There is a Food Crisis in Flint.

Before you go on and correct me, hear me out. Obviously, we all know there is a water crisis in Flint. A decision made by the emergency manager to switch to a polluted water source caused lead to leach from the decades-old pipe system. In the process, thousands of children and adults were exposed to toxic levels of lead. The water was foul-smelling and discolored, but officials told residents that the water was safe for consumption (despite knowing that they weren’t, and being provided their own safe drinking water). This problem has been ongoing for almost two years, although it has only made nation-wide news in recent months. A full timeline can be found here.

Drinking water isn’t the only, concern, though. If you’ve ever been without water for a day, you’ll realize how much you use it. Bathing, brushing one’s teeth, doing dishes, cleaning, mixing powdered drinks (including baby formula), cooking, and washing produce. All of those are impossible when faced with tainted water.

This has meant that there has been a sharp decrease in the amount of healthy food that is accessible to residents of Flint. Fruit and produce cannot be washed, so they are an afterthought. Food stamp money goes to bottled water purchases. The many people who relied on the Great Lakes for catching sturgeon, whitefish, and trout avoid it out of fear of contamination. Add to that the fact that 41.5% of residents live below the poverty line, a crisis develops.

So while Governor Snyder Instagrams another ridiculously tacky cake, here’s where you can donate to help:

The American Red Cross

No Kid Hungry

The Detroit Water Brigade

The United Way of Genesee County (they’re leading the pack by creating the Flint Water Fund)

Good evening and Happy New Year! I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long but illness, The Holidays, and a crazy work schedule have kept me away. I will be posting another update either tonight or tomorrow night so keep posted.

Last weekend, the Palmetto State received 11 trillion gallons of rain in one weekend. In addition to lake and river flooding multiple dams and levees failed, destroying cars, homes, and roads in the process. The hardest-hit area was the capital, which is already prone to flooding. This weekend, there were widespread floods throughout the Lowcountry region, especially along the Waccamaw River. 15 people have died and hundreds more have been displaced. I am fortunate enough to live on a hundred-year flood plain but many are still struggling.

Plenty of people have been asking what can be done to help. I’ve compiled a neat little list:

Donate Money. The biggest charity right now handling the crisis is the American Red Cross. If you’re leery of donating to mega charities, here are some smaller ones: Harvest Hope Food Bank, Shandon Baptist Church, and Central Carolina Community Foundation.

Donate Time. Volunteers are needed to help staff shelters, clean up debris, pack food and water, and perform miscellaneous duties. The American Red Cross and the United Way of the Midlands are both looking for volunteers.

Donate Food (and Water). There are still thousands throughout the area who do not have potable water. Many others had their food goods exposed to floodwater, making them non-usable. Food pantries are already at their lowest during the late spring and autumn, so the demand is great and immediate. Right now, non-perishable foods of all types are needed. I’ve heard through the grapevine that while there have been a remarkable outpouring of canned fruits and veggies, more shelf-stable proteins are needed. These include nuts, peanut butter, quinoa, baby formula, powdered milk, and meat jerky. Potable water is still needed. The Richland Library is currently accepting donations of bottled water in their Northeast, Main, Southeast, and Eastover locations.

Donate Stuff. A lot of people lost literally everything. Stuff that is needed includes clothing (all kinds and sizes), diapers, wipes, hygiene supplies, heavy gloves, trash bags (especially the heavy-duty black ones), cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, boxes, old towels, linens, pet food, school supplies, shoes, etc.

Donate Blood. There were over two hundred car accidents on October 3 and October 4. The need for blood is high. If you meet the criterion to donate blood, please consider donating a pint. It’s worth the cookies and the sticker at the end J

If you want a list of charities and how to get involved, check out the South Carolina Department of Emergency Management.

Editor’s Note: I’ve been meaning to publish a piece a day in September, but life got in the way. This is part one. Part two will be available sometime next week, the day TBD. -M

School lunch had fluctuated for me throughout my years of education. In Kindergarten, I was overwhelmed by the lunch line so my mother packed me lunch. From first grade until fifth grade, I ate the rotating menu of lunches served in the cafeteria: square pizzas, waffles and sausage patties dripping with syrup, ham and cheese sandwiches, etc. In middle school, I went back to having mom and dad (and grandma) make lunch. In high school, my school’s cafeteria had won a grant from PepsiCo, the beverage conglomerate that owns Frito-Lay, Quaker Oats, and Gatorade, as well as an endorsement from Snapple. Beneath the $10,000 a piece artistic chandeliers, we were offered well beyond the color-run, reheated mush made by Aramark or Sodexo: a salad bar that rivals most casual dining restaurants, make-your-own paninis, an array of gourmet coffees and teas, and fresh-baked pastries.

Despite whatever options were available, one thing always persisted: waste.

America wastes an alarming amount of food. On a household level, we waste forty percent of the food we purchase[1]. That means for every five sacks of groceries in my cart, I’m going to waste two of them. When you consider the amount of food insecure people in this country, as well as the fact that one of our prime agricultural regions is in a massive drought, our wanton disregard for food is insane.

A new layer of this is added when it comes to school lunches.

When Barack Obama took office, First Lady Michelle Obama made it her cause to promote childhood health. One of the main things she did was to overhaul school lunches, which has been met with mixed results. Many parents don’t like the idea that “the government” is telling their kids what they can and cannot eat. Others feel the foods are either healthy or inadequate.[2] The requirement that kids pick a fruit or vegetable to go with their lunch has led to a massive increase in wasted produce. According to research from the University of Vermont, food waste has increased a full 56%.[3] Another study featured in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found middle schools are wasting roughly $1,238,846,400.00 on a National level.[4] Schools are literally taking a billion dollars a year and wasting it.

The deeper question is: what does this waste mean to a food-insecure child? I can only imagine what goes through the mind of a child who only gets two meals a day and struggles to eat on the weekends. It must feel like a slap in the face to see people throwing out food that they didn’t even bother to take a bite out of. In her brief, powerful XOJane essay entitled “I Grew Up With Food Insecurity and All The Food Policing of Poor People Needs to Stop”, Marissa Higgins describes the difficulty of growing up not knowing where your next meal was coming from while your peers were casually not eating or tossing their lunches aside. “My classmates never knew how poor I was, how precious their tossed lunches may have been, and I think that’s another layer of guilt and shame: I was a dishonest version of myself, and my interpersonal relationships felt contrived and performed.”[5] We have to teach children that food insecurity and food waste not only affect their peers physically, but emotionally as well.

Stay tuned for the second part of the series on food waste.

[1] “40% of U.S. Food Wasted, Report Says.” This Just In. August 22, 2012. Accessed September 10, 2015.

[2] Zarrell, Rachel. “Teens Are Sharing Gross Pictures Of Their School Lunches With The Hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama.” BuzzFeed. November 21, 2014. Accessed September 13, 2015.

[3] Welch, Ashley. “School Lunch Fruits and Veggies Often Tossed in Trash, Study Finds.” CBS News. August 25, 2015. Accessed September 12, 2015.

[4] Cohen, Juliana, Scott Richardson, S. Bryn Austin, Christina D. Economos, and Eric B. Rimm. “School Lunch Waste Among Middle School Students.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 44, no. 2 (2013): 114-21. Accessed September 10, 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/.

[5] Higgins, Marissa. “I Grew Up With Food Insecurity and All The Food Policing of Poor People Needs to Stop.” XOJane. May 12, 2015. Accessed June 6, 2015.

To find a participating restaurant near you (US only) text DINE to 877-877. Standard text messaging rates may apply.

July is often seen fondly, a time filled with beach holidays, watermelon, and Independence Day fireworks. August brings heat, sports practices, and fireflies. For lower-income households, August can mean the additional stress of back-to-school shopping while trying to afford basic necessities.

We already know that summer tends to be hard on needy families. According to statistics from No Kid Hungry, only 19% of children in my residential state of South Carolina who are eligible for free summer meals actually receive them.[1] There are barriers to receiving free summer meals, including a lack of transportation, long distances, and inclement weather. Parents might also be unaware of the fact that their child qualifies for free summer meal programs. An additional strain is placed on Food Banks in the summertime. Families with children need to come up with extra meals and donations tend to reach their lowest point during the summer months.[2]

           On top of this stress, there is also the cost of back-to-school shopping. While backpacks can be reused and sneakers and clothes can be bought at thrift shops, schools demand new supplies. Many schools are also incredibly specific on what supplies must be used for what classes. School funding cuts mean that teachers often ask parents to not only buy personal school supplies, like pencils and notebooks, but classroom supplies, like dry-erase markers and tissues. I looked up the supply list for my alma mater, Blue Mountain Middle School, and used Staples to price the cost of sending a seventh-grader back to school[3]. Before backpacks and sneakers, and using the cheapest items available I discovered that the actual cost of school supplies totaled to a whopping $232.35. For a two-income family making minimum wage in New York, their gross monthly income would be $2,800.00. School supplies would take up at least 12% of their monthly income. If there is more than one child, that number would only keep going up.

No parent should have to choose between sending their child to school prepared for a new academic year and paying for food. Here are some basic ideas to help ensure that the end of summer is golden for all children:

·         Food drives aren’t just for the holiday season! Consider doing a summer food drive with your local community club, parish, or summer camp.

·         Find the number of the guidance counselors in your school district. Ask what supplies are most needed. Do an anonymous “adopt a backpack” program or a school supply drive.

·         If you are financially able, consider donating classroom supplies to nearby schools. Teachers are always in need of items such as hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, tissues, pens, pencils, and dry-erase markers.

·         Teachers and Class Parents: consider setting up a ‘supply pantry’ in your classroom for students. Perhaps fill a bookshelf or cabinet with supplies that tend to run out, like loose-leaf paper, pens, pencils, and crayons.

·         Find a summer feeding site in your neighborhood. As mentioned in my previous post, you can text FOOD to 877-877 to find your nearest location. Offer to walk or drive a neighbor’s child to one of these sites.

·         Tweet. Talk. Text. Share. Tag. Whatever social media you prefer, spread awareness on summer hunger for children.

Are school supplies too expensive? Are there accessible USDA summer feeding locations in your area? Let me know in the comments!

[1] “South Carolina: Hunger At A Glance.” No Kid Hungry. 2014. Accessed August 1, 2015.

[2] “Summer Hunger Facts for Agencies.” Connecticut Food Bank. 2015. Accessed August 2, 2015. http://www.ctfoodbank.org/summer-hunger-facts-for-agencies.

[3] “Grade 7 Supply List 2015-2016.” Blue Mountain Middle School. June 25, 2015. Accessed August 2, 2015. http://www.henhudschools.org/files/1705231/7thgrade2015-16supplylist doc.pdf.