“You can’t build trust with your body if you’ve been taught it’s too expensive to care for.” THIS! This speaks to the struggle to view yourself as worthy of care in all ways - nourishment, medical care, rest, etc. Some of my childhood included food insecurity as well as abuse, so accepting myself as worthy has played a large part in my recovery.
Ah, Ellie, thank you so much for reflecting this back. It's so true that this runs deep -- way back to earlier experiences of not feeling fully supported or cared for. And how that influences the way we feel about our own worth. Every time you eat, you're telling yourself that you matter.
“You can’t recover if the very conditions that fed your disordered eating are being legislated back into your life.” WOW! This is such a poignant and spot-on message. I wholeheartedly agree with every single thing in this piece.
My family had significant financial challenges during a good portion of my childhood and teen years, and I remember how much stress and fear every visit to the grocery store held. This undoubtedly played a role in the development of my very tenuous relationship with food. This is such a critical issue, and I’m so glad you’re speaking on it in such a thoughtful way, Abbie. Thank you!
Thank you so so much for sharing this, Catherine. I deeply appreciate you adding to the conversation with your lived experience. It’s so real, and I can only imagine how much that history has added layers to your healing. I know how this impacts us deep in our soul and I really wish the gravity of this was more widely understood. I’m sending you love and support, always! So glad you’re here ❤️
I want to set up a food pantry in my yard too. I'm hoping to use a local Facebook group to promote it. Other thoughts on getting the word out there? Also, do you think it has any impact on the local food pantries if I ask my neighbors to contribute to it?
Erica, that’s amazing — I love that you’re doing this. Using a local Facebook group is a great idea! You could also post about it on neighborhood apps like Nextdoor, or even put up a small flyer.
And asking neighbors to contribute is wonderful. It's a great question about the pantry. I think the hope is that it complements local food pantries, not competes with them. Pantries tend to serve on a larger scale, while community boxes like yours fill the gaps in between, especially for folks who might not be able to get to a pantry during open hours. The more options for access, the better. I'm no expert, it's just what I'm thinking. We should ask around!
“You can’t build trust with your body if you’ve been taught it’s too expensive to care for.” THIS! This speaks to the struggle to view yourself as worthy of care in all ways - nourishment, medical care, rest, etc. Some of my childhood included food insecurity as well as abuse, so accepting myself as worthy has played a large part in my recovery.
Ah, Ellie, thank you so much for reflecting this back. It's so true that this runs deep -- way back to earlier experiences of not feeling fully supported or cared for. And how that influences the way we feel about our own worth. Every time you eat, you're telling yourself that you matter.
“You can’t recover if the very conditions that fed your disordered eating are being legislated back into your life.” WOW! This is such a poignant and spot-on message. I wholeheartedly agree with every single thing in this piece.
My family had significant financial challenges during a good portion of my childhood and teen years, and I remember how much stress and fear every visit to the grocery store held. This undoubtedly played a role in the development of my very tenuous relationship with food. This is such a critical issue, and I’m so glad you’re speaking on it in such a thoughtful way, Abbie. Thank you!
Thank you so so much for sharing this, Catherine. I deeply appreciate you adding to the conversation with your lived experience. It’s so real, and I can only imagine how much that history has added layers to your healing. I know how this impacts us deep in our soul and I really wish the gravity of this was more widely understood. I’m sending you love and support, always! So glad you’re here ❤️
I want to set up a food pantry in my yard too. I'm hoping to use a local Facebook group to promote it. Other thoughts on getting the word out there? Also, do you think it has any impact on the local food pantries if I ask my neighbors to contribute to it?
Erica, that’s amazing — I love that you’re doing this. Using a local Facebook group is a great idea! You could also post about it on neighborhood apps like Nextdoor, or even put up a small flyer.
And asking neighbors to contribute is wonderful. It's a great question about the pantry. I think the hope is that it complements local food pantries, not competes with them. Pantries tend to serve on a larger scale, while community boxes like yours fill the gaps in between, especially for folks who might not be able to get to a pantry during open hours. The more options for access, the better. I'm no expert, it's just what I'm thinking. We should ask around!
That's a good point. I realize I don't know much about the process of food pantries so I'm going to ask around to some in the community.