Food is Solidarity

Food is Solidarity

Building a food system that is just, equitable, and thriving is a group project – we all have our parts to play, and all of us have a unique and important gift to add to the collective.

Solidarity, Not Charity

The charitable food system as we know it – a constellation of regional food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens – is a relatively new idea and only gained significant traction in the United States in the 1970s. Decades before, in the 1930s, the food stamp program was created to address widespread poverty caused by the Great Depression, when  unemployment and a surplus of unmarketable food led to high rates of food insecurity. Over time, different versions of this federally funded program helped many Americans access the most basic necessity of all. Food stamps functioned as an entitlement program — not charity.

In the 1980s, the Reagan administration slashed the food stamp program, claiming that private, voluntary charity, and the effects of trickle-down economics could replace the publicly funded programs. The emergency food system developed in the wake of these new conservative economic attitudes and strategies. The emergency food system was in its infancy and was largely underfunded and only loosely coordinated – a far cry from the government entitlement of food stamps. The legacy of this divestment from government-funded safety nets is the chronic reliance on so-called “emergency” food that we see today. 

The shift from government-funded public benefits that were designed to give people an avenue to financial independence, to a reliance on private donors to meet the immediate needs of people experiencing hunger was dramatic. These changes were partially fueled by a “bootstraps” mentality that ignored the social, political, and economic causes of poverty and food insecurity. Culturally, the dominant narrative justifying the move away from food assistance entitlement programs was a sentiment that had racist and anti–Black roots. The prevailing messaging of the time was that people receiving benefits couldn’t be trusted to spend public funds responsibly, and this misconception gave rise to the myths and stereotypes of the “welfare queen,” the fallout of which we are still recovering from today.  

“Charity is easier than social change. It provides great photo-ops. It doesn’t get into the messiness of politics and policy. It redeems the giver, making them feel good. It’s politically safe, direct, and immediate.”

—Andy Fisher, author of Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups

The charitable, or “emergency,” food system has become a core part of the country’s anti-poverty, social welfare strategy. Given the unstandardized and decentralized nature of our charitable food system today – lots of individual organizations serving different communities in different ways, with vastly different levels of resources – it is unrealistic to rely on food pantries, food banks, and soup kitchens as a primary vehicle to address food insecurity long-term.

This doesn’t mean those organizations aren’t providing an essential service – they most certainly are. The problem with this approach, however, is that it treats a symptom of a more systemic and intersectional issue. We may give a person a fish today, but to change the conditions of their life permanently, we have to radically re-imagine the context in which they are starving.  

Showing Up + Building People-Powered Change

“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”

— Gwendolyn Brooks, poet and author

Some acts of solidarity are small, some require more resources, but all acts of solidarity move the needle. When we commit to getting engaged and staying engaged, we commit to each other. When we commit to each other, we build a better world for all of us. Volunteering and making financial gifts to organizations is a powerful way to show solidarity with the communities those organizations serve. There are many other creative ways to engage in the movement for food justice.

To honor Northwest Harvest’s 58 years of service, we wanted to offer 58 ways you (yes, you!) can show solidarity with your neighbors and community.

You don’t have to do all of these things to be part of the solution – like a choir, individual singers can take a pause to breathe, while the rest of the voices still sing out strong. When there are many of us, the sound does not falter but swells and sustains.

Teach your kids how to cook! Invite them into the kitchen to learn alongside you, try new recipes, and gain skills to promote their independence. This learning will support their development as people connected to land and its abundance.

Educate people on how to grow, harvest, prepare, and preserve their food! Do you know how to can or dehydrate foods? Host a mini workshop for your community!

If financially accessible to you, pay off a family’s school lunch debt: www.allforlunch.org

Boycott products or brands that use unfair labor practices or exacerbate hunger.