When I came to the United States as a young refugee, my family had very little – except for the kindness of the neighbors who welcomed us. They brought us food, helped my mother find work and reminded us, in a new and uncertain world, that we were not alone. Those early experiences shaped my life and my cooking. And memories of them came rushing back as I traveled across the country this year filming my new PBS special.
In every place I visited – from wildfire-scarred neighborhoods outside Los Angeles to a pay-what-you-can café in Denver – I met ordinary Americans doing something extraordinary: stepping in for one another at a time when food prices, rents and daily anxieties are rising faster than many families can keep up.
Indeed, food insecurity in America is increasing. I saw the strain in every community I visited. When Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were temporarily halted recently, nearly 42 million Americans felt it – food pantries saw lines lengthen and parents told me they were stretching every ingredient they had.
While SNAP benefits have now been reinstated, the need has not disappeared. For many families, the safety net is still too thin, and new restrictions could put millions more at risk of losing the support that helps them feed their children with dignity.
