Q is for Questions

October 27, 2025

“As you can no doubt imagine, we often say in despair, ‘What’s the point of the war? Why, oh, why can’t people live together peacefully? Why all this destruction?’ The question is understandable, but up to now no one has come up with a satisfactory answer. Why is England manufacturing bigger and better airplanes and bombs and at the same time churning out new houses for reconstruction? Why are millions spent on the war each day, while not a penny is available for medical science, artists or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?”

~ Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl, Wednesday May 3, 1944.

Why are people so crazy, indeed?

Such wise questions from such a young girl - questions that we still struggle with across the world, most recently in our own home country.

I keep thinking of Anne’s question - “Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world?”

As you probably know, without some miraculous intervention, in the US, SNAP and WIC benefits will probably expire on November 1.

From “The Hill” website:

“‘The well has run dry,’ a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reads, warning the federal government will not be sending out November food assistance as the government shutdown continues.

SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program, is funded by the federal government but administered by states. The USDA’s shutdown contingency plan allows the agency to tap into reserve funding to keep SNAP operating if the federal government remains shut for longer than a month. However, the Trump administration said it would not do that.

Cutting off food assistance leaves more than 40 million people hanging in the balance. About 1 in 8 Americans rely on SNAP to buy food. The WIC program, which provides food assistance to low-income pregnant women, mother and babies, is also poised to run out of money, affecting about 7 million people.”

Add to this situation what has happened and is still happening in Gaza - food aid efforts and resources are still deficient, and children - and adults - are starving. And add what is happening to people who have recently become climate refugees, are homeless from storms and flooding, in Alaska and Mexico.

A question: Is not the most basic, merciful, humane act that one can do to make sure that other humans have food to sustain them, to keep their bodies working?

A question: What is actually going on in the Pittsburgh region with regard to food insecurity? Note: Many frame the issue as “food apartheid” because there is enough food for all; policies and practices actually restrict food access for certain groups of people.

Here is a snapshot of Pittsburgh BEFORE we enter the SNAP and WIC probable disaster (from the Giving2Grow website - see comments) - particularly relevant for children:

~ There are almost 160,000 children in our area that are considered food insecure according to numbers published by the US Department of Education in 2023.

~ According to Just Harvest, in 2016 there were about 174,000 (14.2% of the population) individuals in the Pittsburgh area who were considered to be food insecure. Over 42,000 of those are children. This means that almost 18% of the children in our region do not have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

~ Children who experience hunger as toddlers are over three times more likely to be obese at age 4.

~ Hungry children are sick more often, miss more days of school, are more likely to repeat a grade and more likely to be suspended.

~ Poor nutrition and food insecurity in today’s children will have long term effects not only on their health, but on society as a whole.

Basically, when young bodies do not get the fuel that they require to function - they are sick more often; their abilities to focus and learn and socialize are compromised; their future trajectories for career and relationships, dependent on early learning and socialization, are less than they could be. And the whole society suffers.

A question: How do I feel about all of this?

Answer: Really pissed off, scared, sad. It is unconscionable that this is happening when the money is there to keep the programs in place. Resolved to do something.

Last question: Is there anything that we can do?

Answer: YES!

Here are some things that we can do:

~ Donate to your local food bank. The one that I am most familiar with is the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank - but there are others in our region that are more localized. If you know of any, please provide information in the comments.

~ Check into other organizations who do this work, and provide monetary or action support. Two come to mind right away: 1) the Giving2Grow giving circle, which provides funds to grassroots organizations across the region who are addressing the problem in their own communities, and 2) Casa San Jose which provides many many services, including food assistance, to Latino immigrants who live in the area. See comments for links. And again provide information if you know of others.

~ Check into local Mutual Aid groups. Mutual Aid organizations are community-based networks that provide voluntary, reciprocal support to help people meet their basic needs, like food, housing, and medical care. These groups are typically grassroots, member-led, and non-hierarchical, focusing on solidarity and collective care to address community challenges and systemic inequalities. Examples include local networks for disaster relief, food programs, or housing. Other organizations can do this work as charities, philanthropies, or other types of associations, but Mutual Aid support can be quicker, simpler, more localized, and less “red-tapey.” Look up mutual aid groups for Pittsburgh and you will find LOTS! Provide info if you know of local Mutual Aid groups preparing to provide food assistance.

A couple of days ago I went for a hike in Mingo Creek Park. I reveled in the fall colors and, as usual, was in awe of all that was going on around me, most of it not visible to the naked eye. Leaves dropping from trees and decomposing on the ground. Mushrooms and other fungi breaking down plants to enrich the soil. Small critters scurrying around in the underbrush, perhaps preparing food storages for the winter. And most amazing (and least visible), trees and other plants communicating with one another, across vast underground networks of mycelium threads, providing alerts, sustenance and emergency care as needed.

Do the trees ask questions about what to do, or whether to help or not? Nope. You can bet your sweet bippy that they just do what other living beings are made to do - help one another.

Below are some photos from that hike. October 2025.