Seeing Need When We Aren’t Really Looking

While I don’t live there anymore, I found that in Minnesota it is “foodshare” month in March. I also don’t have to worry a lot about food insecurity. So why in the world am I writing about something where I don’t live and it doesn’t affect me directly? 

Here’s why. COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of many families when it comes to their finances. People living closer to the edge where one bad month can cause great financial strain. Food support from formal nonprofits who do this every day to churches to schools to just neighbors who live nearby has become more and more important over the past 12-to-15 months. It’s also placed a premium on paying attention to this important issue.

For those of us who don’t worry about where the next meal is going to come from, it’s important to realize that there are a lot of people who worry about this every day. Our seniors who live on fixed assets. Our children who may not be around school as often. Families just trying to get by day-to-day.

I have no idea if my state has “food insecurity month.” But March seems like a good time for all of us to do something about it in our own community.

Maybe if we all worry less about the largess and more about the effort, we could help more people.