No one should have to worry about where their next meal will come from, yet this is the reality for many individuals and families in our communities.<\/p>\n
In Washington state, one in 10 people experiences food insecurity<\/a> \u2014 lacking consistent access to the food they need to live a healthy life.<\/p>\n Many issues over the past few years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to supply chain disruptions to inflation, have made it challenging for people to afford nutritious food. In fact, a University of Washington survey<\/a> identified grocery bills as the biggest source of financial stress for Washington residents facing food insecurity.<\/p>\n That stress affects the entire household, including children.<\/p>\n \u201cOften, kids living in food-insecure households aren\u2019t concerned about themselves,\u201d says Juanita Silva, community health coordinator at MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re worried about what their little brother or little sister is going to eat, or they\u2019re worried that their parents are going to be upset. All that worry can really just shut them down from learning and socializing.\u201d<\/p>\n In his poem \u201cThe Great Tablecloth,\u201d Pablo Neruda wrote that \u201cHunger feels like pincers, like the bite of crabs,\u201d and it\u2019s an injustice that one in seven children in Washington state endures<\/a>.<\/p>\n Food insecurity not only leads to hunger in the present \u2014 which in turn affects behavior, emotional development and academic performance \u2014 but can also have lifelong impacts. Not having regular access to quality food is associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease<\/a>, and can affect mental health across the lifespan.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren who grow up in food-insecure households can develop unhealthy eating patterns that follow them into adulthood,\u201d says Erica Lewis, RD, health promotion manager at the MultiCare Center for Health Equity and Wellness. \u201cLiving with that constant stress of not having enough to eat can lead people to hoard food or obsess about food waste to the point of overeating.\u201d<\/p>\n For some families, the struggle to put food on the table got even harder in February 2023 when temporary pandemic-related increases to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)<\/a> expired, resulting in a loss of $95 dollars or more a month per SNAP recipient<\/a>.<\/p>\n When we talk about fighting food insecurity, the emphasis is often on quantity \u2014 ensuring people have access to enough<\/strong> food \u2014 but other factors sometimes get overlooked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt isn\u2019t just about ensuring people have access to any kind of food \u2014 it needs to be quality, nutritious items, including fruits and vegetables,\u201d says Colleen McMeen, RD, CD, wellness dietitian at the Center for Health Equity and Wellness. \u201cAnd it also needs to be culturally appropriate. Food and eating are part of a person\u2019s identity, and any nutritional support they receive should be respectful of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from being the right thing to do, providing quality, culturally relevant food to families helps reduce waste<\/a> and supports long-term health and well-being.<\/p>\n Effectively fighting food insecurity requires both vision and collaboration among many individuals and organizations. In 2015, Yakima Memorial began distributing weekly $10 vouchers to qualifying families for the purchase of fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n Funded by the Washington Fruit and Vegetable Incentives Program (FVIP)<\/a>, the vouchers are available to food-insecure participants enrolled in select Yakima Memorial community education programs, including Actively Changing Together (ACT!)<\/a>, the Diabetes Prevention Program<\/a> and the Pre-Diabetes Program.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we first started out, we had 500 vouchers available, and now we have 3,800,\u201d says Silva, Yakima Memorial community health coordinator. \u201cPeople get really excited to use them and talk about the new recipes they\u2019re trying. Our program has one of the highest redemption rates for these vouchers in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Yakima Memorial is also collaborating with three local Rotary clubs and Northwest Harvest to deliver food, cooking utensils and healthy recipes \u2014 packaged in reusable shopping bags \u2014 to eligible families facing food insecurity. The items are available to graduates of the ACT! program or to those who have participated in nutrition programs with other local organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be hard for families with limited resources to try new foods, because if they don\u2019t like them or their kids won\u2019t eat them, then that\u2019s money down the drain that they can\u2019t afford to waste,\u201d says Erin Black, chief executive officer at Memorial Foundation. \u201cThese baskets give people an opportunity to try new healthy foods, like sweet potato tacos, without that risk.\u201d<\/p>\n About 155 miles across the state, the WIC program at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children\u2019s<\/a> provides food on a monthly basis, in addition to other benefits, to eligible families. The program serves children up to age 5, pregnant people and postpartum individuals. It\u2019s important to note that any caregiver, including dads and grandparents, can enroll a child in WIC.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that our communities are not using our WIC program as much as they could,\u201d says wellness dietitian McMeen. \u201cWe encourage anyone to reach out who thinks they might qualify. In addition to food assistance, WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support and more.\u201d<\/p>\n To enroll in WIC, contact a WIC location near you<\/a>. To learn more about WIC support outside Pierce County, call 800-841-1410<\/a>.<\/p>\n The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program<\/a> issues additional benefits to eligible participants to be used at participating farmers markets, roadside stands and farms. Many farmers markets are open from June through October.<\/p>\n In addition to WIC, Mary Bridge Children\u2019s also offers a Pediatric Wellness Program<\/a>, which supports whole-child health.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you\u2019re struggling to access nutritious food or would like to get involved in fighting food insecurity, many resources are available. A good place to start is the food justice organization Northwest Harvest<\/a>.<\/p>\n On their website, you can find locations and contact information for meal programs and food banks in counties across the state. Region-specific resources are listed below.<\/p>\n No one should have to worry about where their next meal will come from, yet this is the reality for many individuals and families in our communities. In Washington state, one in 10 people experiences food insecurity \u2014 lacking consistent access to the food they need to live a healthy life. Many issues over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,127,67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-healthy-living","category-kids-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe lifelong impacts of food insecurity<\/h2>\n
Not just about food quantity, but quality<\/h2>\n
Supporting access to nutritious food<\/h2>\n
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Sign up for WIC or other nutrition services<\/h3>\n
Where to turn for help across Washington<\/h2>\n
Olympia and Thurston County<\/h3>\n
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Tacoma and Pierce County<\/h3>\n
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Seattle and King County<\/h3>\n
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Spokane<\/h3>\n
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Yakima<\/h3>\n
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