4 things you can do to help the homeless RIGHT NOW (or very soon) - By Justin Bower

 

4 things you can do to help the homeless RIGHT NOW (or very soon)

Homeless nutrition, and the nature of houselessness in general, is unfortunately not a solvable issue in a single day. However, don’t get discouraged! There’s small things you can do that make a difference, even if it doesn’t feel like it! We’ll cover 4 such options.

1.  Shop at a local farmers market, and support such markets

Farmer’s markets are unique in offering incredibly fresh and straight from the farm produce in a variety of locations that quite often don’t have grocery stores nearby, at often decent prices, and at smaller selections, as well as food that doesn’t perish as easily. While they can come across and often be considered “Hipstery”, for many rural areas and food deserts, they can represent a lifeline of healthy food if supported, to a variety of low income people. This has been assessed as a solution by a 2013 Oregon Food Bank paper documented below

2.  Stop assuming people are eating unhealthily because they are lazy! This is one of the most harmful stereotypes perpetuated by the homeless. The realities of life on the street makes storing and consuming fresh foods and nutrition exceedingly difficult due to the lives they live- think about how bad your fresh produce often expires, even in a frigid environment! The reality is the situation is more difficult to assess and solve than we can imagine, but by at least stopping this harmful stereotype, we can change the way we see these vulnerable members of society.

3.  Donate to food box and soup kitchen programs! According to this Food bank Article, some of the most important (and nutritious!) items the Oregon Food Bank Regularly needs are;

1. Peanut butter

2. Canned soup

3. Canned fruit

4. Canned vegetables

5. Canned stew

6. Canned fish

7. Canned beans

8. Pasta (most prefer whole grain)

9. Rice (most prefer brown rice)

Remember- it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the face of all this tragedy from covid’s onslaught, and the issues that we face as a community, but remember that even the slightest action on your part makes a difference to someone, even if you never meet them.

Articles sourced: 

https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-blog/what-donate-food-bank-and-what-avoid

https://164xbp2ocd6p4enk8z35eujo-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/The-State-of-Our-Community-Food-System_web.pdf