Contemporary Zimbabwe illustrates the complex ways in which economic, political, social, environmental factors, combined with high levels of illness and early mortality as a result of HIV infection, produce a food crisis. In both rural and urban areas, people are increasingly dependent on national and international food aid agencies for survival. The criteria used by relief agencies to define vulnerability, however, provide little or no flexibility in dynamic and fluid situations. Drawing on research conducted in the east Zimbabwe city of Mutare, we describe the combined impact of drought, unemployment, and inflation on food security and the policy context affecting access to food. In particular, we describe the experiences of primary caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS in low-income salaried households, who are ineligible for food aid, and the mechanisms they use to meet basic household needs. By drawing attention to the potency of the combination of economic, political, and natural disasters, we illustrate the importance of context in defining and responding to disaster.