The, Health Food Options Are Erupting Around Every Block

School lunches are often unsung heroes of many modern American households. Frequently overlooked and disregarded because of their stigma, school lunches are a key ingredient that may help make the world a better place. Unknowingly, great numbers of individuals in our communities deal with food insecurities every day of their lives. It baffles me that in an advanced society many people do not have the resources to provide food for themselves or their families. Until it affected me personally, I was unaware nor passionate about the struggles of food insecurity. My passion for solving food insecurity in my local community has led me to gain both experience and leadership through understanding and advocating for those around me.

(Love & Das, 2016, para. 7). However, Love and Das (2016) expound on the inefficiency of this solution by stating that it “does not bridge the gaps to healthy food” because of their inability to invest in the community and understand their needs (para 12). Using vivid language throughout the article, the authors make their point emotionally impactful by emphasizing that big-chain grocery stores “lur[ed…] to the hood” leave when they no longer profit from maintaining a store in these neighborhoods (Love & Das, 2016, para. 9). Rightfully criticizing the existing solution, the authors expose the superficiality and inefficient manner of only bringing in more stores into neighborhoods. Moreover, by criticizing the superficiality of the existing solution, the authors suggest that eliminating food deserts involves a more personal investment into the betterment of the community. Overall, Love and Das permit the readers to gain an emotional insight on the impact food deserts have on low-income populations and understand the limiting nutrition conditions by appealing to

When asked about the hunger problems in America one would imagine a homeless person asking and begging for food in the streets. However, what we fail to understand is that hunger is closer to us than what we think. A fellow co-worker or perhaps even the next door neighbor may be an example of someone who suffers from food insecurity. Food insecurity is when a person does not know when or where the next meal will come from. Food insecurity is most likely to develop in food deserts, a place where there is little to no fruits, vegetables and whole healthy foods. The documentary, A Place At The Table, is attempting to shed light on the argument that many Americans suffer from food insecurity because of low income and as result those individuals face various complications.

In South Central, Los Angeles, there is a food epidemic taking place among the population. For miles and miles, the only easily attainable food source is fast food; causing the overconsumption of un-nutritious, greasy, and fattening food. This is the problem brought to the public’s attention by speaker Ron Finley in his Ted Talks speech, “A Guerilla Gardener in South Central L.A.” Finley explains how everywhere he looks in his native South Central, all he sees are fast food chains and Dialysis clinics opened due to the lack of nutritious food. Finley views the lack of a healthy food source as a serious problem, and brings up

Considering the following statistics, it is clear why Hunger Free Colorado’s work is so important: Nearly 1 in 7 Coloradans struggled with hunger in 2013, facing times when there was not enough money to buy food for their families or themselves (Colman-Jenson, Gregory, & Singh, 2013). More than 1 in 5 Colorado households with children (22%) reported food hardship, facing financial challenges to put food on the table (Food Research and Action Center, 2013). More than 1 in 8 Coloradans lived in poverty, including 1 in 6 kids, during 2013 (Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014).

All food should be available to all people. The concept of this is dwelled on in the article, “Food justice and Food retail in Los Angeles” by Mark Valliantos. Throughout the article, Valliantos maintains the notion that healthy food should be within everyone’s reach, yet inner cities are still suffering from shortages of fresh produce. To see this issue in action, Valliantos documented this reoccurring phenomenon in Los Angeles. The author gives a description of two areas within the city of Los Angeles, and how they are economically divided based on the amount of healthy produce one has at its disposal. He makes note of programs that already exist to help low income families receive healthy foods that they could not afford. He also

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “Forty-nine million Americans live in food insecure households in today 's society”. This is the problem that the current SNAP program isn’t addressing, that funding is not enough to help these forty-nine million Americans struggling to get enough food to feed themselves and their families. We need to provide them the food that they need in order to survive, but we also must devise a plan to give them the healthiest and inexpensive choices that they deserve. For example, why would it make sense that on average a box of strawberries is more expensive than a bag of chips and it holds less nutritional value? For those that are poor in our society and cannot afford healthy eating, they

        The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act (Public Law 108-265) was passed by Congress in 2004 (Corbin & McKenzie, 2008). The act requires all public schools, or schools with federal funding, to develop a wellness plan for the students (Corbin & McKenzie, 2008).  The policy is attached to increase opportunities for nutrition, physical education and encouragement of better food choices outside of school boundaries (Virgilio, 2009). While the sentiment is clearly positive, whether or not it works or favors certain populations is unclear. The Child Nutrition Act guidelines are a model, since some schools are not adequately funded, other vendors come into play that do not have the best interests of our children at

As Pastor of the Ethnan Temple SDA Church, I am writing to support Dr. Willa Doswell’s proposal to seek additional funding to promote healthy eating activities under our church Health Ministry program (Stacey Lewis, Director). The “Kids Can Cook” and the “Young Girl’s Book Club are integral programs at our church that were originated by Dr. Doswell and her staff in conjunction with partial funding of our Children’s Ministry program (Marcia Lewis, Director).

Since the majority of individuals living in Bushwick and Williamsburg are of foreign descent, it is only feasible to hypothesize that language barriers pose as a major obstacle for receiving quality health care. Many of the residents may not know how to read and understand English, therefore, leading to compromised delivery of care. Another justification for the residents of Community Board 1 and 4 to not obtain quality care is because of economic conditions. Individuals living in Bushwick are known to have a lower median household income when compared to Brooklyn as a whole: the difference being $9,000

In today's society individuals from poverty stricken areas have a more difficult time cooking and eating healthy foods for themselves and their families. Various factors contribute to this problem, such as worrying about other things, essentially, safety in locations with high crime. Not only safety but convenience. If healthy options are not provided in poor areas, it takes time to go out of the way to spend money on healthier products that people may or may not be able to afford. For instance, Anne Harding writes “ People who live in poorer neighborhoods in the U.S. are less likely to have easy access to supermarkets carrying a wide variety of fresh produce and other healthy food, an analysis of 54 studies confirms,” this study supports the idea that poor people don’t eat as well as higher-income families. That is not only a theory, but a fact. Not only do lower-income families not have access to healthy grocery stores, but they have plenty of fast food restaurants, and a wide variety of other unhealthy options. Some individuals believe a solution to this problem is as simple as putting healthy grocery stores in impoverished areas. In “Can Whole Foods Change the Way Poor People Eat?,” Tracie McMillian explores this idea by doing her own research on the store Whole Foods, and personally interviewing several families from Detroit, Michigan. McMillian uses ethos, pathos, and logos to argue that in order to solve health issues for people in poverty, we must do more than place

In the story The Good Food Revolution, Will Allen talks about his struggles as an African American male trying to live out his dream of sustaining a profitable farming career while doing well for the community. What started as a small roadside market is now a national business which helps low-income families gain access to healthy foods and also helps build a better community. Throughout his journey, Allen experienced countless setbacks and was exposed to several issues dealing with race. Access to healthy food is a struggle for the poor, and in particular, African Americans.

The key resource of any program is the individuals needed to carry out the program (McKenzie et al., 2013). The personnel needed for the “Cooking Matters”program included, Dr. O'Neill, the members of the program planning committee, Jersey City Health Department, the Computer Department, and of course volunteers which was known as little helpers. Dr. O'Neill will direct the program the day of the event. Next, each program planning committee group will be responsible for operating their interventions. Also, each planning committee group will be responsibility for communicating with participants and providing them with accurate information on tips and tricks on healthy eating. The personnel will provide information about “Cooking Matters” and the reasoning and foundation for the program. Each leader of the planning committee is in charge for theirinterventions and has to make sure all members are doing as planned. The computer labs provide equipment such as computers, screens, and projectors and they helped the

Like all revolutions without a strong leader to connect the people to a goal, it quickly fades away. Will Allen’s “good food revolution” is definitely achievable and will ultimately bond communities and cities together and bring healthy living and fresh produce in urban and suburban living. However, the real question is really who will stand up and lead in their own communities. Without strong leaders who show the community healthy living and cooperate with local business and farms, this dream is only a whim.

It is a social initiative addressing a 3 of the UN Sustainable development goals: Responsible Consumption and Productions, Climate Action and in some way, reduce inequality: everyone is deserving and worthy of healthy and quality food regardless of demographic.