Food insecurity is defined by the USDA as "a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food." Food insecurity does not look the same for every person, and the USDA provides nuanced definitions for the ranges of food insecurity.
Those experiencing food insecurity often face a reduction in their food intake, resulting in hunger. Hunger is "an individual-level physiological condition" that is "a potential consequence of food insecurity that, because of prolonged, involuntary lack of food, results in discomfort, illness, weakness, or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation" (USDA). Hunger impacts your physical ability to do daily tasks and coursework, therefore it is crucial that you eat in order to fuel your body and brain.
A person with low food security may experience...
Those with very low food security may experience...
Regardless of what range of food insecurity a person falls into or what symptoms of hunger they are experiencing, everyone is deserving of assistance and should not hesitate to use the resources available to those experiencing food insecurity. These resources exist for you!
Services such as the Big Orange Pantry, the Grow Lab, and the Seed Library were created to support you, and we hope that this guide will help to further reduce the stigma around receiving food assistance.
We encourage you to utilize these amazing resources!
