At the epicenter of Rolling Help Foundation is food insecurity. This means, families, individuals, and more often than you would ever imagine, children, who will go hungry without third-party food support. This isn’t just folks who are starving and homeless, of which there is a population. This also includes children who might have a school lunch, but they go to bed at night hungry.
Imagine your child tells you, “mommy, I’m hungry,” and you have nothing to give your child. You know they won’t eat again until you get paid in two days and school lunch is all they will have access to until then.
Food insecurity also includes those in the elderly population, who run out of money at the end of the month, before their meager social security payment arrives. They might need to resort to canned meat or worse to get any sort of nourishment. Or a family whose breadwinner has recently lost their factory job, and after rent and a car payment, they just can’t make ends meet. For the first time in this couple’s life, they must reach out to their local food pantry, once or twice a month, to feed their children, 3 meals a day.
There are various statistics in the info-realm, ranging from 17.1% to 10.5% of our population was food insecure in 2019, pre-Covid. Those percentages, regardless of what end of the spectrum you want to believe, are tough to swallow, This, considering we’re not talking about a third world nation. We are talking about the wealthiest nation on the planet.
These statistics, compiled by an aggregate of several sources, show us how the problem is dispersed amongst different populations.
Rolling Help Foundation concentrates on, “Rural,” areas, as we travel the country on our bus, and seek out towns that need us most. The truth is if you speak to the director of a local food bank in just about anywhere in the nation, it’s all relative. They will tell you they are desperate! And most had the issue before Covid. But now, with the impact of the pandemic hammering these populations economically, Food Security is just as much a crisis in a small town in Mississippi as it is in Los Angeles. In some instances, comparisons are much worse.
To help you better understand what “FOOD INSECURITY,” means, take a look at the questions the USDA asks as they survey the country to determine the scope of this crisis:
Just think about it. Most of you reading this have never answered “YES,” to any of these questions.
Now, let’s really break hearts, and here are the questions asked of households that have children from ages 0-17.
Can you imagine? I honestly can say that never have I been in circumstances that would have prompted a “YES,” answer to any of these questions. And our children are all now adults and have children of their own. And they have never been in a circumstance where they would answer in the affirmative.
So, yes, it can be generational. And yes, it can be racial. And so on. But our job is not to research the reasons why, or even the ultimate solutions. While that might seem callous, our job is to be that, “Drop in The Bucket,” that provides help! That’s all we want to do!
As you review the questions asked by the USDA, and you envision the circumstances that would cause “yes,” answers and apply empathy and put yourselves in someone who is answering “YES!” please consider giving us some help.
What exactly will that look like? Your donations will allow us to provide direct support to the food banks and pantries of small-town America. We identify the locations that after research, we recognize have a significant need, and we go there and deliver our support. We provide them with either $1,000’s in actual food deliveries. Or in some instances, we write them a check and hand it to them directly. We make sure that every nickel of our money is going right where it is needed and no intermediary entity or individual touches our donations.
This discussion doesn’t come close to giving the topic of Food Security in America justice. We don’t pretend to be the end-all, be-all source. All we know we can do is help! And to us, nothing else matters that much as ultimately, the problem is way beyond the scope of our resources and reach. But we do know we can be that “Drop in The Bucket,” and we invite you to join us and contribute to our mission. Give us $50 a month. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Remember, we limit our expense load to only 15% and that doesn’t come close to funding our operation. We are going into our own pocket to make up the difference. But if enough of you subscribe to our YouTube channel and Like our videos, we’ll soon get to the point where we can ensure 100% of all donations go directly to food contributions to those in need.
Please reach out, join our journey, give us a few bucks, and tell your friends. Together, Rolling Help will succeed and be that, “Drop in The Bucket!”
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