Taste of Home_-_October 2019

GATHER

Food for Good

80

FOR THIS SINGLE PARENTS STAR, FOOD

INSECURITY HITS CLOSE TO HOME.

SPEAKING OUT

TO HALT HUNGER

TODAY, ACTRESS LEIGHTON MEESTER, STAR

OF ABC’S SINGLE PARENTS SITCOM, DOESN’T

HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHERE HER NEXT

DINNER IS COMING FROM. A child actress and

model who rose to fame as Blair Waldorf on The

CW’s Gossip Girl, Leighton has also appeared in

movies and performed as a singer.

Now she is bringing her talent to the role of

ambassador for Feeding America. Leighton takes

the mission personally. As she was growing up,

she says, her family had to rely on food stamps.

“There were times when we had nothing in

the kitchen to eat for dinner, or we had to put

things back on the shelf at the store because we

couldn’t afford it at checkout,” she says. “There

were high and low times. I felt guilty about treats

and meals, and would ask if we had enough

money to pay for it.”

Leighton says she didn’t realize the full extent

of food insecurity until she began working with

Feeding America. Families who appear to be

doing just fine may be relying on food pantries

to put supper on the table.

“I feel I was very privileged, particularly in

my education. I was able to go to a private school

for some of my childhood, and during that time

our family still struggled,” she recalls. The

assumption that people who use food banks

are not hardworking is a myth, Leighton says;

in fact, the opposite is often true.

“It may be affecting someone closer than

you think,” she says.

Leighton was also surprised to learn how

much food is wasted. “That’s why it’s amazing

that Feeding America helps to bring food and

produce that would otherwise be thrown away

to pantries and shelters.”

Her advice to families who are experiencing

food insecurity is to be willing to speak about

it openly, in hopes that doing so will help

“demystify and destigmatize the face of hunger

or food insecurity.” The result, she says, may be

finding help and support in surprising ways. 

HELP FEEDING AMERICA FIGHT TO

SOLVE HUNGER: FEEDINGAMERICA.ORG

HIDDEN HUNGER

Food insecurity affects more

people than you may realize.

Leighton Meester and Adam

Brody, her husband, volunteer

at a Feeding America event.

More than 40 million

people turn to the Feeding America

network each year for support.

54% of households

that seek help from Feeding America

were employed in the past year.

Two-thirds

of families

receiving help from food banks

report having to choose between

food and medical care, transportation

and/or utilities to make ends meet.

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