Grades 5-7
Tutorial 3. Feed people, not landfills
Food insecurity
Do you ever find yourself irritable and unfocused as your stomach starts rumbling? For most of us, we can simply fix that hunger with a snack or meal and carry on with our day. However, there are a lot of of people in our country who do not have enough food or do not know where their next meal will come from. This means they are experiencing food insecurity. Studies of hunger in America show that there are over 35 million people throughout the United States who do not have enough food to eat right now. In Oceanside, one in five residents and as many as one in two kids are considered food insecure.
Do you ever find yourself irritable and unfocused as your stomach starts rumbling? For most of us, we can simply fix that hunger with a snack or meal and carry on with our day. However, there are a lot of of people in our country who do not have enough food or do not know where their next meal will come from. This means they are experiencing food insecurity. Studies of hunger in America show that there are over 35 million people throughout the United States who do not have enough food to eat right now. In Oceanside, one in five residents and as many as one in two kids are considered food insecure.
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Forty percent of the food produced for human consumption in the United States does not get eaten.
In Tutorial #1 “What’s On Your Plate?” you learned about the environmental impacts of food waste. Wasting uneaten food is even more harmful when that food could supply people with wholesome, quality nutrition and reduce the food insecurity in our community. |
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Food recovery
An important step to combating food insecurity is to promote and practice food recovery, which means to collect edible food that would otherwise go to waste and give it to people in need. Food recovery is also an important part of reducing food waste and the greenhouse gas emissions that are generated from food rotting in landfills.
An important step to combating food insecurity is to promote and practice food recovery, which means to collect edible food that would otherwise go to waste and give it to people in need. Food recovery is also an important part of reducing food waste and the greenhouse gas emissions that are generated from food rotting in landfills.
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This does not mean you should donate your half-eaten sandwich or apple. Food recovery is about getting uneaten food to those who need it. If you experience food insecurity yourself, there are resources available to you and your family to ensure you can access healthful, wholesome food whenever you need it.
The City of Oceanside is working to combat food insecurity through its Green Oceanside Kitchen in partnership with the O’side Kitchen Collaborative. Their chefs use donated food and agricultural surplus from nearby farms that cannot sell their produce because of irregular appearance or overproduction, to create meals and other food products, such as tomato sauces, jams, and nut-butter bars. Additionally, the Green Oceanside Kitchen provides in-person and virtual cooking workshops and zero waste education to help you become a zero waste champion for your home and community. Learn more about the Green Oceanside Kitchen by visiting the City website. There are also resources throughout San Diego County that connect edible, wholesome food from grocery stores and some restaurants with nearby food pantries. For example, Feeding San Diego and the North County Food Bank provide consistent pantry staples and fresh produce to local food pantries throughout Oceanside. 
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1. Support local Oceanside businesses and Green Oceanside Business Members 2. Volunteer at a food bank or distribution event. 3. Participate in or organize a food drive with your friends, neighbors, or other students to collect and donate food to a local pantry. 4. Find ways to volunteer all year round, not just during the holiday season 5. Teach a parent, a friend or a neighbor about food insecurity and food recovery and how they can get involved to help the community. |
Tutorial Challenge
Explore Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap to learn more about food insecurity in San Diego County.
- Find food pantries in your area by doing a quick search.
- Take an inventory of non-perishable food in your home that you would like to donate.
- Donate those items to a nearby food pantry.
- Read the section above called "Five actions you can take NOW to improve food security in your community" and ask your family if you can do one or more of them.
