2022 Spring Forum

Nutritional Security—It’s Not Just About Full Bellies

Eliminating hunger goes beyond feeding people. The Spring 2022 Forum focused on how nutrition impacts overall health and well-being, as well as cultural identity.

Watch, Learn, and Act

Watch: A recording of the Forum

Learn: About other groups working in this space

Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force (IHRTF): Putting private and public resources into action statewide in order to eliminate hunger and provide food security for all Idahoans

The Hunger Coalition – Blaine County: Building community through food

Food Action and Research Center (FRAC): Working to End Hunger in America

USDA Economic Research Center: State fact sheets on on employment, food security, income, poverty, education, and more. County-level data included where applicable.

CDC Community Guide: Resource to help you select interventions to improve health and prevent disease in your state, community, businesses, schools, etc.

USDA Food and Nutrition: Increasing food security and reducing hunger in partnership with cooperating organizations by providing children and low-income people access to food, a healthy diet and nutrition education.

Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act: authorizes all of the federal school meal and child nutrition programs, which provide funding to ensure that low-income children have access to healthy and nutritious foods.

Act: We all can make a difference. Even small steps matter.

• Encourage food pantries to ask clients about special dietary needs. If you are involved with a food pantry, find out how you can help make this happen.
• Donate foods to pantries for those with food allergies. For example, items that are wheat/gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.
• Select items to donate that are culturally relevant to populations served by the pantry (e.g., immigrants from a particular area).
• Give (and encourage others to give) money rather than products.  That allows the pantry to purchase nutritious perishable items or special needs items that they might not otherwise be able to provide. 
• Share what you have learned, and speak up to correct misperceptions.
• Follow nutrition/hunger-related issues in the news or on the internet.  Learn more, and become an advocate.