When I was in college, instead of your typical spring break on a beach, I participated in “service immersions.” For a week at a time, I lived and worked in homeless shelters in Washington, DC and Los Angeles. We prepared food and ate with the occupants. One center was attached to a hospital, and due to lack of funding, there were ZERO accommodations for those with special diets or conditions-a fact that still deeply bothers me, more than 15 years later. Food is dignity. ACCESS to food is dignity. Being able to share food at a table, cook with the ingredients you can afford and desire…all of it is rooted in DIGNITY. Here in Chicago, we have mobile food pantries, where buses go to underserved neighborhoods to distribute fresh produce. SNAP and other benefit cards are accepted at our city’s farmers markets and CSAs.
Being able to share food at a table you own, with food you have prepared and purchased, that will feed your family the way you desire…there is SO MUCH privilege wrapped up in that, and it is SO RARELY talked about.
When I was in college, instead of your typical spring break on a beach, I participated in “service immersions.” For a week at a time, I lived and worked in homeless shelters in Washington, DC and Los Angeles. We prepared food and ate with the occupants. One center was attached to a hospital, and due to lack of funding, there were ZERO accommodations for those with special diets or conditions-a fact that still deeply bothers me, more than 15 years later. Food is dignity. ACCESS to food is dignity. Being able to share food at a table, cook with the ingredients you can afford and desire…all of it is rooted in DIGNITY. Here in Chicago, we have mobile food pantries, where buses go to underserved neighborhoods to distribute fresh produce. SNAP and other benefit cards are accepted at our city’s farmers markets and CSAs.
Being able to share food at a table you own, with food you have prepared and purchased, that will feed your family the way you desire…there is SO MUCH privilege wrapped up in that, and it is SO RARELY talked about.
Feed your loved ones.
Nourish yourself.
Be grateful for the opportunity to do so.
Thank you so much for sharing all of this Laura. I couldn't agree more about how critical dignity is in all aspects of eating and feeding.