Crystal Ulloa - Food Insecurity

Crystal Ulloa 

 Food Insecurity in our communities and what we can do to help

I chose the topic of food insecurity because it is an issue I have seen progress in in my community of East Los Angeles and the communities surrounding that. These folks deserve a voice and accessible resources at all times! In this blog I share food insecurity resources and how you can be an ally! 

What is Food Insecurity? 

Food insecurity is described as a lack of money or other resources causing a change in food intake or eating behaviors. In 2014, 17.4 million households in the United States experienced food insecurity at some point throughout the year. 

Food insecurity does not always result in hunger, but hunger is a possible consequence of it. Long-term or short-term food insecurity are both possible. Income, employment, race/ethnicity, and disability are all possible influences. When money to buy food is scarce or unavailable, the risk of hunger rises. Food insecurity was reported by 31.6 percent of low-income households in 2016, compared to 12.3 percent nationally.

 Unemployment can have a negative impact on a family's ability to feed themselves. It's more difficult for low-income people to meet their basic food demands because of high unemployment rates. There are racial and ethnic disparities in food insecurity. In 2016, black non-Hispanic households were nearly twice as likely as the national average to be food insecure (22.5 percent versus 12.3 percent, respectively). In comparison to the national average, 18.5 percent of Hispanic households experienced food insecurity (12.3 percent ). Due to limited career prospects and healthcare-related expenses that lower the cash available to buy food, disabled adults may be at a higher risk of food insecurity.

 Furthermore, children whose parents are unemployed have a higher rate of food insecurity than children whose parents are employed.

 

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020

To show how drastic measures are, RescuingLeftOvers.org has shared this statistic with us; 

"1 in 8 Americans experience food insecurity while $200 billion is being spent on food that will never be eaten. That’s billions of pounds of food wasted, instead of going to those who need it."

Resources: 

Many may not be aware, but there are many communities surrounding Los Angeles, trying to help one another through 'Community Fridges', in hopes it makes food more accessible. Community Fridges arose after the pandemic caused many local grocery shops to shut down, run out of inventory, and/or raise their prices to accommodate the pandemic's economic impact. A lot of folks were left either paying those high prices, while still risking getting sick, or not getting groceries at all. Not to mention the thousands of folks who lost their jobs during the pandemic, leaving many hungry, and broke. 

These are some of the cities with accessible community Fridges:

Boyle Heights

Has Pantry

2633 E Cesar Chaves Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033

Located inside Milpa Grille

Accessible 11am-6pm every day.

Eagle Rock

Has pantry

4808 Townsend Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90041

Accessible weekdays: 7am-3pm. Weekends: 7am Sat-6pm Sunday

Located outside, on Yosemite and Townsend.

East Hollywood

Has pantry

4621 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Accessible 24/7

Located outside, in front of Santa Monica Grocery.

Echo Park

1448 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Accessible 6:30am-10pm

Located inside of Aroma Laundry.

El Sereno

Has pantry

5469 Huntington Dr.. N, Los Angeles, CA 90032

Accessible 24/7

Located outside, on the corner of Maycrest Ave and Huntington Dr. N.

Koreatown Solar

Has pantry

426 S Alexandria Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Accessible 24/7

Located outside, on the sidewalk in front of Alexandria House.

Los Feliz

Has pantry

1733 N New Hampshire Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Accessible 24/7

Located outside, in the parking lot behind Mt Hollywood Church.

Skid Row (Gladys Park)

808 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Accessible 7am-7:30pm

Located Behind the gate to the left of the park entrance.

South Central

8609 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90003

Accessible 24/7

Uptown Whittier

Has pantry

7201 Greenleaf Ave d, Whittier, CA 90602

Accessible Wed - Fri 2-7, Sat 11 - 7, Sun 11-5

Located inside Midnight Books

What some Community Fridges might need or what you can donate:

Could use more: 🥫 pantry goods | alimentos no perecederos, 🧻 sanitary items | productos de higiene, 🥗 prepared meals | alimentos preparadas, 🍓 fruit | frutas, 🥬 vegetables | verduras , 🍞 bread | pan , 🧀 cheese | quesos, 🥛 milk | leche, ❄️ frozen food | alimentos congeladas, 🥤 water/drinks | aguas/bebidas,  🥐 pastries | pasteles, 👝 grocery bags | bolsas de la compra, ❄️ ice packs | compresas de hielo

How you can help:

In order to help folks in our communities have a voice, we must contribute to the many resources available. If you find there is a Community Fridge in your community and you find yourself with groceries you may not need or want, lend a helping hand and donate those items to a Fridge, shelter, or family in need. 

You can find out if your community has a "community Fridge" by visiting:

 https://linktr.ee/lacommunityfridge

You can also donate to scarce food organizations such as:

https://www.rescuingleftovercuisine.org/

Those who have struggled with food insecurity have said:

 "Ever since COVID began you know there haven't been that many cheap resources, and I always just buy a box of pizza for my kids when I can't get to the grocery store, I mean, grocery prices went up to. I can't always afford the healthy foods." - Esidrio Gomez

"I wish healthy groceries like fruits and vegetables were cheaper I would be eating more of that probably." - Ivon Solis 

"If I knew the economy was going to crash and people were going to get laid off I would have stocked up on food and resources because now I do struggle sometimes to get the groceries I want AND for cheap. That's why we have to be grateful for what we have when we have it, that should be a lesson for everyone." - Steve Martinez

Sources

 https://linktr.ee/lacommunityfridge

https://www.rescuingleftovercuisine.org/

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020

RescuingLeftOvers.org