As November flies by and the fall semester starts to come to a close, our minds become fixated with the holidays and heading home for Thanksgiving break. We dream of seeing our loved ones again and sitting down to a beautiful arrangement of hot and delicious food that awaits us, especially on that last day before break; we are all counting down the hours until we are home sweet home.
Though we share this commonality, there is another aspect to it that is rarer that many of us never so much as stop to think about. Consider this: the students and families that do not have a Thanksgiving feast to enjoy, let alone food on a daily basis. This phenomenon is called food insecurity, and it is unfortunately all around us. It especially lives and thrives with college students here at Millersville.
We get something to eat on campus, we come home to find food on the table, or we grab something to eat while out with friends. Eating is such a staple part of our lives, that we do not even think about it most of the time. We have the luxury of debating what we want to eat, where we want to eat, or if we feel hungry. Many of us do not have to think about the possibility of no food or how we will get it. We do not know what it is like to truly feel hungry.
Having food at our fingertips as an assumed regular occurrence should not be something that only some people get to experience. Food is an essential part of life; we literally need it to survive. Why should anyone be deprived of that? Imagine not knowing when your next meal will be; living that reality would start to take a tremendous toll on you. College students already have enough on their mind, worrying about food should not be an added factor on their plate.
All year long, we throw away so much food because we did not finish it, did not want it anymore, or just had such an abundance of it that it went to waste. A huge percentage of all that food could so easily be shared with someone else who needs it way more. It is time to stop filling the trashcan with unused food, and instead start filling up someone’s empty plate.
If you are like me, and you feel for students in this position, there is a light. Luckily, Millersville has great resources for helping with the issue of food insecurity. At the end of this article, I have provided links that can put you on the path to making a huge difference in an MU student’s life. Even the smallest amount of help makes a big dent. Something as simple as using up a meal swipe to get food to donate goes a long way. I know many of us have meal plan money to use up, and this is a perfect opportunity to not only help someone else, but you as well.
So, this Thanksgiving, as you gather around the table and think about what you are thankful for, you could also grant someone else a random act of kindness. Everyone deserves a full stomach all year long, but especially on a day of such feasting. Whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or whatever other holiday you celebrate, now is the season of giving.
Let’s make a difference, one random act of kindness at a time. Happy Holidays!
HCXO,
Kaitlyn