Why battle food insecurity?

I was raised by a single father. He always tried to give my sister and I more than he had growing up. We were quite poor, but still privileged in my opinion. I've watched television shows like Unorthodox and I've met people who've never lived in a house or cabin. They've always lived in apartments. That blew my mind and made me realize that I grew up privileged in at least one way. 

I also grew up living on what my dad called goulash, anything and everything in the cabinet. We had paper food stamps and relied on the local food pantry. He always made sure my sister and I had food, often times going without himself. In November or December one year, he asked me to find candy if I could, his blood sugar was crashing. I remember him crying when I couldn't. We didn't have anything other than enough food for breakfast the next day. Another time, he sent me to the store with $5 to buy food and I accidentally lost it in the field. He cried.

I know people who depend on the food I can give them. Some people I give more food to, knowing they have no other source. I give them my food. And food my friends donate because I knew I wouldn't have enough to supplement what the food pantry has allotted to them.

This is why I do what I do.

As a preteen & teenager, I volunteered at the salvation army food pantry. It has such a lasting impact on my life.

I lived in Seattle, volunteered at food pantries and soup kitchens there.

In Portland, being allowed to take bags of slightly brown bananas and packages of socks with a single thread loose and handing them out on my way home. Amazon was an awesome source. After my coworkers took what they needed, they let me take the remainder. It was a lot some days, other days very little. But people were so happy to get whatever.

In Anchorage, going to Walmart with my friend and buying all sorts of things to hand out. That was very fulfilling, I would use my paycheck to buy instant coffee, bottled water, socks, gloves, tampons and pads, among so many other items that isn't often given out at pantries or soup kitchens so they're considered luxury items.