{"id":1594,"date":"2009-11-17T18:30:15","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T00:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nutritionknowhow.org\/wordpress\/?p=1594"},"modified":"2013-08-21T21:38:29","modified_gmt":"2013-08-21T21:38:29","slug":"is-there-enough-food-on-your-thanksgiving-table-to-share","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nutritionknowhow.org\/blog\/c\/is-there-enough-food-on-your-thanksgiving-table-to-share\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There Enough Food on Your Thanksgiving Table to Share?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When someone mentions Thanksgiving, most of us think of an overabundance of food: turkey, sweet potatoes, casseroles, stuffing, pumpkin pie, apple pie\u2026and on and on.\u00a0 It\u2019s a time we\u2019re thankful for all that we have.<\/p>\n

But for nearly 15% of households, this year has been difficult.\u00a0 So beyond being thankful, it\u2019s a great time to put these feelings into action by sharing with others.<\/p>\n

The United States Department of Agriculture just released the results of their annual survey describing food insecurity in the U.S.\u00a0 The term “food insecurity” describes a limited access to adequate food because of a lack of money or other resources.\u00a0 In 2008, 17 million (14.6%)\u00a0American households\u00a0were food insecure at some time during the year.\u00a0\u00a0This\u00a0means that\u00a0more than 1 out of every 7 American households faced food insecurity.\u00a0 6.7 million (5.7%) American\u00a0households had very low food security\u00a0meaning one or more household members reduced their food intake and\u00a0had their eating patterns disrupted.\u00a0 These rates are the highest recorded since 1995 when the\u00a0first national survey was conducted. (Household Food Security in the United States, 2008. http:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/publications\/err83\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n

So as you\u2019re planning your Thanksgiving shopping, why not add to the list a few extra items for your local food bank.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know of any food banks in your area, you can google \u201cFood Bank, Your City, State\u201d.\u00a0 Our local food bank holds an annual turkey drive to collect frozen turkeys to provide to families in need.\u00a0 They also are in need of volunteers to help sort and stock donations.<\/p>\n

As our economy has suffered, so have our local food pantries.\u00a0 Donations are down and many are finding it harder and harder to provide for the increasing need in their community.\u00a0 Many rely on holiday donations to provide food for a good part of the year.\u00a0 Donating food is an easy way to help those in need.<\/p>\n

\"food\"<\/p>\n

Here are some common items needed by food pantries:<\/p>\n