Where's the food?

Food access for all is one of the missions that Local Matters is wholly committed to. As an employee of this organization I am fully on board and am aware that many, many people live in area's of our city that lack easy access to nutritious, wholesome and delicious foods. Now, what I am about to write may seem obvious but it is also a bit shocking. A relative of mine was in a local hospital recently for almost a week and subsequently I was there most of the week to support my family. The cafeteria at this local hospital had such poor choices, I was blown away! Hot dog buffets, cheeseburgers, and other food that was largely unrecognizeable. This is even without mentioning the patient food that was delivered to their room. The vegetables and even the meat that came with the tray was not of a quality that you would expect we would want to serve the sick and the infirmed. Hospitals can be wonderful places where many people have dedicated themselves to helping people recover and heal, but the fact that we put such a small emphasis on what quality of food people are putting into their bodies while trying to heal is just too great of an irony to ignore. The really wonderful thing about food issues is that everyone has a voice, things will only change if people have the will to use their voice. Michael Pollan in "Food, Inc., " stated that "we vote with our forks everyday." So if these issues awaken a desire to see better food more available to more people; join us...volunteer, donate, speak up at your local eatery or grocery store. You can make a difference, if you choose to.