An Eye-Opening Week!

     Since working with Dr. Holben on a project dealing primarily with food insecurity and interventions to reduce food insecurity in Appalachia it has really opened my eyes to the issue. I do not believe that many people know about the true food security issues that many individuals face, especially in Appalachian Ohio, only minutes from the campus of Ohio University. We talked in class about how to measure food security in the United States and Canada and after observing the maps depicting the degrees of food security status among the states, and I think many people were a little bit surprised that Ohio was among the states with low food security. By raising awareness on the issue, I believe that we can all make an impact especially in our local communities. Some barriers to food security that could be broken down potentially is with nutrition education, produce intervention programs, and getting people to become self-sufficient in the knowledge of how to get fresh food and properly prepare and store it. 

     This past weekend, I worked at the GoodWorks "Friday Night Life" where I had the opportunity to prepare a meal and socialize with community members who are faced with food security and poverty issues. I had a great time, and realized how important social interactions are to people and how food brings people together. I wish more people removed themselves from the OU Campus and branched out into the community where they can see many of the issues that we have been discussing first hand.