the past decade.  Now, high unemployment, inflation and global economic uncertainty has spiked an increase at local food banks and pantries across the country. 

Areas with relatively higher rates of food insecurity before COVID-19 continue to have even higher rates comparatively.  Sustainable solutions to food insecurity are difficult to achieve partly due to the underlying causes 

— poverty, unemployment/under-employment, and inconsistent access to healthy food.  

These root causes are often deeply interconnected.   

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made significant, new public health initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.    Increased screening for COVID-19 in the Homeless population nationally, reduced overcrowding in shelters, and ordered more PCR tests helped a lot.  The CDC also increased access to basic services, but much remains to be done and food insecurity was not addressed as a part of this policy by the CDC. 

Feed My People Mobile Food Pantry is building nutrition security into our feeding efforts to ensure the under-served populations in Virginia have consistent access to safe, healthy, affordable foods that are essential to optimal health and well-being. Our focus is on quality, dietary and nutritious meals that can help to reduce diet-related diseases such as diabetes.   By doing so, we are helping to fill the gap in nutrition equity and tackling long-standing health disparities in underserved communities.