A hungry child stands alone in the bathroom stall at school as classmates enjoy lunch in the cafeteria. A military family solemnly eats a holiday meal in a soup kitchen. A college student nervously counts spare change and then discreetly buys a bag of chips and a candy bar for lunch and dinner. A well-dressed career woman winces under the judgmental eye of a fellow shopper as she removes items from the checkout counter that she cannot afford. These aren’t benign scenarios, but examples of the shame sometimes felt by those who do not have enough to eat. These things happen daily to people of all races and genders and in different communities across the country.

Food insecurity typically occurs when a person lacks consistent access to sustenance. Government programs and food banks provide relief, but societal shame is often a roadblock that keeps people from seeking help. Moreover, the stigma surrounding food insecurity is often rooted in financial and racial inequity. Under the weight of a broken system, outreach is often hard to manage.

Some assume this issue began with the COVID-19 crisis, but many people have struggled for years with not having enough to eat. The Brookings Institution reported in 2020 that 27.5% of households with children were living with food insecurity. Jim Weill, president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), noted: “We know what it takes to end hunger in this country, so there can be no more excuses. More must be done to raise employment rates and wages, and to protect and strengthen federal nutrition programs to ensure more low-income Americans get the nutrition they need for their health and well-being.”

Women are also more likely to be food insecure than men, and as Weill inferred, the pay gap is typically the culprit. According to the Center for American Progress, white women earn 79 cents for every dollar that a man does. Black women earn 64 cents for every dollar a white man does, and for Hispanic women, it’s 57 cents for every dollar. Asian women are the only group to come out on top in the pay gap, making $1.01 for every dollar a white male does. Students are vulnerable because of strict parameters surrounding financial aid, lending, and credit constraints. Certain military households may struggle due to the high costs of moving from base to base and stringent financial guidelines that force enlisted members to pay down debts at the expense of meeting other obligations to maintain a security clearance.

As households continue to struggle amid a post-COVID-19 economy, more and more individuals will find themselves yearning for their next meal. Government and social programs need to create as much training and outreach around treating food-insecure individuals with respect and dignity as they educate the public about the existence of the programs in the first place. The fight to end hunger is not a handout; it’s a helping hand. Food insecurity is not shameful, nor should it ever be thought of or treated in that way.

Sources: NPR, The Center for American Progress, Food Research & Action Center