As Health and Society Majors, we have spent a lot of time exploring key debates about health, illness, and the efforts made to improve the disparities vulnerable populations frequently face. Thus, our focus is to look at different factors that impact the livelihood and well-being of humans around the world. Discovering that nearly fourteen million American households in 2018 alone were suffering from food insecurity astonished us. Therefore, rather than searching out side of the United States we decided to concentrate on the overwhelming number of Brockton residents currently grappling with food insecurity. Allowing us to study a problem that is so close to home, while also proposing possible solutions. Food is so important in our lives because it brings our families together, and it helps keep our communities connected. As a result, we agree that no one should ever have to experience being hungry, especially if it can be prevented.
As an immigrant, I know what hunger does to people. Being hungry takes hope out people and it is a constant worry. Being a resident in Brockton MA, I was baffled by how many people were struggling to eat everyday. I was unaware that the greatest country in the world would have people who went t bed hungry. This is why we chose to research the food insecurity problem in Brockton specifically because we wanted to look at the causes of this issue. We also wanted to see what we can do to change that narrative, and better the lives of the population. This is topic is very significant to me because I currently still have family members living in Brockton, and if we can find a proposition that would be beneficial, we can prevent them from ever having to worry about going hungry one day.
-Sahadja Noel
As a child I was an extremely picky eater. Therefore, I can vividly remember my mom’s constant reminders to be grateful for the food I almost always refused to eat, seeing as someone else around the world was starving. Luckily as I got older the pickiness faded, but my mom’s words did not. However, it was not until I entered my field of study that I realized hungry was not only an issue faced outside of the United States. Culturally food also plays a major role in my life. Growing up Dominican and Puerto Rican I quickly learned that regardless of how big or small the family gathering is food is always involved. Thus, it breaks my heart to imagine families unable to share dinner time due to a lack of access to affordable and nutritious produce.
-Angela Navarro