“Nearly 5 million senior citizens currently face hunger in our country.” (Feeding America). With the statistic being so high, it is no doubt that we should desperately search for solutions to provide aid, especially to those who need it. The primary issue of hunger can generally be solved in two ways: go to a grocery store to purchase ingredients or to pick up ready-made food. But what if we were neither able to commute to pick up the food nor had the ability to cook anymore? Eliminating the hardship to access fresh, healthy food as well as providing a plentitude of resources is what Friendship Tray’s mission is.

 

In 2010, 7.6 million people died of starvation. It was not a result of lack of food, but rather it was the result of multiple factors. Like children and minorities, the elderly population of the United States is more likely to fall under the statistic of those that are facing hunger compared to others. Senior citizens are particularly less capable to access of food due to limited mobility and transportation. They are less likely to capable of driving, and public transportation may not be a commodity available in every city. Through the meals on wheels program, cooked food can be effectively delivered to those that do not have access to healthy foods.

 

Friendship Trays started in 1976 due to six simple meals being delivered to elderly members of the Charlotte community. (Friendship Trays). This was only the beginning of Friendship Trays. Today, Friendship Trays has many strengths that contribute to their overall success. Over the years, the organization has converted all of its home deliveries from hot meals to chilled meals. "The food is quickly reduced in temperature after cooking to lock in more nutrients. The conversion allowed increased capacity without substantial kitchen expansion costs." (Friendship Trays). Another strength would be the importance that is placed on interpersonal skills. Delivery drivers usually are assigned to a certain area that they deliver food to on a day to day basis. Due to this, recipients are able to create bonds and have a sense of interaction with the drivers. Those that have a connection with their delivery drivers have reported that the meals not only taste better but that they look better. Today’s threat is not food capacity, but distribution and financial resources. With many volunteers being too busy in their day to day lives, it is hard for them to have to drive such far distances to make deliveries every day. To solve these challenges, Friendship Trays partners with seven distribution hubs throughout the Charlotte-Mecklenburg county. This allows for drivers to pick up meals from locations that are closer to them at their convenience.

 

The selflessness of others have also contributed to providing a change. An improvement that can benefit the organization greatly would be having more selfless volunteers. This can be accomplished through better marketing in order to spread the word. A threat that the organization can only try to tackle would be the wastage of food. Food wastage is the main reason that 1 in 8 people go to bed hungry. A third of all the food produced is never eaten, and thrown away instead. If we (as a planet) never wasted any food, no one would be hungry ever again. In addition, all the food that is never consumed would add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This would result in a change in climate, and eventually come back to obstruct food production. By saving all the extra food that is often made at Friendship Trays, they will play a remarkable role in decreasing overall food waste.

 

“That fight is about more than delivering aid… it is about promoting economic growth that helps nations develop.” (Obama, 2015). With the population at roughly seven billion people, food is not only scarce but an essential demand that is higher than ever.  The only way to reach our goal of eliminating world hunger is to become more involved through community outreach programs such as Friendship Trays as it could potentially save the lives of many.