For our first assignment as Food Warriors, we were asked to interview another fellow intern. It was left up to us to create the questions we would ask. One of the questions I was asked by another intern was, why I care about food transparency. It was a question that I hadn’t really pondered until accepting this internship. It was a question, like many others, that so often goes unanswered. But when I thought about it, why I really care about this project, this came to mind. Growing up, I always had the comfort of deciding what types of foods I wanted to eat. I always got asked what I wanted to have for dinner, or what type of fruits and vegetables I wanted to pick from the store. I was constantly surrounded by healthy and nutritious food. I, like many others, did not know what it meant to not have access to healthy food. When I think about that lifestyle, that specific comfort and how I grew up, it makes me grasp at the enormous contrast that many low income communities face when it comes to food access. I thought to myself just how many children grow up never getting asked what type of veggie they want for dinner, because their simply isn’t one available. As kids we can often remember rejecting fruits and vegetables from our diets, but how many of us ever stopped to think what it would be like to not have that option. How many of us never stopped to be thankful for having healthy foods. All of this came to mind when my fellow intern asked me why I care about food transparency. It is so much more than just providing information about farms, markets, food artisans, etc. Sure those hardworking, passionate, and special people deserve the publicity and recognition that they have absolutely earned. But building up knowledge about local and sustainable food is the key to helping bridge the gap between communities and access to food. This project is one key to providing aid to making food more accessible. It is a beacon for communities and will give them food sources to believe in. I am excited to be a part of this project and most importantly a part of connecting people to food. Because somewhere along the way we became disconnected from the process of growing food, and somewhere along the way we will regain our roots.
Jan30
