Food for Thought

By Ana Dorta
Artwork by Justin Negard

It’s Friday evening, and for the second time this week, the parents of two boys skip dinner so their sons can have enough to eat. They feel guilty and helpless, wishing they were better providers for their kids. 

That night, after dad leaves for his second job, mom lies awake wondering how she’ll feed her sons tomorrow and if they’re getting enough nutrients to grow properly.  

At work, she declined another invitation for dinner with her colleagues, feeling ashamed that she can’t afford to eat out and not wanting them to know she’s struggling. 

While working his second job, dad feels hungry, exhausted and irritable. No matter how hard he works, it’s never enough. He feels like he’s failing his family. 

His mind wanders to the last several fights he’s had with his wife, all related to the stress of not having a stable supply of food. They used to be so happy. He wonders if their relationship will survive this constant struggle.  

It wasn’t always this way, but everything seems to cost more lately. At first, they were embarrassed about using food stamps, but now they wish there were more. 

This family, and hundreds more in our area, struggles with food insecurity.

“Food insecurity means not having access to sufficient food or food of adequate quality in order to meet basic needs,” says Nicole Sorgi, the director of operations and community management for the Community Center of Northern Westchester.  

And according to Trina Fontaine, the executive director of Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, food insecurity impacts people in two ways. 

“One way is the physical aspect of not having enough food and properly nutritious food to feed your family,” she explains. “The other is the mental aspect of food insecurity, including worrying that you won’t have enough food to feed your family.”  

Fontaine says post-pandemic numbers show food insecurity directly affects over 2,000 individuals in our area. 

“Westchester is known as a wealthy county, but there is also a great deal of poverty in our communities,” Sorgi adds. “A large portion of families live above the poverty line, but they still can’t meet their needs. There are actually more than 20,000 households in Westchester County that are struggling with food insecurity, and about 24 percent of children in Westchester County are food insecure.”

The scope of the hunger problem

Several factors contribute to a person or family becoming food insecure. In our area, the most pervasive is the high cost of living in Westchester County. 

“It affects individuals and households in many different ways, from financial constraints to unemployment, underemployment, high food prices, health issues and a lack of other resources — even transportation,” says Sorgi.

In fact, according to the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, 40 percent of households in Westchester are living paycheck-to-paycheck. They’re what’s known as the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population, earning more than the federal poverty level but less than the basic cost of living in Westchester. According to MIT’s living wage calculator:

• For a single adult, the federal poverty wage is $15,059, but the cost of living in Westchester is $55,440.
• For a single parent with two children, the federal poverty wage is $25,812, but the cost of living in Westchester is $143,520.
• For a family of four with two working adults, the federal poverty wage is $31,200, but the cost of living in Westchester is $153,254.
• For a family of five with two working adults, the federal poverty wage is $36,566, but the cost of living in Westchester is $188,322.  

Other issues, like COVID-19 and inflation, have expanded the problem. According to a study out of the University of Minnesota, government assistance programs helped reduce food insecurity during the pandemic from 34.6 percent in 2019 to 21.6 percent in 2021. But when the assistance ended in 2022, food insecurity rose to 27 percent. 

Today, the basics are more than shelter, clothing and food. There are medical deductibles and copays, growing children need new clothes and shoes as well as access to the internet to do their homework, people looking for work need a phone number (which is typically a mobile phone), those purchasing food and basic supplies usually require a car (and gas) to get to/from the grocery store or food pantry, etc. So when every dollar counts and costs continue to rise, choices must be made. One of them is the type of food people eat. 

“As we know, a lot of fatty foods and processed foods are more affordable,” Fontaine explains. “But research continually finds that consuming these foods in large quantities is detrimental to your health. There’s a big movement and in various hospitals to use food as medicine.”

Food as medicine, as defined by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation, is the concept that eating a balanced diet can help prevent illness, and implementing specific diets can reduce the impacts of certain pre-existing conditions. But if people cannot afford these foods, then, according to the federal government’s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, they may join half of all American adults who have one or more preventable chronic illnesses.  

Aside from the physical ramifications that result from food insecurity, the mental strain of this pervasive problem is incredibly damaging. 

In addition to the previously mentioned anxiety over not having enough food, people facing food insecurity also feel ashamed. The stigma surrounding food insecurity leads parents to feel less inclined to bring their families to places in the community, like food pantries, that seek to help them. 

There’s also shame regarding a child’s performance in school or an adult’s at work. Food is fuel; it provides us with energy, which improves our ability to concentrate and perform tasks. Without enough or proper food, grades and job performance can suffer. And this chronic stress can lead to even more significant problems. 

“Children who experience food insecurity are at greater risk of developing mental health disorders,” Sorgi explains. “When a child has to concern themselves over basic needs like food, this concern can become ingrained over time, leading to long-term anxiety, depression and general stress.” 

Help from our neighbors

While the causes and consequences of food insecurity are complicated, local people and organizations are making a difference. 

For some, it starts from the ground up (literally). Schools such as Mount Kisco Elementary School have built gardens where children learn to cultivate their own produce that is then donated to local food pantries. For many of the students at MKES, this is a full-circle experience; they will later encounter this same produce when their families visit one of the local food pantries. 

“Five hundred plus students every week come to the garden once a week,” describes Jennifer Wege, who, in addition to serving as PTO president, conceptualized and manages the school’s garden. “The students’ contributions and efforts are the reason the garden is so successful. They plant, water and harvest all of the food, which then goes to either the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry or The Community Center of Northern Westchester.” 

“Over the last five years,” she continues, “we have donated over 1,700 pounds of food. Kids have gone to the food pantry to deliver the food themselves.” Wege explains that this instills in children a sense of pride to see the crops they cultivate be used for good. 

The school’s garden, like other school gardens, also serves to educate children about the importance of healthy foods, helping break pervasive cycles that contribute to systemic food insecurity. 

“It’s such a magical place to watch children try kale for the first time,” says Wege. “Then, they go to the food pantry, and they now recognize that it’s kale, and it tastes good, and they grew it themselves. It’s astounding to watch. They feel such a sense of pride.”

In addition to schools, local businesses and organizations also contribute to community efforts. One such example is the Westchester Land Trust (WLT), which has partnered with local food banks since 2012. In 2019, they entered into a partnership with DIG Farm founder Allison Turcan and the Community Center of Northern Westchester to use WLT’s Sugar Hill Farm in Bedford, and they now grow “more than 8,000 servings of fresh, organic produce annually for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.” Turcan says they harvest all types of summer garden favorites. 

“Tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, chard, kale, cucumbers, radishes…just to name a few,” she describes.  

What food pantries really need

Anyone, no matter their age or gardening experience, can help address food insecurity in our area. And the best way to do so is to understand what is truly needed. (Note: Expired, or almost expired, cans of food from the back of your pantry don’t often make that list.)

“There are several items we can’t typically buy through wholesalers,” says Fontaine. “Sometimes it’s nice to give out specialty items like oil and coffee.” 

Another great way to help is to donate money.

“Financial donations are extremely helpful because we can buy less expensive food through Feeding Westchester and wholesalers,” explains Fontaine. “For every dollar we receive, we are able to buy four dollars worth of food.

Sorgi says the Community Center and other pantries almost always need volunteers, especially this time of the year.

“Our numbers definitely increase during the winter months. In the general months of the year, we have about 1,400 visits a month to our food pantry,” says Sorgi. “It usually increases to 1,800 to 1,900 visits during the colder months.”

Importantly, Sorgi explains, even though the giving season ends in December, the need does not. 

“Our donations tend to fall off in January and February,” she says.

At the simplest level, reducing food waste in the home is also a great way to help. Instead of throwing out our leftovers, we can package them for our neighbors. On a larger scale, local farms like DIG are even taking part. 

“DIG Farm is helping to combat food waste by rescuing excess produce from our farm, Hilltop Hanover Farm, Harvest Moon Farm and Deep Roots Farm,” Turcan explains. “We then take the produce to the Bedford Presbyterian Church and cook it into meals that are donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry in Mount Kisco and the Community Center of Northern Westchester.” 

But the first step is to be aware.

“The more people in our community are aware of the surmounting problems that families right next door to us have, then they can maybe find a little time to help,” says Sorgi. “You never know who might be food insecure, so the best thing you can do is always be willing to give your time and help. More people need it than we realize, and we just need to be engaged. You can help with time, with food, with ideas, with any kind of assistance.”

Why food insecurity increases during the holidays

Regardless of what you celebrate, the holiday season is synonymous with more spending. There are gifts to find and secure, holiday decorations to purchase and celebratory gatherings to attend. And as we move into the winter months, families face the added financial burden of paying to heat their homes as well as the need to drive more as freezing temperatures, ice and snow make it more difficult to get places by foot.

Additionally, for families who rely on school meals to feed their children, the holiday break poses a particular risk to increased food insecurity. So for families who already stretch every dollar, these added costs are a burden they cannot afford. In fact, according to Mom’s Meals, 54 million Americans may face food insecurity during the holidays.

This article was published in the November / December 2024 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.