Food Insecurity Within the US What Now - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1458 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Food Insecurity Essay Did you like this example? The nation’s food supply impacts each and every person living within the United States to a significant degree. Though we have plenty to be grateful for, there are many issues surrounding the need for this food to reach to entire US population efficiently. The grocery stores so frequently visited by typical Americans are full of ample and fresh products yet something is lacking. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Food Insecurity Within the US: What Now?" essay for you Create order Communities all throughout the US house families struggling to feed their loved ones while at home, at work, or at school. Some people are faced with the choice between eating and paying the bills or meeting other daily needs. This Issue not only address the fact that people need enough to eat. This issue addresses the process that happens between the food being grown and it reaching the dinner table through a multitude of solutions. Currently, there are three main federal food-assistance programs in actions that people nationally can benefit from. â€Å"Women, Infants, Children† (WIC) supplemental Nutrition program supports roughly 7.7 million people in the US alone. WIC grants low-income mothers with healthy food, advising, breastfeeding aid, and health-care support. Another program taking place currently is the â€Å"National School Lunch Program† which grants about 22 million students in grades K-12 with free or reduced lunch. Lastly and known by most is the â€Å"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program† (SNAP), formally known as food stamps. SNAP provides people and families, according to income, with money they can spend on groceries (US Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2018). As a solution to the food insecurity faced throughout the US, there are three main things capable of being done. The first thing to do would be to ensure that people have adequate access to food within their community whether it be through a program like SNAP or be it through more grocery stores and better quality food. The second thing would be to educate people so that they know the availability they have to food and the options they have when it comes to caring for and possibly growing their own food on occasion. It is crucial that people are well-versed in where their food comes from and where their next meal is coming from. The third thing in this proposal would be to work on conserving the food already cycling through the system. From the moment food is grown whether it be plants of livestock, many things happen to it. The food is produced, processed into the food that we recognize it as, distributed to stores and restaurants, and lastly it is prepared to be served. So much of the food within the US either never makes it to a plate because it goes bad or, it is thrown out and wasted at restaurants, at home, and at grocery stores. A lot of the food that isn’t bought after a day’s work is thrown out when it could easily be redistributed or repurposed for those who truly need it. According to a study titled â€Å"Household Food Security in 2015† done by the USDA, roughly 15.8 million households within the US alone experience a lack of food. About one in every eight homes suffers from food insecurity meaning they lack stable access to a proper food supply. In an effort to combat this, policy change needs to take place on a federal and/or state level. While the cost of food may seem miniscule, a substantial portion of annual incomes coming from low-incomes families (about 1/3 of their income) is funneled into the food that they eat which is typically cheap and unhealthy (US Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2018). Although there are many great and beneficial policies in place that work to provide assistance to these families, it isn’t enough. People should not have to worry about where their next meals are coming from, especially within such a successful nation fully capable of providing for its citizens. As a solution, there could be higher benefit levels granted to SNAP and WIC participants and better public transportation to and from grocery stores. This transportation would take away any additional hurdles many people may be having to jump over – especially in rurally based, low-incomes areas. According to the USDA, 2.1 million people in the US live farther than a mile away from a grocery store (2018). This distance may be manageable short term but it becomes incredibly impractical and somewhat impossible for one to carry a family’s weeks’ worth of food home with them with no car. Farmers and local grocery store could also develop a small-scale traveling store that brings the food to these poorer areas providing convenience and relieving stress from the families. Some may oppose the idea of giving more money to government programs like SNAP or WIC primarily due to its cost. Some may ask, â€Å"How can the government put more money into something like SNAP or WIC when it already supports so many other people?† Also, many people may oppose being taxed more in order to pay for others’ expenses, or in this case, food. Although these funds may seem unwarranted and excessive, it’s important to recognize the extreme benefits that would come from it. With more people working and less people spending their incomes on food, they can focus their finances on other, more important things that would still put money back into the economy. Another solution that could work to combat this issue would be to better educate all people within the US on what they can do to make this problem smaller. People could take classes on how to grow their own food. Around the US there are ton of organizations that will teach people and provide them with the resources they need to successfully grow their own food. â€Å"Grow Appalachia† is an organization that within it’ first 6 years, produced over 1.8 million pounds of organic, ready to eat food. Other groups like churches, farmers’ markets, boy/girl scouts, etc. could be of large benefit in this area as well. In order for these kinds of organizations to thrive, people also need to be educated in why these foods are superior to cheap and convenient fast food chains. It’s a known fact that you can provide people with plenty of resources and tools they need to succeed yet they might still choose their own way of living. This could possibly pertain to the idea of expending time and money into growing healthy food when many people might not accept it or be open to it despite their current situation. As a way to fight this, many local governments work to encourage healthy habits and attitudes by up charging or taxing the readily unhealthy options. Another issue some may find with these proposals may be cost. The last thing that people need to be aware of is their ability to conserve resources. Tons of food is thrown out and wasted constantly. According to the USDA, 40% of the food processed each year is never eaten, resulting in about 130 billion pounds of food wasted, costing roughly $160 billion. When food has been deemed unfit to be purchased and it about to be wasted, there are many things that can be done. First is to consider the hungry. This food could be donated to food banks, soup kitchen, shelters, etc. Next is to consider animals shelters; any animal would gladly take some leftover food over no food at all. After consumption would come industrial uses like oil into fuel and scraps into energy. Lastly would be composting. Composting turns rotten and older food into soil nutrients. As an absolute last resort – the landfill should be used (See Fig. 1) (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2017). Fig. 1 (EPA, 2017) – Hierarchy developed by the EPA explaining the multiple ways food can be repurposed as opposed to wasted and in what order of significance. Though the idea and issue of food insecurity may seem small and negligible, it affects tons of people daily – even close friends. Many people may find it shocking that such an issue could arise within such a developed country like the US. It’s because of the US success that these issues should be dealt with appropriately, efficiently, and timely. In order to do this it’s crucial that people remember to 1. Rethink the policies currently in place, 2. Educate themselves and their families on what they can do and to 3. Conserve and much as possible! ? References: Coleman-Jensen, A. (2018, September). Overview. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us.aspx International Efforts on Wasted Food Recovery. (2018, March 12). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/international-efforts-wasted-food- recovery The Nourishing Effect. (2018, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.bread.org/library/nourishing-effect Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.secondharvestmetrolina.org/about-us?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6JjgBRDbARIsANfu58FAheBxDjtW2uoHm-4EUkkm_X5P4dT9sIGjdGwDPC-nsExCyQlIhLAaAnLwEALw_wcB

Advantages Of Debit Card Vs Credit Card - 931 Words

The Advantages of Debit Card versus Credit Card The advantages of debit card versus credit cards used by young adults are debit cards will not allow you to mismanage, overspend or go into debt. The most common explanation for credit card debt for people under the age of 25. â€Å"Demographic and credit trends show that young people, and in particular students, may be the next segment of credit users that will face difficult financial times. â€Å"In the United States, there are 19.1 million students who are attending colleges and universities (US Department of Education 2009).† They account for approximately 6% of a population of 308 million people (US Census Bureau 2011). On average, students possess 4.6 credit cards (SallieMae 2009). They also owe more on their credit cards than they did just a few years ago; in 2004, students owed, on average, $2,900 on credit cards whereas in 2009 this figure soared by 78% to $4,100 (SallieMae 2009). 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My Mother free essay sample

My Mother Each one of us had had that one person in our lives who changed our lives; that person without whom we could never have achieved all the things we have achieved. This Is the person in our life who teaches us, how to tell the deference between right and wrong, make better life decisions, and get on the path of righteousness. Some might find that person in the form of their friends, parents, life partners and some might put God in place of that person.For me, my mother has been the most Important person in my life. She helped me take all the good decisions In life, supported me In times of misery, celebrated with me In times of happiness and was always by my side. I found a good friend, a great mentor and a knowledgeable teacher In my mother. My mother Is Just an ordinary woman with an extraordinary fortitude, perseverance, determination, a benevolent soul, and a very kind heart. For instance, I can be killing myself working on a project for school all night long with dark circles forming around my tired eyes as I wish they could be closed and rested. Then suddenly, she appears in front of me, really tired from a hard day of work with swollen feet and blisters all over her hands and feet, and sleepy eyes asking me if I need help with anything. She asks me a million times with a worried and squeaky voice: â€Å"Honey, if you do not understand something you know I am here for you, to support you and to guide you with anything you need. Okay?† When I see her face and hear her comments, I sometimes feel my eyes become watery, like a cloud when it is about to rain. Ana Maria has also always looked out for me in high school. She stayed informed about my progress at school, and if she did not have sufficient money for school supplies, she would take money from her car savings to buy my supplies. She has been doing this at since I was five years old and I am very thankful for these actions. Second, she is an enormous guidance in my life because she helps me with my family relationships. For example, the relationship my two little brothers have is like the â€Å"Tom and Jerry† cartoons. Every single day of my life I can see them fighting for something! For instance, when I get back from school, tired, with my feet enflamed from walking all the way home from the bus station, with my head and brain feeling like they are going to explode at any time; I open the house door, and all I see are toys all over the floor. I smell the burned bread from the toaster, and the trash is not out. There is shouting throughout the house and the last thing I see is them fighting and screaming at one another for the play station: â€Å"Give me that! It is my turn to play!† â€Å"No, you have to give me that! You played all day long! It is not fair!† All I think is â€Å"Great moment for my head to blow up!† Then, I see my mom coming from work very exhausted. I ap proach her and say with an irritated tone in my voice, â€Å"Mom, I need help. These kids are out of control! They are so annoying!† she responds in a calm and sweet voice, â€Å"Darling, calm down. We will fix this right now as a family.† And so we do; she seats both of them on the disorganized brown sofa and tells them, â€Å"Share with each other. Give Alejandro the opportunity to play also, okay?† They say with puppy dog eyes, â€Å"Ok, mommy† and with a serious face she tells them to apologize to each other. They understand and obey. Most of the time, she and I cook together for the family. It is her way of teaching me how to cook. She is also very kind to my little brothers when they break something; but only if they did not have the intention to. My mother has taught me how to successful calm the kids down, to cook, and be kind to my family. Furthermore, my mother is the highest motivation I have in this world because she teaches me life lessons. For example, she came to the United States with my little brothers, my disabled dad who lost his leg and vision, and me. She takes care of us even though she is just one person, and does the job of a mother and father at the same time. I know this because I watch her return from work (housekeeping) each day extremely exhausted. When I look at them it hurts me. Sometimes, I feel my heart aching and impotent because I cannot do anything to help with her obligations. When I am going to say something about it, she comes up to me with a worried face and puts her hand on my head and with a sweet voice and smile she says, â€Å"Mi hija (my daughter), you have to focus on your career and future. Everything in this life has a time. Do not worry about me. Parents are supposed to take care of their children.† When I hear this I feel an intense sensation of sadness which causes my e yes to instantly blur. I see how this wonderful woman has been doing all of this for us, her family. My family did not have a car in 2011. She had to go to work by foot for quite some time. Now she has a black and used, but comfortable, Toyota Camry because of her hard work. My mom does not know the English language very well, but with her charismatic personality she can communicate with everybody. Her actions teach me a daily lesson. Even though the path is hard, with love and faith I can make my dreams and goals come true. Finally, Ana Maria Tejeda Martinez is the best encouragement I have on this planet because she supports me with my educational goals, helps my brothers to be better children, and even teaches me lessons that will stay with me forever to help me to have a prosperous future in my cheerful, eventful, and complicated little life. With these anecdotes, I have shown the reasons why my mother is a great person in my eyes, and I do not pay attention to what other people think, because these are the experiences I have lived with her. They are the evidence for why I say awesome things about her all the time. This quote says it all, â€Å"All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.†-Abraham Lincoln