By Dr. Jasmine Moses Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Early Childhood Educator Across the nation, conversations about food insecurity have grown as families and communities face potential cuts to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Did you know that more than 1.4 million people in Ohio rely on SNAP to put food on their tables?
For children, SNAP means access to the food their bodies and brains need to grow and thrive. For caregivers, it means being able to buy groceries without falling behind on rent, utilities, or medicine. For communities, it means stability and a stronger local economy when families can meet their basic needs. SNAP is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce child poverty and hunger. It keeps food on the table, supports family stability, and circulates money back into local businesses, grocers, and farms. When these benefits are threatened, the impact is immediate. Here in Ohio, 1 in 9 households benefits from SNAP. 62% of those households include children. 43% include older adults or people with disabilities, and 35% are working families. These numbers remind us that food insecurity is not someone else’s problem and can affect people right in our own communities. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2024) It is also not just about SNAP. With the current government shutdown, even more families could be experiencing food insecurity. Most families are only a few missed paychecks away from it themselves. This is a shared issue that affects all of us. Children can and should be part of this conversation. Talking about food insecurity helps children build empathy, understand fairness, and learn what it means to care for others. When we give them space to ask questions and talk about how communities support one another, we are teaching them what it looks like to take care of each other during hard times. It is also important for us, as adults, to reflect on the biases we may hold about people who are experiencing food insecurity. Anyone can find themselves in this position, and when we lead with empathy, we model care and community for our children. Talking With Children about Food Insecurity: Step one: Tell the truth in simple, concrete ways. You might say, “Food is grown, sold, and shared by people. Everyone needs it, but not everyone gets it. When we see that, we can help by making sure our community takes care of everyone.” Clear, calm language helps children understand that this is a real issue affecting many families and that we all have a role in caring for our neighbors. Step two: Reassure them. If your child asks questions, remind them that there are helpers. You could say, “Our community works together to make sure everyone has food.” This helps children feel safe and connected while reinforcing the importance of collective care. Step three: Connect it to fairness. You could explain, “Everyone deserves to have enough to eat. When that does not happen, there are ways we can help.” Relating fairness to familiar experiences, like sharing snacks or taking turns, helps children see how fairness shows up in everyday life. Step four: Involve them in small actions. Children learn through doing. Invite them to pick out an item to donate, help pack a meal kit, or draw a picture for families visiting a pantry. These actions show that they are part of a caring community that looks out for one another. Step five: Keep the conversation going. If your child asks, “Why do some people not have enough food?” you could respond, “Because some of the people who make the rules have not made fair choices. But we can keep helping and speaking up so everyone has enough.” Returning to these conversations over time helps children understand that fairness and care are things we work toward together. Introducing the Community Care Pantry: To support our neighbors and meet the growing need close to home, we are launching The Community Care Pantry, a Little Free Pantry project located in front of our school, offering a meaningful way for our community to take action together. The Community Care Pantry will provide free meal kits with recipe cards that include everything families and community members need to make a complete meal for themselves or their families. Instead of random pantry items that do not fit together, neighbors will find thoughtfully prepared bags filled with shelf-stable ingredients that can be turned into meals costing under ten dollars, using items you can find at your local dollar store. Each kit includes a recipe card with simple steps and ideas for stretching meals into leftovers. The goal is to make giving and receiving intentional, supportive, and sustainable. By focusing on complete meal kits, we aim to reduce waste and ensure that every family who stops by leaves with something that truly meets their needs. The pantry will also include resources, such as information on nearby food pantries and distribution sites, zines to guide these conversations, and additional materials for children and caregivers. We are leaning into this being a collective effort. If you would like to learn more about donating, volunteering, or supporting The Community Care Pantry, please reach out to Mx. Taryn or me or visit our Instagram page for updates. Supporting Book List: If you are looking for ways to continue the conversation with your children, I love using children’s books to support these conversations. Here are a few of my favorites that pair well with this topic. Food Insecurity:
These books are fantastic conversation starters for helping children understand what it means to care and to make sure everyone in the community has enough. Community Resources:
I’m grateful to be part of the Heights community and to do this work with people who understand that we get through hard times together. Community is how we make it through. -Dr. Jasmine Moses Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Early Childhood Educator @theantibiasece on Instagram References: Nchako, C. (2024). A Closer Look at Who Benefits from SNAP: State-by-State Fact Sheets. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-state-by-state-data-fact-sheets-and-resources
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