GHQ Addresses Food Insecurity

We are just finishing up the March 2015 issue over here in the Grocery Headquarters offices. I am especially excited about this issue. The cover story looks at an issue that is constantly on my mind... Food Insecurity. If you are like me, then you have at some point opened your refrigerator to find the sparkling fresh produce you bought a few days earlier growing a nice soft fuzzy coat. Or maybe you discovered last week's leftovers growing green. I am quite embarrassed to admit this, as I usually consider myself a environmentally and economically smart and concerned citizen, but truth be told, I am still just human. Yet, each time I throw a piece of food out, my mind is consumed with the waste I am creating, and inadvertently the food I am keeping from someone else's plate. However, the beauty of humanity is that we can change. Over the years I have become increasingly aware of my footprint and have been making a constant conscious effort to do better, including volunteer portions of my time to causes more important than going to Bikram. (Although anyone who has been forced to interact with me in a yoga-lacking cranky mood may argue that importance.)  Spending the last month discussing the food chain's efforts to address food insecurity was eye-opening. Day after day, I hung up the phone with a heavy heart after hearing the sober reality of the issue. Feeding America. Meals on Wheels. Wholesome Wave. Growing Forward. Food Share. Each organization had its own set of numbers, facts and personal tales about the successes and struggles of their home organization and its partners in battling this never-ending concern. But every cloud has a rainbow. In this case, it comes in the form of the countless growers, food producers and retailers that spoke of the success of the programs, campaigns and donations they have made over the years – and the growth they have seen and continue to experience. What I love most about these stories is that so much of it is done behind the scenes. Sure, we have all been asked at the grocery store register if we want to "donate a $1" to such-and-such cause – and those programs are fantastic – but after the doors close and consumers are home cooking dinner, retailers are still at it. They are calling up food agencies to find a location that has space to keep a case of chicken that the store can no longer sell. Then they are coordinating with their in-store team to pack it and transport it so that it can be on the soup kitchen dinner table the following day. One very passionate and extremely caring interviewee told me that the one thing she would love to see grocers do more of is TELL PEOPLE! Despite admiring retailers' altruistic intentions, she believes that if shoppers knew how much time and resources their favorite grocers gave behind closed doors, many would be inspired to contribute more, volunteer more and spread the word more. The March cover story is complete – just, as of about an hour ago – and while I am excited to share all the positive happenings with our readers, I am also saddened by the limitations of paper and how much information I was unable to include. In order to practice what the industry is preaching and continue to spread awareness, I will be sharing, week-by-week(ish), the different concerns, accomplishments and ambitions of the people I spoke with in more depth. So please, please, please, stay tuned and follow the tag "HungryForAwareness" to hear from some of the industry's greatest givers. In the meantime, here is a heartfelt story about a single woman making a difference in the lives of the food insecure population in Nottingham, England from the www.Guardian.com: In Nottingham, one woman is fighting food poverty with 'social eating' This story especially warmed me because I once called Nottingham home. The city holds a special place in my heart; it is there I learned to be a journalist... ate my first baked potato... discovered Indian food... explored other cultures... first fell in love... and in many ways, grew up. Enjoy and stay tuned for the March issue.