As you likely know, a huge part of Love Chapel’s work is in the form of food, but what you may not know is why it’s so integral to our ministry.

There are few reasons. First, there’s something spiritual about meeting such immediate, physical needs. We think of how Jesus was always concerned with physical wellbeing and healing just as much as spiritual healing. With that in mind, it’s important to us that we approach every person as a whole person, and that starts with how we talk about the challenges they face.

Historically, discussions about food have often revolved around hunger—the idea being that as long as someone wasn’t actively starving, they were fine. In framing the conversations this way, the focus became fixing a problem, rather than supporting people towards wholeness and wellness.

More recently, you may see the term “food insecurity,” a phrase that offers a more nuanced take on the importance of health. It immediately stops you in your tracks because it evokes this feeling of something being precarious or out of balance, so the goal is different—it’s all about facilitating balance.

The USDA introduced the term in 2006, creating four categories that are helpful to consider when thinking of Love Chapel’s work:

High food security – This is where there are no reported issues surrounding food; people have access to quality food, and they have enough to live full lives.

Marginal food security – This is where someone has enough food, and they are getting adequate nutrition, but there’s concern over an impending food shortage. This might be a situation where someone has to live paycheck-to-paycheck, and their wages are enough to cover groceries unless there’s an unexpected expense like a car repair.

Low food security – This is where someone has enough to eat, but the food is low quality, unhealthy, or unchanging. Imagine having a box of mac & cheese four times a week—it might get you by, but it’s not good for your physical or mental wellbeing.

Very low food security – This is where there isn’t even consistent access to unhealthy food. These would be situations where someone has to skip meals or compromise other important parts of their life to obtain groceries.

As you probably noticed, this is a lot more complicated than “hunger,” and this new framework offers a better understanding of the variables that may affect food insecurity. For example, if someone doesn’t have access to a car or public transportation, but they live next to a gas station that sells snacks and some basic food items, they may be in a position where they have to subsist on unhealthy food—an ultimately unsustainable lifestyle.

It’s also important to recognize how food insecurity can be invisible. According to Feeding America’s most recent report (2021), around 10.4% of people in Bartholomew County are facing some degree of food insecurity. That’s over 8,000 people—approximately 2,000 of which are children—who are not receiving the consistent nourishment they need.

For that reason, your involvement with the hot meal program and food pantry branch of Love Chapel is as critical as ever, not only to ensure that people are fed, but to treat every person who seeks our services with the dignity and respect they deserve. You can help strengthen our community by donating or taking the next steps to volunteer.

If you’d like to learn more about our latest needs, or you’re interested in getting involved as a volunteer, check out these pages.