Rural Food Deserts

There are as many definitions of a rural food desert as there are researchers defining it, but most all agree that it is an area where healthy and affordable food is not accessible and that few or no full-service grocery stores exist. The notion of food deserts was born in the United Kingdom in the 1990’s when grocers moved out of the cities into the suburban market, leaving populated areas with no access to food retailers. In the U.S. it is somewhat different, as Blanchard states, “…the proliferation of convenience stores and gas stations ensure that some type of food is accessible to almost all residents. However, the quality and pricing of food products available in U.S. convenience stores and supermarkets varies dramatically.” Not only do consumers at convenience stores pay higher prices but typically fresh fruits and vegetables are not available and food that is available is of a lower nutritional value. “Thus the application of the food desert concept in the U.S. elucidates a great divide between those with and without access to low cost, high quality food.”

So where do food deserts come from? Have we always had them? The structure of the food retailing industry has become more concentrated over time. According to Walter Heller, Research Director at Progressive Grocer magazine, communities in the 1950’s used to have more than 50% of food retailing business done at Mom and Pop grocery stores. Now it is approximately 17%. As supercenter stores (hybrid stores offering groceries and discount merchandise such as Wal-Mart or Target) are built, small grocers are forced out of business. The buying power of large corporations has changed the distribution pattern within the industry. Also, in rural areas shrinking population from young people and families moving away to areas with more economic opportunity further squeeze small grocers and retailers. Supermarket chains locate their stores where they can attract the most shoppers which makes economic sense. Rural areas are the losers. All of these factors contribute to the creation of a rural food desert.

The effects of a food desert are born by the population. “The USDA estimates that groceries average 10% more in food deserts than at suburban grocers.” Thus the poor are at a disadvantage.

Refrigerators may be stocked with expensive fatty foods from a convenience store rather than fresh fruits and vegetables from the supermarket. In a case study of rural Iowa involving over 1,500 individuals, “the surveys uncovered… distinct challenges for residents: (1) A large share (more than 45%) did not consume adequate amounts of fresh fruits; (2) Nearly two-thirds did not consume adequate amounts of vegetables; (3) More than one-third (34%) lacked adequate dairy in their diet, and (4) More than one-fourth lacked the recommended levels of protein in their diet.” Not only are there fewer or no supermarkets in a food desert, fruit and vegetable markets are less prevalent in food deserts.

These findings are especially troublesome given that a larger proportion of the population of poor, low-income individuals and the disabled are found in food deserts. These are society’s most vulnerable members. “Food deserts may compound severe nutritional problems and further exacerbate the socioeconomic gradient in health status.”

What can be done? Morton and Blanchard make a variety of recommendations that go beyond the basic economic development that is needed. Grocer associations can advocate and innovate for reasonable wholesale pricing and distribution networks for small grocers. People should be encouraged to shop locally, supporting the existing rural grocers and creating farmers’ markets. The safety net of meals on wheels, community kitchens, food pantries and such should be enhanced. The transportation infrastructure needs to be assessed and a mix or private and public transportation options developed to provide resident’s access to food retailers. And lastly, more support is needed for the 2007 Farm Bill which funds the Food Stamp Program, which helps families afford more nutritious food, wherever Food Stamps are accepted.

Blanchard, Troy C. and Thomas A. Lyson. Retail Concentration, Food Deserts, and Food Disadvantaged Communities in Rural America. page 1.
Ibid. page 2.
“Residents do without in America’s ‘food deserts’” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5353901.
Morton, Lois Wright and Troy C. Blanchard. Starved for Access: Life in Rural American’s Food Deserts, Rural Realities. page 1.
“Residents do without in America’s ‘food deserts’” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5353901.
Morton, Lois Wright and Troy C. Blanchard. Starved for Access: Life in Rural American’s Food Deserts, Rural Realities. page 4.
Blanchard, Troy C. and Thomas A. Lyson. Retail Concentration, Food Deserts, and Food Disadvantaged Communities in Rural America. page 14.
Ibid, page 15.

New Farmers’ Market Opens in Mason Square

Four tents, colorful vegetables, beautiful flowers, fragrant herbs, and a crowd of people await you at 11 Wilbraham Road in Mason Square, Springfield these Saturday mornings. A new farmers’ market is up and running thanks to Concerned Citizens of Mason Square. Formed in 2006 in a response to Target:Hunger Springfield partners’ expressing the need for a farmers’ market as a way to increase food security for the area, Concerned Citizens has been working on the market for about a year.

John Osborn, manager of the Concerned Citizens of Mason Square Farmers’ Market, said that the market started under the leadership of Tasha Moultrie, coordinator of Target:Hunger Springfield. Community leader and Target:Hunger partner Synthia Scott-Mitchell had been involved in starting a farmers' market in Mason Square in the past, which ended up moving to downtown Springfield several years ago. She felt the time was ripe to try to start another. Following her inspiration, Moultrie approached people and organizations to plan the project. These residents of Mason Square formed Concerned Citizens of Mason Square and then directed the project with the support of Target:Hunger.

In February of 2007 Concerned Citizens and Target:Hunger hit the streets with a survey to determine interest in a farmers' market and what kinds of produce residents would prefer.

Concerned Citizens met once a month and used The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in a supporting role - such as temporarily acting as fiscal agent until Concerned Citizens wins 501c3 non-profit status.

The Food Bank approached CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) to attract farmers to the market. CISA’s mission is to strengthen relationships between local farmers and consumers in western Massachusetts.

Flying Pitchfork Collective, one of the farms, came on board serendipitously. Alice Posner, a member of the collective, was interviewing at The Food Bank for an internship position when she learned of the opportunity for farms to supply the new market. Flying Pitchfork is in its first year of existence and is made up of a small core group of people 18 to 25 years old and a lot of volunteers who want to learn to farm. They have 1 acre in production on a New England Small Farms site in Belchertown. To support Flying Pitchfork and mitigate the risk in attending a new market, CISA paid Flying Pitchfork to deliver 25 senior farm shares to a senior center in the area once a week for ten weeks. The Food Bank Farm was further able to support the collective in its first year in providing produce for the collective to sell at the market if its harvest fell short. The Food Bank loaned a van to the farm to use two times a week.

Goosefoot and Garlic farm also became involved with the market through CISA. They committed to coming every other week so that they could have some time off but have been there most weeks anyway. The Food Bank offered cold storage facilities to them to make it easier to harvest during normal working hours rather than getting up at 3:00 a.m. on the day of the market to pick all the vegetables.

Gardening the Community, a youth-centered community based urban agriculture project, where principles of sustainable living are introduced and fostered, is one of the original organizations involved in starting the market. Youth who are involved with the project grow organic fruits and vegetables on abandoned lots on Central and on Lebonan Streets. To support Gardening the Community’s participation, The Food Bank provided $2,400 in funds bequeathed in honor of Ricky Fogel, a former employee of The Food Bank’s own organic farm. This fund was established in his memory to support young people working for food security. It’s being used to provide stipends for the 12 youth who come to the market weekly to sell their produce and to conduct outreach.

The final step in organizing the market before it opened was doing outreach. It’s been a collective effort with all Target:Hunger partners stepping in and advertising through church bulletins and fliers. Gardening the Community participants canvass the area weekly, distributing 800 to 1,000 fliers throughout the neighborhood. Target:Hunger’s Mason Square Food Resource Guide also advertised it, and is being given out by the Mason Square Health Center and WIC office. Osborn contacted the local fire station where they hung a banner advertising it.

The market’s grand opening (actually its second week in business) was July 21, 2007. It is selling kale, radishes, jalapeños peppers, corn potatoes, collard greens, mustard greens, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers (both pickling and English), tomatoes, carrots, flowers, garlic, onions, scallions, eggplant, corn, cantaloupe, and herbs.

Osborn said that people’s reactions to the market have been good. “There’s a good buzz in the neighborhood. Fresh food is available at competitive prices. People get here at 8:00 to 8:30 waiting for the market to open at 9:00. It’ll only get better as word spreads through the neighborhood and the total number utilizing the market increases. We get a steady flow from open to close.” Diana Riddle of Goosefoot and Garlic Farm said the first few days have been unexpectedly good regardless of the wind the first day and rain just last week. She was excited at the turnout for the new market.

All the partners involved who made the market possible agree that the immediate impact of the market has been to get fresh locally produced produce into the neighborhood. Good nutrition will positively impact the health of the residents. Moultrie said, “People are coming out, showing their support.” And she noted, they are building community again.

Another positive impact has been that the market is seeing a lot of WIC vouchers. WIC vouchers allow WIC participants to get a specified amount of fruits and vegetables for free.

The market is having a glorious first year but there are issues and concerns.

Pricing at the market has been a bit of a struggle for the farmers. Posner of Flying Pitchfork said they want a decent price that encourages people to buy the vegetables but it also must be sustainable for the farmers. Diana Riddle of Goosefoot and Garlic farm said they also find the pricing to be troublesome. They use other farmers’ markets as a reference and also check prices at C-Town, a market in Mason Square. “But,” Riddle says, “prices are so low [at C-Town] we can’t match them, but get the idea of what to expect. We price lower [at this market] than other markets.” Osborn said, “[People are] very pleased with pricing.”

Osborn said that Concerned Citizens has been approached by produce resellers who would like to set up at the market. However, Concerned Citizens wants to keep the market limited to actual producers rather than have resellers involved, in order to ensure the farmers profit from their work.

Moultrie said one of the future goals of the market is to get a machine that can process debit, credit, and EBT cards for all the vendors. Currently Goosefoot and Garlic Farm is authorized to process foodstamps over the phone. And finally, Moultrie adds, it would be great to be able to offer entertainment each week.

“The greatest challenge [to the market] is getting a full complement of offerings because there is such diversity in the neighborhood,” Osborn states. Hopes for the future include “more farmers to expand the variety of products offered.” Also, to use the venue to provide information about programs and services in the area to the people using the market and turn it into a community event. Osborn said that the market can provide fellowship and there may be other ways to spin off to give benefit. “Growth in the community piece is almost as important as the fresh produce.”

Mason Square Comes Together for Cookout to End Hunger

Target:Hunger Springfield kicked off its outreach efforts, appropriately enough, with a cookout on Friday, June 22 at Magazine Park on St. James Ave. in Springfield. About 800-900 local residents attended in weather ranging from perfect to wet and chilly. Children, adults, teens, and elders gathered to enjoy free food from the grill, entertainment and to connect with 32 local programs offering food stamps, nutrition education, oral health, a soon-to-open farmers’ market, and other resources.

The day featured step-dancing and inspirational choral vocals by Dream Studios, basketball and hula hoop demos by local youth, DJ Camacho, face-painting, the USDA Power Panther, and Sparky the Fire Dog. Two kid-friendly performances by FoodPlay – an interactive nutrition education theater – addressed challenges often faced by urban residents, such as the abundance of fast food and lack of access to fresh produce. FoodPlay jugglers asked a crowd of little kids, “How much sugar is in this can of soda?” and had the delighted children count loudly along as they threw a juggling pin (really a soda bottle) across the stage – nine times. Door prizes and giveaways took place throughout the day.

Speakers included keynote Bettye Anderson Frederic, Deputy Director of Springfield’s Department of Health and Human Services, community activist Michael Branch as closing speaker, and short addresses by Rep. Benjamin Swan and Sen. Stephen Buoniconti. Frederic spoke on the importance of good nutrition, breastfeeding, and supporting local food systems. Branch praised the community for coming together for this event and talked about his personal experience with hunger, in which he went from being a provider of services to a client of local pantries – whom he said treated him with generosity and respect. The Urban League’s Andrew Cade, a popular WTCC radio host, emceed the event.

The Cookout raised awareness of food and nutrition resources available to families in Mason Square, including Food Stamps, community gardens, Summer Meal Service programs for children, and a new farmers’ market. More than 500 of Target:Hunger Springfield’s new Mason Square Food Resource Guide were distributed.
The fair held information tables and onsite enrollment opportunities for Food Stamps, and information on many other programs, such as WIC, MassHealth, nutrition education, oral health, and youth job opportunities at Six Flags. The Cookout marked the official launch of Target:Hunger's campaign to increase Food Stamp enrollment in Mason Square.

Other current projects organized by Target:Hunger Springfield partners are the Concerned Citizens of Mason Square Farmers’ Market, opening July 14; and an Infant Formula Pilot Project, offering emergency infant formula.

PHC Presents The Family Community Cookout was organized by the Cookout Steering Committee: Pioneer Valley Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA), Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), Northern Educational Services (NES), Springfield Girls’ Club Family Center, Springfield Department of Health and Human Services, Springfield Partners for Community Action, and The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, which was also the lead coordinating agency for Target:Hunger.

In addition to Partners for a Healthier Community, the Cookout was also sponsored by 22 News, Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, C&S Wholesale Grocers, BMC HealthNet, Springfield Department of Health and Human Services, Branford Hall, the Caring Health Center, Springfield Partners for Community Action, and Forest Park Rental.

Williams College Plays Role in Eliminating Hunger

During the first of the four year Target:Hunger program, Helen Harrison, Program Manager of Target:Hunger contacted Sadie Miller, a MACC Americorps VISTA volunteer at Williams College who serves as a representative of the Center for Community Engagement at Williams. Sadie, along with junior Kendall Newman, began participating in Target:Hunger community planning groups. And from there the magic was born.

Helen became involved in student organizing events, speaking at the Students for Social Justice’s Oxfam Hunger Banquet. Through the Target:Hunger meetings, the William College’s Center for Community Engagement began a partnership with Berkshire SHARE, a food cooperative serving low-income folks in the Berkshires that operates without adequate resources. Proceeds from the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, the Alumni Office’s tag sale, and other student fundraisers benefited Berkshire SHARE and many students began volunteering once a month on SHARE’s delivery day.

Williams College currently operates a WRAPS program – Williams Recovery of All Perishable Surplus – where unused food is rescued from the food commons and is distributed to local programs. Helen and Sadie, coupled with Mass. College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) VISTA volunteer Samantha Cesario and MCLA junior Ben Lamb, met to discuss the creation of an MCLA WRAPS program.

Helen agreed to act as a community advisor for the “Eliminating Hunger in the Berkshires” action group of the Berkshire Institute for Student Activism in November, 2006. The role allowed Helen to connect with student activists from MCLA, Williams College, Berkshire Community College, Southern Vermont College, and Simon’s Rock College. Her connections and guidance brought their organizing to a new level. The students plan to continue their work with Target:Hunger through a self-designed project where they will partner with Northern Berkshire Neighbors, which works with groups in low-income neighborhoods. The students plan to work in these communities to create monthly community meals and recipe swaps. The recipes will then be used to create a cookbook of healthy, easy, affordable dishes that are favorites of local people.

A grant to support community gardens for low-income folks in the Northern Berkshires was created through Target:Hunger community planning groups. Jennifer Munoz from REACH Community Health Foundation brought together Helen, Sadie, Debbie Rosselli from the North Adams Public Schools Service-Learning program, and Valerie Schwarz from the Berkshire Food Project (a non-profit created by Williams College students twenty years ago). Over the summer, Williams College students will act as garden mentors, recruiting gardeners to coordinate gardening projects, including planting, maintenance, and harvesting. The garden mentors will be supported in the community by REACH and Target:Hunger, and have their room, board, and living stipends provided through the Center for Community Engagement’s Community Scholar’s program.

During winter study, Williams College junior Elizabeth Gleason worked with Helen as an intern where she wrote a proposal for the North Adams Farmers’ Market to install an EBT (Food Stamp) machine, expand the marketing program, expand community involvement in the market, and plan for a “demonstration day” event (with trial EBT acceptance, entertainment, and special promotions) during the 2007 season. This was considered in early spring by the farmers who operate the market.

In addition, Sadie helped Helen connect with Paula Consolini, who has conducted three poverty simulations with Williams College students, faculty, and community. Helen, two of her colleagues from The Food Bank, and two Target:Hunger activists who have experienced poverty served as informants, advisors and “actors” for the simulations, which about 60 Williams College participants took part in.

With Sadie and Helen’s encouragement and support, three Williams College students are now in the exploratory stage of starting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in the Northern Berkshires that would provide a portion of its shares at a discount, and have produce available for pick-up at accessible locations. The Food Bank is hoping to leverage grants and other supports to launch this project and others by 2009, and hope to sustain this work through encouraging future leaders in food justice.

Groups Promoting Classroom Breakfasts in School

From FRAC News Digest articles, Issue 11, March 12, 2007

Groups across the country are promoting classroom breakfasts through a variety of means.

The “got breakfast? ™” Foundation in partnership with Share Our Strength will offer grants available nationwide to schools interested in implementing a classroom breakfast. “Studies show that serving breakfast in the classroom breaks down many of the traditional barriers to getting students the most important meal of the day”, said Pat Nicklin of Share Our Strength.

ARAMARK, a national company that manages food services in schools, launched a new program “AMP Up with Breakfast.” The program features over 400 ‘grab and go’ products including fruits, wholesome hot foods, cereals, breakfast snacks, yogurt and juices appropriate for classrooms, cafeterias and portable stations.

In Wisconsin the Milwaukee Public School system is providing a free breakfast to all students, in the classroom, thus eliminating any stigma attached with the program and ensuring that all students are present when breakfast is available. The Milwaukee-based Hunger Task Force expects Wisconsin to be ranked in the mid-40’s on breakfast participation when last year it was last on the list of 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Rep. James P. McGovern Calls for Investing Additional Resources in Anti-Hunger Programs

The following is taken directly from FRAC News Digest,Issue 14, April 2, 2007

(House Congressional Record of March 28, 2007, frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov, March 28, 2007)

“The decision to tolerate hunger in America has serious costs for us as a nation,” stated Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., in his remarks in support of the Rule for the Consideration of H. Con. Res. 99, concurrent the Budget Resolution for FY2008. “This Budget Resolution – by providing a $20 billion reserve fund for the Farm Bill and by rejecting the President’s arbitrary eligibility cuts to Food Stamps and the elimination of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program – not only makes a strong statement on the need to combat hunger in America, it actually takes concrete steps to do so,” said McGovern. “Food Stamp benefits … are too meager to solve the problem, he said, and are missing four in every ten eligible people. McGovern called it “unconscionable” that the programs proven to combat hunger are “continually under attack.” He urged lawmakers to invest additional resources in the next Farm Bill, needed to improve anti-hunger programs. “It should improve the food stamp benefit, open eligibility to vulnerable and underserved groups, and adequately fund and fully utilize USDA resources to support emergency food assistance and other commodity assistance programs that serve the needy.”

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=H3194&dbname=2007_record

The Legislative Fight to Protect the Food Stamp Program

The Farm Bill is in the process of coming up before Congress to be approved. Among other things, the Food Stamp Program is part of it. This important food and nutrition program is one of the main vehicles that the government uses to address domestic hunger and it serves approximately 26 million people each month. This time Bush has suggested decreasing the program when in actuality, an increase is needed. Food stamp entitlements have not been adjusted for inflation for years. Politicians, local leaders and journalists across the nation have taken The Food Stamp Challenge, a public relations campaign to call attention to inadequate food stamp allocations where people try to eat on a food stamps budget for a day, week, or month. It is hoped that the campaign will strengthen support for the Food Stamp Program.

According to FRAC, ”the Feeding America's Families Act (H.R 2129) makes long overdue --and desperately needed-- changes in the Food Stamp Program by improving benefit levels, expanding eligibility, and improving access. It addresses outdated resource tests that count modest savings against a person's eligibility. It also provides families with greater access to an adequate diet by raising the food stamp benefit levels, which currently average a meager $1 per person per meal and only $10 a month for those at the minimum benefit level.”

Groups and advocates are pushing for additional spending on the program. According to the June 6 FRAC News Digest, on National Hunger Awareness Day (June 5), Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin stressed the importance of easing eligibility rules and raising benefits in the Food Stamp Program as part of the next Farm Bill. Harkin said that these issues must be addressed before the Farm Bill can pass through Congress.

Information, quotes, and excerpts for the above article was gathered from Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) News Digest Issue 16, April 16, 2007, Issue 18, May 8, 2007 and Issue 19, June 6, 2007.

Food Stamp Challenge Sweeps the Nation

Have you tried eating on the average food stamps allocation of $1 per meal yet? Politicians, local leaders, and journalists have across the nation in the hopes of bringing awareness to the issue of inadequate food stamp allocations in today’s environment. They hope that in doing so it will strengthen support for the Food Stamp Program, which is being reviewed by Congress this year.

Members of Congress, led by Representatives James McGovern (D-Mass.) and JoAnn Emerson (R-Mo.), embarked on a week-long challenge. Reps. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) also participated.

McGovern began the challenge with his wife by grocery shopping at Safeway. They were allotted just $42 for the week and their total bill came to $41.70. McGovern pointed out that the goal of the challenge is to ensure that no one in this country should be food insecure. Emerson stuck to the budget as well but noted that she had to forego some favorite items because of the cost.

Nevada reporter Kat Kerlin, of the Reno Nevada News and Review accepted the challenge using the maximum food stamp benefit given to an individual of $155 a month. She reported during her first week, “I’m hungry and cranky, and I broke down. There was a yogurt I left in the office fridge from last week (not part of the budgeted diet), so I ate it to hold me over for the next 2-3 hours until I can go home and make dinner. Next week, I’ll buy some peanut butter to get me through the day,” Kerlin abandoned the diet at the end of the second week and reports “There’s a weird, psychological deprivation … that comes from not being able to eat or buy food whenever, wherever I want, so when I finally get it, I inhale it, like someone might take it away from me.” According to FRAC digest, she also describes people on real food stamps who she met at local food banks. She observed that for many of the people who she met who are on food stamps, help with applying for food stamps can play a crucial role in whether they will have enough to eat. Kerlin also discovered that the lack of basic conveniences such as a freezer and refrigerator or a car add extra difficulty to their ability to put food on the table.

Information, quotes, and excerpts for the above article was gathered from Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) News Digest, Issue 13, March 26, 2007 and Issue 20, June 11, 2007.

Passing on Food Stamps is a Missed Opportunity for Economic Growth

States across the nation are looking at their enrollment rates in food stamps and other entitlement programs and realizing they are losing big-time when their citizens don’t enroll in the programs. In Ohio, according to an April 28, 2007 article in Cleveland.com, “state officials say that about $1.5 billion in public benefits, from tax credits to food stamps, goes unclaimed by eligible Ohioans every year.” According to the Santa Fe Mexican, the Food Stamp Program is expected to bring $280 million to New Mexico’s economy in 2007. Every $5 spent on food stamps in New Mexico creates $9.20 in economic activity for local communities according to the state’s Human Services Department. When people don’t enroll in programs, the opportunity for federally allotted funds to infuse local economies is lost. States are examining their program’s enrollment processes to streamline applying for benefits.

Food Stamp Participation

Nationally, the food stamp participation rate of eligible people in 2002 was 54 percent. In Massachusetts it was 39 percent. In the Mason Square area (the 01109 zip code), the Mass Department of Transitional Aide measured the participation rate in 2005 at 24 percent. In the Northern Berkshires, it ranges between 67 and 98 percent depending on which community you are in.

The Food Stamp Program provided 65 percent of the total of all possible benefits. Approximately 80 percent of those eligible participate who have incomes below poverty. However, only 22 percent of eligible persons participate who have incomes above poverty. The groups with the lowest food stamp participation rates are those hardest to reach: immigrants, seniors, and the working poor. Almost half of food pantry users who are eligible to receive food stamps do not receive them.

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service have researched various aspects of the problem of getting people to participate in the Food Stamp Program (FSP) and thus enhance their food security. Overall, the pattern of participation closely follows patterns in poverty and the US economic cycle. However, there are reasons why people who are eligible for benefits do not apply.

1) Lack of information about eligibility. Changes in eligibility rules have at times caused decreases in the participation rate and at other time, increases. Changes add to the confusion about eligibility which cannot be simplified for easy communication to potential participants. For example, restrictions on the eligibility of non-citizens has impacted the program in the past. In 2001, eligibility was restored for many non-citizens as well as vehicle rules were relaxed, causing an increase in participation. Less than half of all eligible non-participants think that they are eligible.

2) A sense that benefits were not needed

3) Dissatisfaction with the size of the benefit

4) The complexity of the application process

5) The stigma attached to participation.

Who’s Participating?

Fifty percent of the participants are children under the age of 18, and one-half of the households include at least one child.

Eight percent of all participants are elderly and about 17 percent of the households include an elderly person. Twenty-three percent of households include someone who is disabled.

Forty-two percent are adults (not including the elderly).

Of the total, approximately four percent are non-citizens. Another three percent are naturalized citizens. The highest racial/ethnic category is 43 percent for non-Hispanic white. African-American’s make up 33 percent and Hispanic’s 19 percent.

Approximately 40 percent of participants live in households with earnings. Households with TANF (welfare assistance) make up 22 percent, households with SSI make up 21 percent, and households with social security make up 17 percent.

In one study on estimating the probabilities and patterns of food stamp use across a lifetime, it is estimated that 49 percent of all children will receive benefits before they reach age 20 and that 51 percent of all adults will receive benefits at some point between the ages of 20 and 65.

Who’s Not Participating?

Ninety-six percent of eligible non-participants know of the program. Two-thirds know where to go to apply. About half have received food stamps before as adults.

Eligible non-participants include the elderly and non-disabled childless adults – less than one-third of them receive benefits. People in households with earnings participate at lower-than-average rates. People in households made up of citizen children but non-citizen parents also participate at lower-than-average rates.

Nearly 60 percent of eligible non-participants would qualify for a benefit of more than $100 per month. Thirty percent would qualify for more than $200.

Sixty-nine percent of non-participants would apply for food stamp benefits if they knew that they were eligible. Twenty-seven percent would not. The reason for not applying most cited by these households is personal independence.

Urban Food Deserts

"The areas with the highest concentrations of single mothers and children almost always turn out to be food deserts."

The proximity of a full-service supermarket or grocery store can have a strong impact on health and food security. Communities lacking a full-service grocery store are known as "food deserts." They are most often found in lower-income communities.

 A 2002 study found that low-income neighborhoods had three times fewer supermarkets, but a comparable numbers of small grocers and convenience stores to middle- and upper-income neighborhoods. (Neighborhood Characteristics Associated With The Location Of Food Stores And Food Service Places. Moreland, Rouz, et al. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 2002)

 There are fewer supermarkets and grocery stores in urban areas. The number of supermarkets and large grocery stores is slightly lower in high-poverty urban areas than in other urban areas. (Family Economics and Nutrition Review. USDA. Fall 1997)

 Supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods tend to offer fewer full-service departments or nonfood product lines. (ibid)

 More than 23% of low-income families who have had to use emergency food pantries report that there is not affordable transportation to get to their nearest grocery store or supermarket. (The Food Environment and Food Security. 2004. USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.)

Urban families travel farther and pay more for food than do their suburban counterparts
 When a full-service grocery store is available, the prices low-income urban consumers pay to purchase a market basket are comparable to prices at supermarkets in higher income urban areas. However, in contrast to other areas, high-poverty urban areas have fewer supermarkets and an extraordinarily high number of easily accessible, small groceries with less variety and higher prices than supermarkets. (ibid)

 City dwellers spend more time getting to and from the grocery store than do people in suburban or rural areas. (ibid)

 Urban Food Stamp participants prefer to spend the vast bulk of their benefits at full-service supermarkets, when they have access to them. (Family Economics, op cit).

Lack of access to grocery stores affects health, nutrition and obesity.
 Poor people have a higher rate of overweight and obesity, and tend to live in neighborhoods with fewer large supermarkets and more small convenience stores. These smaller stores often carry higher prices. (National Health Information Center, US Dept of Health and Human Services. 2005.)

 Children living in metropolitan areas with higher priced fruits and vegetables gain significantly more weight than children living in areas where these items are more affordable. (Metropolitan Area Food Prices and Children’s Weight Gain. Sturm and Datar. RAND Corporation, 2005.)

 Chicagoans who live in areas where grocery stores are scarce and there are many fast-food restaurants are more likely to die prematurely and at greater rates from diabetes, cancer or heart disease, the study found. Residents of such areas also are more likely to be obese or suffer from hypertension. Researcher Mari Gallagher measured the distance to the nearest grocery and the nearest fast-food outlet for every city block to calculate a “food balance” score for each community. The more a community is imbalanced in terms of food choices, the higher the occurrence of chronic health issues and diet-related deaths.

“As grocery store access decreases, obesity increases.” Gallagher said the addition of even a single grocery store in an area where there are few to none could lower obesity rates. The most disadvantaged group is African Americans, who travel the farthest to any type of food store. The areas with the highest concentrations of single mothers and children almost always turn out to be food deserts. The study is “building the case that this is a public policy and public health issue,” LaDonna Redmond, president of the Institute for Community Resource Development, said. “There has to be a comprehensive plan to restore access to underserved communities and it’s not just a matter of getting more supermarkets.”
(“Early Death Tied to Lack of Grocery Stores,” suntimes.com, July 18, 2006)

Equal Opportunity for Children Must Include Good Nutrition

By Helen Harrison, Coordinator for Target:Hunger North Berkshire
January, 2007

All of us want children from all backgrounds to have the same chances for growth, play, learning, and achievement. We know that the quality and variety of foods children eat lay the foundation for robust child development. But what if a family cannot afford to give its children the kind of nutrition they need for healthy physical and intellectual development?

Food insecurity – uncertain access to a nutritionally adequate and safe diet – affects 11% of households nationally. In the seven towns of northern Berkshire County (Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, North Adams, Savoy, and Williamstown), 18% of households are food-insecure.

Most parents in food-insecure households are able to protect their children from actually going without food – often by skipping meals themselves. But even though children may be getting enough calories, the quality of their diet may be compromised. When money is tight, fruits and vegetables frequently are the first items crossed off the shopping list. Low-income families are twice as likely not to eat fruits and vegetables as higher-income families, and research suggests this is largely due to cost. As the price of fruits and vegetables goes up in a community, consumption among children goes down.

As consumption of fruits and vegetables declines, rates of childhood obesity go up. It seems like a paradox, but the same children who may look overfed may be malnourished when it comes to consuming the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats they need for proper development – including brain development. At the same time, they may be eating too much of the wrong things – like simple carbohydrates and trans fats. Products with these ingredients tend to be cheap and easy to find in any corner store.

Lack of adequate transportation and lack of a nearby supermarket are barriers to good nutrition for many families. “Food deserts” – areas without full-service supermarkets – are most common in neighborhoods with large numbers of single mothers with children. The simple presence or absence of a nearby supermarket has been shown to have a measurable impact on health and mortality.

What all of this means is that lower-income children are often disadvantaged from birth not only in terms of education and material resources, but in access to the very building blocks necessary for healthy bodies and brains. Eighteen percent of low-income infants and toddlers require medical treatment for iron deficiency anemia. Lack of adequate calcium and iron makes children more vulnerable to lead poisoning. Food-insecure children suffer greater rates of cognitive impairment, lowered immune response, and obesity. And research has demonstrated that food insecurity, independent of other factors, hinders children’s academic and social development.

Fortunately, there are ways to improve children’s nutrition without having to wait until we’ve solved the larger puzzles of inadequate wages and unemployment. Federally funded programs such as Food Stamps, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), school breakfast and lunch, and summer meal programs demonstrably improve children’s nutritional intake, help families make better food choices, and even improve children’s body mass index (BMI).

The impact of these programs can be augmented by Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Summer programs, through which school food service and summer programs buy their produce from local farmers. This fresh produce makes school meals more nutritious and better tasting. This ends up benefiting potentially food-insecure children the most, since they are more likely to participate in school and summer meals.

Bringing “locally grown” even closer to home, involvement in school and community gardens has been shown to increase children’s vitamin and mineral intake. Kids are more likely to eat produce they have grown themselves. Nutrition education and cooking classes help kids establish lifelong healthy habits and skills. When offered as part of a curriculum centered on gardening or Farm-to-School programs, kids build healthy bodies while learning about ecology and local food systems.

Target:Hunger North Berkshire is a community-based project dedicated to reducing hunger by improving food security through strategies like these. More than two dozen organizations in northern Berkshire County, coordinated by The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts with support from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, are working toward our shared goal of reducing hunger by 10% in four years while creating a replicable model for change.

For more information, including sources for the research referenced in this article, contact Helen Harrison at helenh@foodbankwma.org or 1-413-247-9738 x108.

Profile: Deacon Frank

Rev. Francis J. Ryan, otherwise known as Deacon Frank, and his wife, Kathleen, founded Take and Eat, Inc. in 2003 with the intention of enabling faith-based community organizations to prepare and deliver hot meals to homebound seniors on weekends and three-day holidays free of charge. This was to supplement the government funded Meals-on-Wheels Program that serves seniors on Monday through Friday. Take and Eat requires participants to be over 60 years of age and have a chronic physical disability that keeps them from leaving home to shop and prevents them from preparing meals to meet daily nutritional needs. This addresses a national problem of homebound elders not having food to eat on weekends.

Take and Eat’s first meal was prepared and delivered on Easter Sunday in 2003, to 80 elders in the St. Anthony’s Parish of North Adams. Take and Eat now delivers meals to over 700 clients and functions in the Williamstown, North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, and Pittsfield communities. To do this it takes a strong volunteer base which Take and Eat uses to run the program. Currently 23 faith-based organizations of all denominations take part, with 700 volunteers contributing their time and effort. Take and Eat estimates that it has delivered over 40,000 meals over the course of the first three years and its client base is growing. This year alone, it has already delivered 22,500 meals as of early November. Take and Eat is also expanding this coming year with new start-up programs in Franklin County and Chicopee.

The program’s major source of funding comes from the Annual Catholic Appeal of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, MA. By using volunteers and The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Take and Eat delivers meals at less than a dollar each. Deacon Frank said that the cost to the government’s Meals-on-Wheels is approximately $6.00 per meal.

Deacon Frank attributes the success of the program to the people who run it. “People want to help. People love it and everything is in place. Recipes are on the internet.” Most churches have an underutilized kitchen which can be used. If any church is interested in the Take and Eat program, you can contact Deacon Frank at 413.664.1041.

Through his participation in Target:Hunger Deacon Frank heard about Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) from Project Bread, another Target:Hunger partner. SFSPs are federally funded programs that provide free meals to low-income children during the summer when school is out. They usually are run as part of a school, park, public pool, neighborhood center or other local program. Only one child in five who qualifies for free school meals takes part in a SFSP.

During this past summer Deacon Frank established a program to go with activities around St. Anthony’s Parish such as field trips and classes. Both breakfast and lunch were served to an average of 51 children per day. Project Bread supplied a small grant used to purchase a refrigerator to hold milk.

The program was marketed through the North Adam’s network of community programs, radio ads, and the school system.

Target:Hunger Springfield Initiates an Infant Formula Food Pantry

In March a new infant formula food pantry will be opening in the Mason Square area to accommodate women needing infant formula near the end of the month. Typically pantries do not stock this item, leaving many of the women no choice except to water down formula to stretch it or substituting fruit juice in its place. Unfortunately, this is a regular occurrence for many resulting in inadequate nutrition for the infant. WIC is a great program and addresses the need for infant formula but it is a supplemental program and not designed to carry the full load. Through Target:Hunger meetings the need for infant formula came to light thanks to Frank Robinson from Partners for a Healthier Community, WIC and a number of food pantries. The Target:Hunger Strategy 1 Team, who focuses on reducing the number of people who are hungry now by connecting them effectively with emergency food, decided to address the issue.

The team approached this issue looking both to solve the immediate need and the underlying causes. In addressing the immediate need, there was an assumption among the community that formula was available from pediatricians and health care systems but this turned out to be untrue. Both the health systems and pediatricians reported that they too saw a need for formula but they didn’t have a solution. This is where The Food Bank stepped in. Through increased funding this year from the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP), The Food Bank has managed to buy infant formula to stock the pantry. A site for the pantry has not yet been determined but will be soon.

However, the underlying issues causing this specialized food shortage still need addressing and the team continues to work towards that. Amherst college students researched the issue and wrote a policy brief unearthing several layers to the problem, including the question of whether the mother’s of these infants themselves have adequate nutrition. It also is clear that society’s policies, as they exist today, do not support the mothers who are in the teen population. They are required to immediately return to school in order to maintain benefits and assistance yet it is doubtful that they are provided with an area where they can pump breast milk and store it. Underlying causes will take time to be addressed.

Community Plan for Target:Hunger Northern Berkshires

Target:Hunger Northern Berkshire is a community organizing project affecting the towns of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, North Adams, Savoy, and Williamstown. It is a multi-sector partnership of more than two dozen organizations and individuals, including social service agencies, communities of faith, concerned residents, farmers, students, schools and colleges, working together to reduce hunger in Northern Berkshire by 10% in four years while increasing food security for everyone in the community. The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is coordinating this effort with support from the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. Toward the goal of ending this great want in the midst of plenty, the Target:Hunger Northern Berkshire partners have drafted this six-point Community Plan.

Strategy #1: Create a directory to connect residents with food security resources in their own community. Market the Food Stamp Program. Train local agencies on this and other federal nutrition programs. Use the media to help.

Strategy #2: Improve local infrastructure to support food security. Map the Northern Berkshire food shed, relative food prices, services, public transportation routes, farms, schools, and areas where significant numbers of low-income people live. Create transportation links to grocery stores, co-ops, and services through BRTA, TANB, agency vans, and other means. Organize and expand food rescue programs from stores, restaurants, and colleges.

Strategy #3: Initiate and support food and agricultural businesses that promote food security and create opportunities for low-income people. Increase the use of farmers’ markets and other sources of local produce. Help farmers’ markets accept food stamps (EBT cards) and refine WIC and senior farmers’ market coupon acceptance. Create a “secondary market” co-op using surplus from orchards, farms, stores, distributors, and restaurants. Create a Community Kitchen – A certified kitchen the public can rent by the hour to make products to sell, and which can serve as a small business incubator. Establish a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm that includes affordable, accessible shares for people living at lower incomes.


Strategy #4: Work with schools and programs for children and youth to promote healthy eating and community food security. Establish Farm-to-School and “Edible Schoolyard”-style programs in schools to increase use of local produce; gardening, cooking, and nutrition skills; and awareness of local food systems. Use swipe cards in all school cafeterias to eliminate the stigma of free and reduced price lunch. Improve taste, nutrition, and availability of school breakfast, lunch, and summer meal programs.

Strategy #5: Promote community-building through food by encouraging the sharing and building of skills in growing, cooking, and storing food, as well as in budgeting, nutrition, and movement-building.

Strategy #6: Create awareness of hunger, food insecurity, and community food security and their connections to other local issues. Coordinate public events in each Northern Berkshire town to involve the community in Target:Hunger initiatives and spread the word about available resources. Involve visible champions and local leaders as advocates. Produce radio and cable access programs to create awareness of issues and resources. Advocate for the dedication of resources to build food security from local, regional, state, and national gatekeepers.

Community Plan for Target:Hunger Springfield

Target:Hunger Springfield is a community organizing project affecting the Mason Square area of Springfield. It is a multi-sector partnership of more than two dozen organizations and individuals, including social service agencies, communities of faith, and concerned residents working together to reduce hunger in the area by 10% in four years while increasing food security for everyone in the community. Toward the goal of ending this great want in the midst of plenty, the Target:Hunger Springfield partners have drafted this six-point Community Plan.

Strategy 1: Connect residents with existing community resources to help them increase their food security, by creating a map and directory of food resources and other supports in the area and by supporting local use of the Food Resource Hotline.

Strategy 2: “Everyone is an outreach worker!” – Create an informed, motivated grassroots “army” of people who can encourage residents to enroll in food stamps and help guide them through the process. Include medical personnel, clergy, and schools in the “army”.

Strategy 3: Help community members share and build skills to increase food security – through gardening, cooking, budgeting, and nutrition education.

Strategy 4: Improve community infrastructure to increase food security. This involves creating transportation links, establishing and expanding existing and new community gardens, establishing and expanding local farmers’ market, working with existing markets to increase the availability of fresh, local, and culturally appropriate produce and initiating farm-to-school and farm-to-summer programs (whereby food service programs buy from local farmers).

Strategy 5: Build the capacities of programs and institutions in Mason Square to help their clients/members achieve greater food security. This includes offering trainings in resources available to the agencies or to their clients, conducting food rescue and food drives, establishing an infant formula pantry and increasing community awareness around breastfeeding, and creating and coordinating a Capacity Building Learning Project sub-group where the members of this sub-group will transfer the skills and knowledge they gain to other Target:Hunger and Mason Square programs and institutions.

Strategy 6: Advocate for resources, policy changes, and programs to increase food security. This includes creating community awareness about the Target:Hunger Springfield project and the issues of food security, identifying and tracking primary and proxy data on hunger and food insecurity in Mason Square, conducting a public awareness campaign about the costs of hunger and food insecurity to the business sector, educating students at local colleges about hunger and food security and engaging student activism, educating social service providers about links between hunger, food security and other visible social issues, participating in the annual Hunger Awareness Day activities, and sharing with the public what we learn about creating community-based strategies to increase food security.

About Target:Hunger

Target: Hunger is a four-year community organizing project conceived of and initiated by the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Its goal is to create model projects, one urban and one rural, that decrease hunger by ten percent over four years.

The urban project is in the Mason Square area of Springfield, Massachusetts. In a research study conducted by Market Street Research of Northampton and published in May, 2006, nine percent of households experienced moderate to severe hunger and 19 percent of households were food-insecure, with or without hunger, during the previous year. The rates of hunger and food insecurity were over two times the national average, four percent.

The rural project takes place in the Northern Berkshires, focused in seven communities around North Adams, Massachusetts. During the same time period, research showed 11 percent of households experienced moderate to severe hunger and 18.3 percent of households were food-insecure, with or without hunger. The rate of hunger is almost three times the national average.

In each community around 25 partners have come together to address the problem of hunger and food justice, and they are well positioned to make the kind of multi-level, community-based changes in local food systems, policies, and social supports that can actually reduce hunger. Partners include social service agencies, farmers, students, communities of faith, people personally affected by food security, government officials, statewide anti-hunger agencies, and concerned citizens. The goal is to move from a “crisis” response to hunger toward long-term solutions that are integrated into the fabric of these unique and vital communities.

Research will be conducted at the end of the project to measure its success. The project model will then be shared to serve as a model program that other communities can look to for guidance and inspiration for sustainably reducing hunger through building community food security.

Target:Hunger is supported by grants from The Frank Stanley Beveridge Foundation, Third Sector New England, Project Bread, TD Banknorth, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and a challenge grant from The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.

A note about Food Justice: Even in our land of plenty, many people experience “separate and unequal” access to food. While higher-income families and individuals can afford fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and lean meats, families and individuals living at lower incomes often must make less healthy choices.

While most Americans can shop for the foods they prefer, many people must rely on pantries – emergency programs with limited, if any, choices. Well stocked, affordable supermarkets are abundant in the suburbs, but rare in inner cities and rural areas. A lack of adequate transportation and a lack of grocery stores within walking distance have been shown to create “food deserts” in low-income areas. These “food deserts” have a measurable negative impact on health.

Furthermore, global trade practices can undermine local food systems by forcing small farmers either to go out of business or to sell cash crops to distant consumers rather than meeting local needs.

Local people around the world are working against these trends – creating greater access to healthy foods for people of all backgrounds and incomes, effecting changes in public policy, celebrating local food traditions and passing skills on to the next generation, and fostering sustainable agriculture that meets local needs. Target:Hunger is a food security/food justice project incorporating the unique strengths and needs of each region.