Understand
It is not food that is missing, it is access. A household can hold a job and still fall short: once rent, transit and power are paid, groceries become the adjustable line, because it is the only expense you can cut without giving notice. And waste cuts both ways, what gets thrown out while still good leaves the chain before it ever feeds anyone.
Take action
- Cook double once in a while and share a portion. One more serving in the pot costs almost nothing.
- Stop throwing out what is still good: "best before" is about quality, not safety. What spoils at your place will feed no one.
- If you donate food, give what can be prepared without an oven or equipment, many people have only one burner or a microwave.
- Never ask someone why they use a food bank. Many who go are employed, and that question is what stops people at the door.
- If you garden or end up with a surplus, offer it straight to someone rather than letting it go to waste.
Resources and help
Organizations
Tools
Did you know?
Go further
645 million go hungry. 2.1 billion eat worse.Two figures, one report, one page. The first makes headlines. The second is three times larger.7 min read
Obesity is rising while hunger fallsEating enough and eating well are not the same measurement. The UN report tracks both, and they are not moving the same way.7 min read
A healthy diet costs $4.28 a day. Here is why.The question gets asked in every kitchen. The FAO answers it with a measurement, and with a figure almost nobody has picked up.7 min read
Myth and reality
"People who use food banks don't work."
Holding a job and running short on food are not mutually exclusive. A wage can cover rent without covering the rest, especially when hours change from one week to the next. Food aid often bridges one specific month, not a whole life.
Recognize yourself in this page? You can talk to someone right now, free and without judgment: dial 811 and press 2 (Info-Social), answered 24/7. If things are really bad, 988 answers too, by call or text. Talk to someone now And if you are looking for resources near you instead, the directory is here. Open the directory