My grandmother, Giannoula, grew up in the mountains of Greece. A child in the years of war. Famine moved through her village and the countryside like a hard wind. Food didn’t stop growing; it was taken.

She and her brother, Kosta, lost their parents and brothers, and many neighbors. I didn’t live it, and still it lives in me. Hunger leaves a mark on the body. It presses on the spirit, too. When food disappears, the sense of safety loosens - the thread that ties you to land and belonging.

I think of her when I cook - peeling an onion, kneading dough. These movements were her prayer after famine, a way to welcome life back to the kitchen. Cooking, for me, is a way to honor her - and everyone who has known hunger.

A Quiet Hunger Close to Home

Maybe you know that echo: prices rise, a recipe stretches farther than it should, and the question hums in the background - will this last through the week?

Food insecurity doesn’t always look like famine. Sometimes it’s an empty shelf. Sometimes it’s a missing safety net. A quiet weight that follows you through the day.

Food is meant to connect us. It’s a language every kitchen speaks - every lineage, every act of care.

CVK’s Stance: Nourishment Is a Right

At Conscious Vegan Kitchen, everything I share - recipes, rituals, seasonal guides - rests on one belief: nourishment is a right. Access to real food belongs to everyone.

With recent shifts to assistance programs leaving families unsure of what comes next, I’m pausing our regular rhythm to focus on what matters most: community care and community food access resources that meet you where you are.

Community Food Access Resources

These trusted, national community food access resources can help you locate support nearby. (Hours and services vary by region.)

• Feeding America - Enter your ZIP to find local food banks, community distributions, and meal programs.

• Food Finder  - An interactive map for pantries and meal sites across the U.S.—type in your ZIP to see options.

• The Salvation Army Hunger Programs  - Groceries and meals via community centers and mobile programs (services differ by location and may be faith-based).

• Community Fridge Directory  - “Take what you need, leave what you can” fridges run by neighbors and volunteers.

If Food Pantries Aren’t an Option

Sometimes the nearest pantry isn’t open. Transportation and timing matter. Asking for help can feel tender. Here are simple, steady ways to stay nourished—or to support a neighbor.

• Check schools or community centers.Many schools offer free meal programs for children and families, including during breaks.

• Reach out to faith communities or libraries.Churches, mosques, synagogues, and libraries often host meal programs or connect you to mutual aid.

• Look for mobile food distributions.Some groups bring weekly deliveries directly to neighborhoods—ask if a local center partners with one.

• Build a small “just-in-case” reserve.Add one shelf-stable item when you can: oats, rice, lentils/beans, canned tomatoes, nut/seed butter, shelf-stable plant milk, frozen veg, onions, potatoes.

• Grow or share what you can.A pot of herbs by the window, a shared garden plot, a small trade with a neighbor. Tending something edible restores a sense of abundance.

• Use your voice.Share these links. Speak about food access in your circles. Naming a need opens the door for it to be met.

If You Have Capacity to Give

• Set a small monthly donation to a local food bank or mutual-aid group—recurring gifts help them plan.

• Buy double of a pantry staple and drop extras at a community fridge or pantry bin.

• Cook in community—host a soup night, deliver a meal, organize a rotating pot of beans on your block.

• Advocate—show up for local policy, write to representatives, offer your skill set (translation, transport, tech help).

I do it in my Yiayia’s honor.

A Closing for the Table

If food feels scarce right now, you aren’t alone. There is a village—neighbors, strangers, entire networks—ready to help. Let the village hold you.

If you have the means to give, cook, or share, make it an offering to those who taught us what real community looks like.

Cooking consciously is more than a beautiful plate. It’s a promise we keep with one another: nourishment, in all its forms, belongs to everyone.

If this post helps, share it with someone who might need it. May it reach the right hands, at the right hour.