 |
GLOSSARY OF HUNGER TERMS |
| NUTRITIONAL TERMS |
DEFINITION |
| FOOD
INSECURITY |
The limited or uncertain
availability of nutritionally adequate foods, including involuntarily
cutting back on meals, food portions or not knowing the source of the next
meal. |
| FOOD
SECURITY |
Access to enough food for an
active, healthy life. At a minimum, food security includes: (1) the
ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an
assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways
(e.g., without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging or other
coping strategies). |
|
HUNGER |
The discomfort, weakness, or
pain caused by a prolonged lack of food. In addition, many experts
consider hunger to be chronically inadequate nutritional intake due to low
incomes; that is, people do not have to experience discomfort, weakness, or
pain to be hungry from a nutritional perspective. The long-term effect
of hunger is malnutrition. |
|
MALNUTRITION |
A serious health impairment that
results from substandard nutrient intake. Malnutrition may result from
a lack of food, a chronic shortage of key nutrients, or impaired absorption
and metabolism associated with chronic conditions or diseases. |
|
OBESITY |
An abnormal accumulation of body fat that my result in health impairments.
Obesity is generally defined by the National Institutes of Health as having
body weight that is more than 20% above the high range for ideal body
weight. An obese person can experience malnutrition if obesity has
resulted from dealing with food insecurity by relying on less expensive,
less nutritious, high-calorie foods to stave off the sensation of hunger. |
|
UNDER-NUTRITION |
The consequence of consuming food that is inadequate in quantity and/or
nutritional quality. Chronic under-nutrition can be considered to be
the precursor of malnutrition. |
| FOOD
PROGRAM TERMS |
DEFINITION |
| AFTER-SCHOOL SNACK
PROGRAMS |
This type of program provides nutritious
snacks and meals to low-income children participating in after-school
programs. See Kids Cafe. |
| AMERICA'S SECOND
HARVEST / FEEDING AMERICA |
The national network of food banks and food
rescue organizations and the major public advocate for hunger relief in the
United States. America's Second Harvest establishes and develops
partnerships with major growers, processors, retailers, manufacturers,
wholesalers and restaurants to encourage the donation of surplus food.
A2H then directs these donations to member organizations like Long Island
Cares in order to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the network
hunger relief efforts. A2H has the prestige and influence needed to
further the cause of hunger relief in America. A2H became Feeding
America in 2008. |
| CHILD AND ADULT CARE
FOOD PROGRAMS |
This program group provides healthy meals and
snacks to children and adults (elderly people unable to care for themselves)
in day care settings. Many of Long Island Cares member agencies
operate programs of this type. |
| COMMODITY
SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM |
The CSFP works to improve the health of
low-income children, mothers and elderly people by supplementing their diets
with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodity foods. USDA
administers CSFP at the federal level, providing food and administrative
funds to state, though not all states participate. New York does
participate; see TEFAP. |
| ELDERLY FOOD
PROGRAMS |
These programs specifically target at-risk
elderly people and include home-delivered meals and congregate meals
programs which provide meals at central facilities in group settings.
Food relief organizations may be a primary source for the former, while the
latter is likely to rely on the resources of a food bank like Long Island
Cares. |
| EMERGENCY FOOD
PROGRAM |
Emergency food programs (EFP's) distribute donated
food items to hungry people through avenues such as shelters, soup kitchens
and food pantries. Such
programs typically are run by private, nonprofit community organizations.
An EFP is differentiated from other programs where food is distributed, but
not on an emergency basis, such as day care centers and group homes. |
| FOOD BANK |
A charitable organization that solicits,
receives, inventories, stores and distributes food and grocery products from
various sources. A food bank may purchase food from funds provided by
government agencies or charitable grants, or it may receive food donated by
manufacturers, retailers, or individuals. The food bank is responsible
for ensuring that all food and grocery products that it receives and
distributes comply with industry and regulatory standards. These
products are distributed to charitable human service agencies, such as food
pantries, which provide
the products directly to clients. |
| FOOD PANTRY |
A nonprofit organization (typically small in
size), such as religious institutions or social service agencies, that
receives donated food items and distributes them to hungry people for
preparation at home. By contrast, a soup kitchen prepares and serves
meals to their clients. A food pantry will often receive its supply of
food from a food bank. |
| FOOD RESCUE
ORGANIZATION |
As differentiated from a food bank that
handles warehoused foods and grocery products, a food rescue organization
specializes in soliciting donations of leftover perishable food from
restaurants, catering halls, and the like, and delivering this food
immediately to emergency food programs. Unlike food banks which must
deal with the logistic management of bulk inventories, a food rescue
organization is likely to consist of a dedicated corps of volunteers who use
their own vehicles to make food pick ups and deliveries in the same day. |
| FOOD STAMP PROGRAM |
The federal Food Stamp Program serves as the
first line of defense against hunger. It enables low-income families
to buy nutritious food with Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards.
Food stamp recipients are able to buy eligible food items in authorized
retail food stores. The program is the cornerstone of the federal food
assistance programs and provides crucial support to low-income households
and those making the transition from welfare to work. It has been
criticized, however, for being under funded, inadequate in terms of benefits
offered, and ineffective in reaching and including all of the low-income
people at risk of hunger. Hunger relief organizations like Long Island
Cares help to make up the shortfall. |
| HPNAP |
Better known by its acronym than its official
title of Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, HPNAP is
administered by the New York State Department of Health and is dedicated to
improving the health and nutrition status of people in need of food
assistance in New York State. They do so by providing funding and
other support to enhance the accessibility and availability of safe and
nutritious food and food-related resources and by providing comprehensive
nutrition and health education programs. HPNAP works in partnership
with food banks operating in New York State. |
| HUNGER RELIEF
ORGANIZATION |
A general term that can be applied to any
charitable organization whose mission involves dealing with the immediate
effects and underlying causes of hunger. America's Second Harvest,
Long Island Cares, and member agencies like food pantries and soup kitchens
can all be termed hunger relief organizations. |
| KIDS CAFE |
Kids Cafe is an after-school and summer meal
program that provides nutritious snacks and meals to children ages 5-18 who
are at risk for hunger. Kids Cafe programs often supplement food
assistance with nutrition education activities as well as homework help,
mentoring, and recreational opportunities. |
| SCHOOL LUNCH AND
BREAKFAST PROGRAMS |
These programs are federally assisted meal
programs operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential
child care institutions. They provide nutritionally balanced, low-cost
or free meals to children each school day. |
| SOUP KITCHEN |
A nonprofit organization (typically small in
size), such as religious institutions or social service agencies, that
receives donated food items and provides prepared meals served in a local
agency kitchen for hungry people. By contrast, a food pantry does not
serve prepared meals. A soup kitchen will often receive its supply of
food from a food bank. |
| SUMMER FOOD SERVICE
PROGRAM |
The SFSP provides reimbursements to schools,
local government agencies and community-based organizations for meals and
snacks served to children during the summer months, when school is out and
lunches are not provided to hungry school-age students. Geared toward
low-income children, the SFSP is the single largest federal resource
available for local sponsors who want to combine a feeding program with a
summer activity program. |
| SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD
PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN (WIC) |
Another program that is much better known as
an acronym, WIC serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants,
and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk by providing nutritious
foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to
health care. WIC is administered by the Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. |
| THE EMERGENCY FOOD
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TEFAP) |
Under TEFAP, commodity foods are made
available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to States. States
provide the food to local agencies that they have selected, usually food
banks, which in turn, distribute the food to soup kitchens and food pantries
that directly serve the public. Each state sets criteria for
determining what households are eligible to receive food for home
consumption. Income standards may, at the state’s discretion, be met
through participation in other existing federal, state, or local food,
health, or welfare programs for which eligibility is based on income. |
