When I would go to my grandmama's house as a child, I would always smell something simmering on the stove. Her kitchen was my favorite restaurant.
Before you could get comfortable, however, she would always ask the same question:
"Did you eat?"
She had grown up in poverty in Mississippi and lived with the presence of hunger in her family and community. She did not want her grandchildren to feel that pain.
Food scarcity has become more prevalent in the pandemic.More people have dealt with the shame that hunger can create. On this Thanksgiving, I wonder if we can do more to make "Did you eat?" an expression of care and concern and not one of judgment.
My grandmama asked that question with love.
"One of the most powerful things we can do is make it OK to ask for help," said Allison O'Toole, CEO of Second Harvest Heartland. "It shows trust in your community when you do that, and I think talking about it with friends and family and neighbors helps open that conversation up. Sometimes, it's merely connecting someone or offering resources."
It all happened so fast for Sheyla Crawford, who is from Brazil, and Aaron Crawford, a California native, last year as COVID-19 had a direct impact on their family.