Food insecurity: Human resilience

One of the most important conversations happening today: “Who is responsible for putting food on the table?”  People used to say it was the man’s job, but as society turned away from “the man” has the situation turned into “every man for their self”? The U.S. president is now demanding food assistance money be repaid by states like Kansas who paid full benefits to their citizens for the month of November. 

While the number of people in need of assistance continues to rise, in large part due to the profit-hungry corporations those people work for, human resilience has been activated. Local organizations at every level are coming together as sovereign beings doing what is needed to take care of each other, while government agents work out their priorities at the top.  

Do not wait until you are suffering or in pain to get assistance or to give it. Volunteering is a great way to reciprocate and dynamically change your circumstances and those of others simultaneously. The El Dorado Community Coalition, made up of various local law enforcement agencies, teamed up with The Outreach Program. Their ‘pantry packs’ sit inconspicuously near school entrances and other locations, providing carbohydrate-rich foods for children and families to take home with no questions asked. 

“A lot of young people and new families get in hard situations, not knowing help is available,” said Don Remington, of 12 Baskets Inc., a local food bank in El Dorado. 

The same sentiment is reflected on campus at the Student Government Association’s (SGA) office as snack foods and meals, as well as clothes and feminine products often go unnoticed in the Student Union building, the 1000 building.  

“I know people who only have $12 in their account, and they go to Walmart instead of just stopping by for a snack,” said SGA President Sam Gupta.  

The SGA has worked hard to procure grant money and support to make sure fellow students are cared for, without life circumstances interfering with learning. 

BCC’s library is going beyond the boundaries of campus by collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items to support local food banks. Food banks like 12 Baskets rely on donated supplies from local companies and organizations to feed the people who come to them in need, even those who may not qualify for government assistance.   

“The last two months the number of new people asking for assistance has grown,” Remington said. 

Yet, with the number of people in need rising, some companies are starting to question whether they will continue to share precious resources like meat and other food supplies or if they will focus on sales. The extra provisions that efforts like the library are making will be even more valuable to the hungry families of Butler County if companies here put profits over people. 

Trump administration officials directed states to "immediately undo" any actions they have made to fully fund SNAP recipients on Saturday, Nov. 8, after a judge ordered payments to be made to people who had been over a week with no benefits and only pay them 65%, according to an NPR report on Monday, Nov 10.  

“Gov. Laura Kelly says that Kansas is currently under no legal obligation to take back any of the November SNAP benefit money people received Friday (Nov. 7),“ according to a 13 News interview with Kelly published Monday, Nov. 10. The estimated 85,981 Kansas households who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding are left unsure about December or the year ahead as lawmakers continue to leverage power on these issues and more. 

Administration leaders may continue to blame others for these hardships, but thanks to Supreme Court justices and locals who care, the hardships and hunger have been reduced for today.  

If you have extra food, time or energy, these organizations and more are ready to share your gifts with the community. 

Mandarin

今天发生的最重要的对话之一是：“谁负责把食物放在桌子上？”人们过去常说这是男人的工作，但随着社会对“男人”的疏远，这种情况是否已经变成了“每个人都为自己”？美国总统现在要求像堪萨斯州这样的州偿还粮食援助资金，这些州在11月份向其公民支付了全额福利。

虽然需要援助的人数继续增加，这在很大程度上是由于这些人工作的公司对利润的渴望，但人类的恢复能力已经被激活。各级地方组织作为主权实体走到一起，做着需要彼此照顾的事情，而政府机构则在最高层制定他们的优先事项。

不要等到你遭受苦难或痛苦时才寻求帮助或给予帮助。志愿服务是一种很好的回报方式，可以同时动态地改变你和他人的环境。由多个地方执法机构组成的埃尔多拉多社区联盟与外展计划合作。他们的“食品包”不起眼地放在学校入口和其他地点附近，为孩子和家庭提供富含碳水化合物的食物，不用问任何问题就可以带回家。

“很多年轻人和新家庭陷入困境，不知道可以得到帮助，”埃尔多拉多当地食品银行12篮子公司的唐·雷明顿说。

同样的情绪也反映在学生会协会（SGA）的办公室里，因为在学生会大楼（1000楼）里，零食、饭菜、衣服和女性用品经常被忽视。

SGA主席萨姆·古普塔说：“我认识一些人，他们的账户里只有12美元，他们去沃尔玛而不是停下来吃点零食。”

SGA一直在努力争取拨款和支持，以确保同学们得到照顾，不受生活环境影响学习。

BCC的图书馆正在超越校园的界限，通过收集罐头食品和不易腐烂的食品来支持当地的食品银行。像“12篮子”这样的食品银行依靠当地公司和组织捐赠的物资来为有需要的人提供食物，甚至是那些可能没有资格获得政府援助的人。

雷明顿说：“过去两个月来，要求援助的新人数有所增加。

然而，随着需要帮助的人数不断增加，一些公司开始质疑，他们是否会继续分享肉类和其他食品供应等宝贵资源，还是会专注于销售。如果这里的公司把利润放在人民之上，那么像图书馆这样的努力所提供的额外物资对巴特勒县饥饿的家庭来说将更有价值。

据美国国家公共电台11月10日周一报道，特朗普政府官员于11月8日星期六指示各州“立即撤销”他们为全额资助SNAP受助人所采取的任何行动，此前一名法官下令向没有领取救济金超过一周的人支付款项，只向他们支付65%。

“州长劳拉·凯利说，堪萨斯州目前没有法律义务收回人们周五（11月7日）收到的11月SNAP福利金，”根据11月10日星期一发表的13新闻对凯利的采访。据估计，接受补充营养援助计划（SNAP）资金的85,981个堪萨斯州家庭对12月或未来一年不确定，因为立法者继续在这些问题上利用权力。

政府领导人可能会继续把这些困难归咎于别人，但由于最高法院的法官和当地人的关心，今天的困难和饥饿已经减少了。

如果你有多余的食物、时间或精力，这些组织和更多的组织已经准备好与社区分享你的礼物。