The Shocking Truth About "Food Deserts" & Why Your Neighborhood Grocery Store Is Part Of The Problem

The air had a bite to it, the kind that seeps through layers of clothing and settles deep in the bones. I was walking back to my car after a morning service, the words of the Torah portion and the warmth of community still fresh in my mind. My thoughts were on the Oneg Shabbat to come, the tables soon to be filled with challah, kugel, and laughter.

And then I saw him.

He was sitting on a low wall, not far from the entrance of a brightly lit, modern grocery store. His shoulders were hunched against the wind, and he was carefully arranging a few coins on the concrete beside him. What struck me most wasn’t his worn jacket or his tired eyes—it was the stark, invisible wall that separated his reality from mine.

I was about to walk into that store and buy whatever my heart desired. He was outside, counting pennies, in the shadow of a building bursting with food.

In that moment, the term "food desert" crashed into my spirit with terrifying clarity. We often picture a food desert as a barren urban landscape miles from the nearest supermarket. But what if the desert isn’t always about absence? What if it’s sometimes about inaccessibility? The shocking truth is that for our homeless and poorest neighbors, a food desert can exist right on the doorstep of a fully stocked grocery store. The problem isn’t a lack of food in the area; it’s a lack of access, of means, of dignity to obtain it.

This is a pressing emergency, a silent famine unfolding on our streets. And as followers of Yeshua, grafted into the rich olive tree of Israel and called to be a light, we cannot ignore the hunger pangs of those Adonai places in our path.

God’s Heart for the Hungry: A Covenant of Compassion

Long before the term "social justice" entered our modern lexicon, the heart of God for the poor, the hungry, and the marginalized was beating at the very center of Torah and the Prophets. This is not a secondary issue; it is primary to God’s character and His instructions for a set-apart people.

“If there is among you a poor man, one of your brothers within any of your gates in your land which Adonai your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)

This command is direct and practical. It speaks to an open hand, not a clenched fist. It calls us to see the need within "any of your gates"—in our own neighborhoods, our own cities—and to respond with tangible support. The hunger crisis on our streets is happening within our gates. God’s instruction is clear: we are to be the ones who open our hands wide.

The prophet Isaiah delivers a message that cuts to the very heart of what true worship entails:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:6-7)

God defines a chosen fast not merely as abstaining from food, but as active engagement in justice and mercy. “Share your bread with the hungry.” “Bring to your house the poor who are cast out.” This is a call to personal, hands-on compassion. It moves beyond writing a check (though that has its place) and into the realm of relationship and radical hospitality. It asks us to see the hungry not as a project, but as “our own flesh.”

What Yeshua Teaches Us: The Messiah’s Mandate to Feed

Yeshua HaMashiach perfectly embodied the heart of the Father revealed in the Torah and the Prophets. His ministry was consistently directed toward the least, the last, and the lost. He didn’t just preach about the Kingdom of Heaven; He demonstrated it through acts of healing, liberation, and feeding.

The Gospels are filled with accounts of His compassion for the hungry. One of the most powerful is the feeding of the 5,000. But look closely at how it begins:

“Then Yeshua called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’” (Matthew 15:32)

Yeshua’s motivation was pure, unforced compassion. He saw their physical need—the growling stomachs, the weakness that would set in on the long journey home—and He was moved to act. He didn’t spiritualize their hunger away by saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” He knew that while spiritual bread is eternal, physical bread is necessary for survival today. He teaches us that compassion is the engine of action.

Furthermore, in His famous parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Yeshua leaves no room for ambiguity about how we will be judged:

“For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in... Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:35, 40)

This is perhaps the most challenging and inspiring truth. Yeshua so intimately identifies with the suffering that He considers every act of kindness toward the hungry, the thirsty, and the stranger as an act of kindness done directly to Him. When we ignore the man outside the grocery store, we are, in a spiritual sense, ignoring the Messiah who dwells in him by virtue of his inherent dignity as an image-bearer of God.

How We Can Respond: From Compassion to Concrete Action

Seeing this problem can feel overwhelming. The systemic issues are complex. But the call of Scripture is not to solve world hunger overnight; it is to be faithful with what is in our hand today. Here are a few ways we can move from a heart of compassion to hands of action:

1. See and Acknowledge: The first step is to break the habit of "hiding ourselves from our own flesh." Make a conscious effort to see the people around you. Offer a smile, a kind word, a "Shalom." Acknowledge their humanity. This costs nothing but changes everything.

2. Carry Blessing Bags: Keep ziplock bags in your car filled with non-perishable, easy-to-eat items like water bottles, granola bars, nuts, fruit cups, and crackers. Include a pair of socks—a desperately needed item. You can also add a note with a verse of encouragement or the address of a local soup kitchen.

3. Advocate and Support: Support local food pantries, soup kitchens, and Messianic ministries that are on the front lines. Donate food, funds, or your time. These organizations often understand the local "food desert" map better than anyone and can use your help to bridge the gaps.

4. Use Your Purchasing Power: Next time you’re in that grocery store, buy an extra banana, a pre-made sandwich, or a bottle of juice. On your way out, offer it. This simple act directly confronts the injustice of being surrounded by food you cannot have.

5. Pray with Purpose: Pray for the hungry by name if you know them. Pray for wisdom for community leaders. Pray for the Spirit to open your eyes to the needs He wants you to meet. Prayer is not an alternative to action; it is the fuel for it.

A Call to Compassion: Let’s Build an Oasis Together

The famine of dignity and access will not be solved by one person alone. But it will be solved by a community of believers, stirred by the Spirit of God, who decide that no one in their gates should have to sit in the shadow of plenty and feel the coldness of hunger.

This is our shared mission. This is a fundamental part of what it means to be a light to the nations and a kingdom of priests. We are called to turn food deserts into oases of hope, one act of compassion at a time.

If this message has stirred your heart, I want to gently invite you to join in this work. You are not alone in feeling the burden to help.

· You can pray. Pray for this ministry and for all those working to feed the hungry.

· You can share. Share this post to raise awareness. Sometimes the first step for others is simply to see the problem through a new lens.

· You can offer encouragement. Your words matter. Leave a comment with your own ideas or stories of how you’ve helped. Let’s inspire each other.

· You can give. If you feel led to support my writing and advocacy work, which aims to shine a light on these critical issues you can visit our support page. Your support allows this message to reach more people and helps fund practical efforts in our community.

But most importantly, just do something. Start small. Buy an extra sandwich. Smile and say “Shalom.” Donate a bag of groceries.

We serve the God who delivered manna in the wilderness and who, through His Son, fed thousands with a few loaves and fish. He specializes in multiplying our small acts of faithful love. Let’s step out in faith together, open our hands wide, and watch Him build an oasis in the desert.

Tizku l'mitzvot – may you be worthy to do good deeds.

With hope and shalom,

Kohathite.com