According to the USDA, Food insecurity refers to a lack of access to enough food for a healthy life for all household members. It can be recognized through a limited or uncertain availability of nutritional foods. As a whole, 1,691,910 people in Ohio face food insecurity, around 14.5 percent. Currently in Athens County, 19.3 percent of people face the issue of food insecurity, the highest percentage in the state. Majority of residents are uncertain of how to keep food on the table for their families.
Feeding America recently released its newest Map the Meal Gap, research which helps to understand where household incomes are falling short and leaving families unsure about how to afford enough nutritious food. The report shows that Ohio’s rate of food insecurity is significantly higher than the national average. More than 1 in 5 Ohioans still don’t always have the resources they need to afford enough food on their own.
Food insecurity also impacts the growing number of seniors who are living on fixed incomes and struggling to manage their chronic illnesses, age in their homes, and sometimes care for grandchildren they’ve taken into their homes. It impacts low-wage workers who find that their paychecks don’t stretch to cover housing, healthcare, transportation, childcare, and enough healthy groceries to feed their families.
Ken
Kenne Mackillop, originally from California, has lived in The Plains, OH for around 5 years. Ken has spent most of his life traveling around the country visiting different cities. Now that he is settled, he finds himself coming up short when it comes to food. Ken currently only receives $18 in Food Stamps every month from the government. Along with the food stamps, Ken uses local food pantries, and free meals to get by. Diagnosed with depression, Ken deals with mental illness every day. Some days are better than others. On the good days, Ken loves to drink coffee, listen to live music, catch up with friends, and check his Facebook page.
"The best thing to do when I'm having a bad day is to reach out and talk to friends about how I am feeling" - Ken Mackillop
On Thursday, November 28, 2019, Ken reached out for help and was placed into the Adam-Amanda Health Rehabilitation center located in Athens, OH.
The Adam-Amanda Health Rehabilitation Center is a 16-bed facility that gives patients additional time and services to stabilize their care and to become stronger. The center is operated by Hopewell Health Centers, which has several locations in and around Athens. Adam and Amanda, for whom the center is named, lost their lives due to mental illness only days after being released from inpatient psychiatric facilities and after multiple attempts to receive longer-term care.
According to Move For Hunger, when a person is hungry, their body produces cortisol, a stressor that signals to your body to eat. This stress, when prolonged, has deteriorative qualities, and the effects of food insecurity on a person’s psyche are more impactful than might imagine.
Food Pantries
A key component in helping people get the food they need is the Athens County Food Pantry. Founded in 1980, the pantry has been delivering aid for residents in the form of food disbursement for 39 years, together working towards a hunger free Athens. The pantry is a non-profit organization that runs completely off of volunteers and donations year-round. Twice a week dedicated volunteers create food boxes and bags that are then distributed to families across Athens County. The food comes from strictly donations, churches, Ohio University fundraisers, and The Southeast Ohio Food Bank.
Karin Bright is the 2019/2020 Athens County Food Pantry board president and currently helps run all operations of the pantry. This includes ordering food from the foodbank, packing boxes, and helping distribute food at local distribution centers. Bright has been serving through the food pantry for over 10 years and has lived in Athens County her entire life.
According to Bright, as of September 2019, the pantry has served 3,667 households in Athens County. This average to around 407 households a month, and overall 9,894 individuals have been helped this year. In 2018, the pantry helped over 5,702 households, and distributed 215,293lbs of food.
The pantry is in partnership with The Athens Job and Family Services Center, located in Chauncey, OH. The center is one of three places in the county where food is distributed twice a week. Visitors are required to show a form of ID and a proof of address. Depending on how many members are in a family, determines the amount of food people can receive. One or two family members in a family get one bag of food plus two loafs of bread. Three or four members of a family then receive a 35-pound box of food. These are the bags and boxes that are packed weekly at the pantry. Visitors are allowed to come once a month to the center.
“I’m glad we're here now to help, because maybe with a little bit of help, someone will be able to move beyond this issue that they’re facing right now. That’s why I continue to help run the pantry.” - Karin Bright, Food Pantry President
Food insecurity is an issue that fluctuates, depending on the time of month or even time of year. It is never a solid state. Visitors are encouraged to come as little or as much as they possibly need to throughout the year. The pantry is available to the public if needed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No one should never not know where their next meal is coming from.
United Campus Ministry
Another option for food includes hot meals served at local churches. Every Thursday night and Saturday afternoon United Campus Ministry hosts a free meal for struggling members of the Athens community. For many people, this is an important place to receive food every week. The program has been going on for several years.
Although not directly affiliated with Ohio University, many of the staff members and volunteers either went to OU or are currently students. Many of the people who come often have formed friendships with each other and see one another outside of the meals provided by UCM. Volunteers begin arriving a couple hours before the meal is served to prep the food and set up the tables. UCM’s program is a unique food assistance program in Athens because it is one of the few that has all of the food it has donated.
The various personalities that populate the basement of United Campus Ministries bring in unique perspectives and stories about life and the world. Although not everyone who eats at the program is homeless, most struggle with food security on some level. People ranging from pilots to social activists to authors come together and converse with each other. The blending of all the different types of people leads to many laughs, many surprises and lots of insight into what so many people in the Athens area deal with on a regular basis.
Dawn
Dawn Jones has lived in Southeast Ohio her entire life. She has mothered 4 children who all have grown up and moved out. Now just feeding herself, Dawn receives $15 in food stamps a month and visits multiple different pantries a help get by. Vegetable soups, Pot Roast, Tacos, and easy snacks are usually what Dawn tries to make to keep in her fridge. Bigger meals last longer and can keep Jones full for about a week.
“I spend $10 to $20 dollars a week on food outside of the pantries, you buy things the pantries don’t give you to help make complete meals, I eat a lot of the same thing over and over again.” - Dawn Jones
One of the most common stops for Dawn to make is the Nelsonville Food Cupboard. The Food Cupboard was founded in 1989 and is a It is a non-profit organization, with an all-volunteer staff and board of directors. It is funded entirely by donations. Food boxes are distributed to visitors and are based on the number of family members. Meal items that are commonly put into boxes are rice, dairy products like yogurt and milk, mac and cheese, chicken, canned vegetables, bread, and beef patties. Seasonally, visitors also have a choice to take home fresh produce and desserts.
Dawn spends most of her days working, and when there is a day off, she visits different pantries. The food boxes are a huge part in Dawns life and have helped her have a sufficient amount of food to live off of. When food is helped taken care of, Dawn can focus on paying all of her bills in full and on time.
“What the pantries do for people in this area is amazing, and everyone that needs it should use the pantries, because I know I am so grateful for the volunteers and good food.”