As a startling launch to Hunger Awareness Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a shocking report on Sept. 4 that 47.4 million Americans currently live with food insecurity, an increase of 16.7 million people since 2021, a spike largely driven by grocery inflation and a rollback of COVID-related government relief programs.
The report makes it clear: Without a return of more government spending, hunger in America will continue to climb.
But is government spending really the only answer? Surely concerned individuals can do something to help. Recently Rachel Cohen, social policy correspondent for Vox, examined this question. For years she’d argued that the best “real” solution to the twin issues of homelessness and food insecurity lay in systemic change that came from the policymakers controlling the purse strings.
“Write your representative!” she urged people on repeat, but in honor of this month, she asked some experts for the best ways for individuals to help and was surprised to hear something different this time: Donate socks to a shelter, buy them bus passes and sleeping bags, help out at a food pantry.
Her surprise is understandable. As youngsters, didn’t many of us wonder how much our $50 raised with a bake sale for Darfur was really going to help? Didn’t the small but direct actions of our childhood volunteering efforts feel a little — well, childish — when we grew up and realized how large the scale of the problems were?
Absorbing the message that direct action is a Band-Aid on an issue better addressed by legislators left a lot of us feeling helpless. Any effort to help would be pointless, right?
A corollary question might be: With food insecurity so widespread, what dent does one modest food pantry put in the problem? The answer, as it turns out, is a big one. Though the Amherst Survival Center has been around for almost 50 years, in the four years since the start of the pandemic, it has undergone a transformation many might not be aware of.
To meet the needs of people who are housebound or lack transportation, the center launched an extensive free grocery delivery service. It also added additional evening Food Pantry hours and expanded its lunch service. To help address the poor health outcomes associated with a less nutritious diet, the center quadrupled the amount of fresh produce available to every Food Pantry shopper. In the last four years, the Survival Center has tripled the food provided — prepared and groceries — and more than doubled the number of our neighbors being served.
When I started volunteering at the Survival Center eight years ago, I was surprised by the cheerful, happy atmosphere and even more surprised by how hard it was to distinguish clients from the staff and volunteers. By offering food and assistance without the obligation to quantify “need,” no one has to arrive with a sad story of terminated employment or catastrophic medical bills.
“Everyone is welcome to come in for a meal. As long as they’re a resident of one of our serviced towns, people are invited to shop at our pantry and take what they need (within generous limitations),” explains Lev Ben-Ezra, the extraordinarily energetic and focused director.
Equalizing access means I’ve assisted the parents of my kids’ friends without a shred of awkwardness as we mull over the merits of the nice cheese Whole Foods has donated (close to expiration but not there yet!) Word has spread and the Survival Center has scores of volunteers now — many, like myself, who work from home and are looking for a bit of community and the energizing charge that comes from working a few hours a week on a contained but completable task.
I get that here, along with some laughs, some surprisingly good food, and once in a while, some terrific cheese.
I’ve learned that as good as our representatives are — Jim McGovern and Mindy Domb are true leaders on this issue — they aren’t the only answer. Yes, legislative action is essential (as is the pressure constituents apply) but volunteering does help; the Survival Center wouldn’t have succeeded in this exponential expansion of services without the hundreds of volunteers they get every year.
There are many ways to do it: We can cull our shelves a few times a year and drop off what we don’t need (pet food, toiletries, cleaning supplies and diapers will all find grateful recipients as well!). We can fill the holiday room in December with unopened toys, warm hats, and books for children. We can sign up for Hike for Hunger, one of the Survival Center ’s major fundraisers that starts Oct. 1. We can do food drives at our school and church events, especially before the holidays, traditionally the Survival Center ’s busiest time of the year.
We can do the core work: Volunteer for a shift and hand out urgently needed food to people we know. Stop by for lunch any weekday (except Wednesdays) and find out more!
Cammie McGovern is a writer living in Amherst. She serves on the board of the Amherst Survival Center.