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What is food insecurity? How can I help? If you’ve ever asked these questions, this guide is for you. Learn 12 ways to help today.
Over the past month, more people have become vulnerable to food insecurity. Yet, it isn’t simply a one-time trend. Over the last five years, more people have become food insecure, and according to experts, millions more will struggle to put food on the table. It’s startling to watch the wealth of a select few rise to astronomical new heights while food insecurity for millions of households also increases. For most of us, it’s hard to imagine being a parent skipping dinner so your children can eat or worrying about tomorrow’s meals. Yet, this is reality for 18 million Americans who face these hard choices every day.
As a publication dedicated to the greater good and being “news you can use”, we’re going to answer, “What is food insecurity?” We’re also sharing clear steps you can take to be part of the solution and speak up for change.
What Is Food Insecurity?
To understand the solutions, it pays to understand the problem. So, exactly what is food insecurity? According to the USDA, the term refers to families that lack steady access to enough safe and nutritious food for an active, healthy life. Oftentimes, the lack of food is tied to the lack of funds (sometimes due to working a low-wage job) to ensure that everyone in the household has a sufficient number of meals. Another key factor is inflation, and the fact that prices of essentials like food are increasing. For example, inflation on basics like bread and milk has pushed costs up 20% in recent years, while wages have not kept up with inflation. Housing expenses rising also plays a factor in tipping many families into a food crisis. In the U.S., about 1 in 8 households is food insecure.
Food insecurity ranges from mild worries about running out of food to severe cases where meals are often skipped. Low food security involves some anxiety and reduced quality in diets, but no cuts to meals. Very low food security means big disruptions, like fewer days of eating. Kids bear the brunt of these struggles. Hunger stunts growth, hurts focus in class, and raises health risks later. Studies link it to poorer test scores and more absences from school. No one group owns this pain; it touches us all, urging us to look beyond the surface.
Immediate, Local Actions: Provide Community Support
Direct relief, like food pantries, eases today’s ache but doesn’t fix tomorrow’s causes. We need both: quick aid to fill gaps and pushes for better wages or safety nets. This mix builds real paths out of need.
Check your area’s food bank needs first—most post lists online for what they need the most, like peanut butter, canned veggies, and whole grains. Skip expired goods or junk food and focus on nutrition to truly help families facing food insecurity. Cash donations can also help.
Many pantries run low on certain items. Steady nutritious donations build health over time. Get involved by dropping off items monthly to keep shelves full. Here’s a list of national organizations with local food pantries:
Feeding America
This organization is one of the largest hunger-relief networks in the U.S., supporting a nationwide network of food banks, pantries, and meal programs. They work on multiple fronts: sourcing food donations, rescuing surplus food, distributing meals, and advocating for policies to end hunger. Their mission is to ensure that all people in the U.S. have access to nutritious food. View the website to see which of your local food banks they support.
No Kid Hungry
This campaign is run by Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. They focus on making sure children can get three healthy meals a day, 365 days a year, by working with schools and community groups to expand meal programs. Additionally, they provide grants (e.g., for refrigerators, delivery vehicles) to organizations that feed kids, and they lobby to strengthen federal, state, and local nutrition policies.
Feed Children Everywhere
Feed Children Everywhere (FCE) is a Christian non-profit focused on ending child hunger by rescuing food destined for landfills and turning it into nutritious meals for families in need. Their mission is rooted in sustainability and community empowerment. They run local feeding projects, partner with community-led organizations, and engage in food sorting and food rescue. To date, FCE has provided millions of meals and rescued over 2.4 million pounds.
The Farmlink Project
This organization rescues surplus produce from farms and delivers it to communities with food insecurity. Their mission is to connect farmers who may have surplus produce to communities in need, delivering fresh farm produce that might otherwise go to waste. They’ve moved 450 million+ pounds of food, prevented 300,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, and enabled 375 million meals — all by transporting unsold produce to charitable organizations.
Rethink Food
This nonprofit collects excess food from restaurants, grocery stores, and corporate kitchens to provide nutritious meals to people in need. Since its founding in 2017, Rethink has converted 2.9+ million pounds of surplus food into meals and has directed $144M+ in funds to local restaurants, supporting both small businesses and food access.
412 Food Rescue
Based in Pittsburgh, this organization mobilizes a network of volunteers who use an app to retrieve perfectly good but unsellable food from retailers and deliver it directly to the organizations and people in need. Their model tackles both food waste and food insecurity: by avoiding landfills, they also reduce environmental impact, and by redistributing fresh food, they provide healthy options where they are most needed.
Meals on Wheels America
Meals on Wheels America is a national organization that provides support by delivering meals, check-ins, and connections to homebound seniors. Their mission is to empower older adults and help them maintain health, independence, and social ties without going hungry or feeling isolated. Through their network, they not only provide nutritious meals but also daily wellness checks, safety visits, and companionship, addressing both physical needs and the emotional well-being of seniors.
Volunteering Time and Skills
If you have the time, focus, and resources, organizing or participating in a local food drive is a great way to help fight food insecurity. Team up with your school, church, or office for a drive. Make it fun- set a goal like 500 cans in a month to spark energy. Stock collection bins in high-traffic spots and track progress with updates. End with a thank-you event to boost repeat help. These drives not only stock pantries but also knit neighbors closer in the fight against food insecurity.
You can also volunteer your time. Sort boxes in a pantry for a few hours. Or offer your time in other ways: drive people to pickups if transport is an issue. If you write well, help grant proposals to bring in funds for fresh produce programs. Your time turns sympathy into action, easing the load on those in need.
Beyond Food Donations: Advocate For Long-Term Stability
Write to your congressperson to better enable people to feed their families and move out of poverty. Bread.org offers great resources about upcoming bills (such as tax credits and stronger nutrition programs for students) and email templates you can use. If you prefer to call them, Feeding America has a script you can use to call for fair minimum wages that cover basics.
To learn more, join info sessions with groups like Share Our Strength. This advocacy group offers multiple ways you can get involved and a podcast for you to learn more about the problem of food insecurity and the solutions. These steps push for laws that end food insecurity at its roots.
Providing support to community gardens by donating tools or weeding plots is another way to help families, by helping them to grow their own food. Urban farms are another self-sufficient outlet, with many teaching kids to plant and harvest, sparking lifelong habits. Classes on budget cooking turn cheap items into tasty meals.
Food insecurity demands quick hands to help now, smart use of aid programs, and bold voices for change. From pantry donations to policy letters, each step counts in supporting families facing food insecurity. Pick one way to help and make it a habit, like a monthly volunteer shift or contacting your state rep. Small commits build big waves. When every table has enough, our neighborhoods thrive as one.