This article by The New York Times does a great job of explaining the different environmental factors that play a role in food insecurity. The reality is that poverty and food insecurity are vastly different metrics to characterize people.
“Poverty is measured annually; people eat daily.”
~Jason DeParle
The important take-away from this article is that COVID-19 has helped create an influx of food insecure people. Not all of them are legally poor, but they still deserve help from federal programs like SNAP and food pantries.
Another crucial aspect is that food insecurity can affect a household in a variety of different ways. Many immigrants, even legal ones, do not feel safe relying on federal support to meet their needs. Family size, age, race, and many other identities all contribute to a unique experience of food insecurity.
Food insecurity is one of the foundational components of my research. It is important to fully understand what this is and how it impacts people. I will keep this in mind while designing my project.
