The Faces of Hunger

When you think of hunger, who do you picture? The answer may surprise you. It could be your next-door neighbor who skips meals to pay utility bills. It could be a single dad working overtime to ensure there is food on the table for his kids. It could be an older adult eating less to save money for prescription medicines. Maybe it’s the high school student wondering where and when they’ll have their next meal or the first grader with limited weekend food options.

According to a recent Hunger Free Colorado survey, 20% of adults reported being food insecure—having to regularly cut back or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money to buy food.

Food insecurity is defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate food. There are four levels of food security:

• High Food Security: Households had no problems or anxiety about consistently accessing adequate food.

• Marginal Food Security: Households sometimes had problems or anxiety about accessing adequate food, but the food’s quality, variety and quantity were not substantially reduced.

• Low Food Security: Households reduced their diet quality,

Doing Good

The surprising benefits of volunteering.

Many think of volunteering as a way to help others and their communities. While true, it’s also a great way to improve your well-being. Both health experts and social scientists agree that volunteering gives a boost to the body and mind.

Here are some of the ways you can help yourself by helping others.

Volunteering connects you with new friends. Research shows that building new friendships becomes more critical as we grow older, and volunteering is a good way of doing that. A study in the journal Innovation in Aging found that older adults who volunteer have more friends, and they spend time with them more often.

Volunteering makes you happier.

Volunteering boosts a feeling of well-being. Research shows that when we do something for others that brings them comfort variety and desirability, but the quantity of food intake and normal eating patterns were not substantially disrupted.

• Very Low Food Security: At times, the eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted, and food intake was reduced because the household lacked money or other resources for food.

The impacts of food insecurity go beyond hunger. There are serious health complications resulting from not having enough food to eat. For instance, a study by the USDA Economic Research Service found that children who didn’t always get enough to eat were more likely to exhibit:

• Iron deficiency anemia

• Lower physical function

• Poorer social function and development

• More anxiety and depression

• Higher numbers of chronic health conditions

• Lower math scores

• Higher likelihood of repeating a grade

Hunger can affect people you know and see every day, but there are three easy things you can do today to help those who are experiencing food insecurity: and support, our brains produce more “happiness” hormones such as serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. There’s even a term for this feeling—helper’s high.

1.Volunteer. Share your time helping hungry families. We always need volunteers, from drivers to sorters, stockers and more. Conduct a food drive in your neighborhood, business, school or church.

2.Advocate. Spread awareness and information about hunger in our community. Contact your lawmakers to help keep essential hunger relief programs in place.

3.Donate food. We always need non-perishable and perishable foods and personal care products.

4.Donate money. For every $10 you donate, we can provide 30 nutritious and satisfying meals.

Volunteering can help you live longer.

Research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that people who regularly volunteer spend 38% fewer nights in the hospital than non-volunteers. Other studies show that volunteers of all ages enjoy better health, more stamina and lower stress levels. Further, the journal of Psychology and Aging shows that volunteering reduced mortality risk by 47% in people over 55. There are several theories on why volunteering can help you live longer. The leading explanation is that the moodboosting benefits of volunteering help lower stress, decreasing the risk of heart disease and even cancer.

Volunteering reduces loneliness

Volunteering is about making connections with people, and these connections can help you feel more socially connected and less lonely. Being a volunteer also helps you meet new people with similar interests. Participating in a shared activity brings people closer together.

Volunteering keeps you physically healthy.

It’s not only your mental well-being that gets a lift when you take the time to help others. Your heart can reap big benefits too. According to research from Carnegie Mellon University, older adults who volunteer for at least 200 hours per year decrease their risk of hypertension, or high blood pressure, by as much as 40%. A study from the University of Kentucky found that volunteering can also lessen chronic pain symptoms.

Volunteering keeps your brain healthy.

Volunteering is not only good for your health and mood, but it also positively impacts your cognitive skills and risk for dementia. A five-year study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that seniors who volunteered consistently reported decreased cognitive complaints over time. In contrast, no such associations were found for the other groups. Keeping your brain active with new activities helps it stay sharp. In addition, people who regularly volunteered were nearly 2.5 times less likely to be prescribed an anti-dementia treatment than those who didn’t make the time to help others.

Want to start reaping the benefits of volunteering? Contact our volunteer coordinator today at volunteercoordinator@cotable. org or 720-437-6392. We always need drivers to pick up donated food from local stores, food sorters and stockers, client liaisons and more.