Strong Communities
While programs including SNAP, WIC, and charitable food programs provide crucial support to families experiencing food insecurity, many families still grapple with unmet needs. Nearly all food-insecure families rely on informal networks and strategies to access food.
Compared to established assistance programs, much less is known about the informal methods, the associated challenges, and their impact on food security. We do know that the first place that most people turn to for food assistance is their social circle, with family often being the first line of support. Unsurprisingly, individuals who have a strong sense of social support and cohesion are less likely to experience food insecurity.
What We Learned
As seen in the figures below, 77% of participants have received food from friends, family, or social groups so they could have enough to eat. Further, 62% of parents reported that friends, family, or social groups have given them money so their family can have enough to eat. Despite these high numbers, we cannot forget the shame and embarrassment that many families feel when they can’t make ends meet. Several parents shared with us that they would never let their family or friends know that they needed help.
Many Michigan families are using every method they can access to ensure that their children have enough to eat. Sharing food and even money among friends and family is common and is an important strategy that social circles and communities use to make sure that others are not going without. Other strategies commonly used by families to make ends meet include relying on community organizations, picking up additional hours or odd jobs to earn a bit more; gardening, canning, and preserving food, budgeting and coupon clipping; and purposefully attending events with food.
Unfortunately, however, some families turn to illegal and/or potentially unhealthy or dangerous methods to obtain food when they feel they have no choice. Feeding MI Families participants reported having to steal food, consume expired food, donate blood or plasma, and rely on payday loans, which in many cases, leave families with fewer resources than before due to high-interest rates and short repayment periods.