Food Insecurity

One day on the radio several years ago I heard this statement - "Over 800,000 kids in Chicago have food insecurity".  First, I didn't know there were 800,000 kids in Chicago.  But even if half that, that number is huge and sad to think of.  Ever since then, I have used "Reducing food insecurity in our communities" as an exercise when teaching PDCA during my Six Sigma presentation. The PLAN part becomes a lengthy topic.  How does one establish a baseline, collect data on where you are?  What action plan do you develop?  Who is involved in the action plan?  What target should one establish as going to 0 kids is a real stretch goal.  The DO piece is like the Nike ad - Just Do It.  The CHECK component becomes "Are we on track?  Are we collecting enough food?  Are we delivering to those in need?"  Finally, the ACT part is based on where we are, what direction we are on.  Then the circle repeats itself.  If we can execute PDCA successfully for a small town, then the process is shared to the next neighboring community.  And so on and so on.  

As we have discovered during this Covid-19 crisis, access to food is the one thing we ALL need. I have been blessed not having to worry about where my next meal is or that my pantry is empty.  But for those less fortunate, it is a real day-to-day challenge.  For some children, their school lunches were a primary source of a meal each day.  No Child should ever go hungry!  As you consider where to donate this year, please think about your local food bank.  

For more information about what ASQ is doing in terms of Social Responsibility, I direct you to:  https://my.asq.org/communities/home/225.