Food brings people together, especially during the holidays.
In a few weeks, many of us will gather with our families to enjoy a special meal. But as we gather around a table loaded with our favorite holiday foods, we know that it isn’t just about food–it’s about shared joy, gratitude, generosity and community.
Food nourishes in more ways than one, but it can be especially difficult for many families experiencing food insecurity to bring home enough food this holiday season.
NSA Storage is joining Feeding America to help make sure neighbors across the country can bring meals home for the holidays. Our goal is to help provide as many meals as possible to help bring families together around the table this holiday season and beyond.
Hunger Stats:
- 1 out of every 6 (49 million) people turned to food banks and community programs last year for help putting food on the table.
- Tens of millions of people across the country gained access to 5.3 billion meals* in fiscal year 2023 through the Feeding America network.
- Food insecurity exists in every county, parish and borough in the United States. It impacts people of all ages, races, ethnicities, abilities and beliefs.
Neighbor Story Spotlight
People know Ilka as “the grandma of the world” because she loves everybody as though they were her own grandchildren.
“The women of my family taught me that community is everything,” she said. “I am sure that they would be proud of me because I have carried on the tradition of loving people through food.”
Ilka always invites neighbors to join in family meals. “It lets them know that they’re not forgotten about, that somebody is thinking about them, and that somebody really cares about them,” she said.
This year, Ilka visited Topeka’s Open Arms Outreach Ministries pantry where her family received a turkey, macaroni, greens, cornbread, and other holiday fixings.
“Holidays are important to me because they are all about family and laughter,” she said. She is looking forward to making a big meal for her daughter and four grandchildren who live with her.
Ilka and her daughter both work, but their income isn’t always enough to secure healthy, reliable food for their household.
“I wasn’t always able to provide a turkey, have all of the fixings and the trimmings,” Ilka said. “I can remember wondering where we were going to get a holiday meal.”
But, Ilka said, “I could hear my grandmother echoing, ‘baby, it’s never about how much food you’ve got. It’s about what you do with it.”
Join NSA Storage in the movement to end hunger at FeedingAmerica.org/Holiday.