January 2012

Jones Valley Urban Farm: Reconnecting People to Food

, January 31, 2012

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Written by Christine Bell, WhyHunger Intern

This post is part of WhyHunger’s peer mentor profile series for the “Community Learning Project for Food Justice” (CLP).  Each week through April 2012 we’ll highlight a new CLP peer mentor and their contribution to creating a national learning/teaching community to support the growth and expansion of the food justice movement.

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Jones Valley Urban Farm began in 2001 as a project to bring urban agriculture to downtown Birmingham.  What others saw as a liability in the form of vacant lots, founder Edwin Marty saw as untapped assets for the city and the opportunity for the city to celebrate itself and its rich and diverse history.  Since its beginning, the Jones Valley Urban Farm has worked to bring farming into the city of Birmingham, run educational programs for schools, and provide community outreach.

Today, Jones Valley Urban Farm operates four sites throughout the city of Birmingham, selling produce to local restaurants, at farmers markets and Whole Foods, and through their CSA program.  To increase community awareness of local food systems, Jones Valley Urban Farm runs a variety of on-site workshops and trainings on topics ranging from organic farming techniques to healthy living.

In conjunction with the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Jones Valley runs a state accredited science program known as ASAP, allowing high school students to learn science through the practical applications of agriculture.  Younger Children can experience education at the Jones Valley Urban Farm through the Seed 2 Plate, Foodie Camp, and Seedling Pre- School programs, giving urban youth the opportunity to explore where their food comes and how it gets to their dinner plates.

WhyHunger is proud to be working with Jones Valley Urban Farm as one of 15 peer mentors participating in the Community Learning Project for Food Justice (CLP).  Click here to learn more about the Community Learning Project for Food Justice and this year’s crop of peer mentors.

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Food Stamps Working as Designed

, January 27, 2012

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Farm Fresh VeggiesIn response to the editorial, “Food Stamp Nation,”  published in the Wall Street Journal on January 20, 2012, WhyHunger’s Alison Cohen, Director of Programs, wrote the following letter to the editor which was published in print and online in the Journal today. WhyHunger shares one voice with Alison. We believe food stamps are working as designed: increasing the food purchasing power of struggling households in order to alleviate hunger and malnutrition. Read Alison’s full response below.

The Wall Street Journal’s article “The Food Stamp Nation” is successful only in spreading misconceptions about the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Instead of relying on the hard data that tells the full story of SNAP as a critical support for millions of working Americans and a tool for economic recovery, the Wall Street Journal spills ink to take jabs at the White House and throws its support behind Gingrich’s error-filled campaign rhetoric.

The fact that SNAP enrollment has increased during an economic recession indicates that this nearly 50-year old assistance program is doing what it was designed to do – increase the food purchasing power of struggling households in order to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.  And by doing so, SNAP is one of the best economic multipliers out there.  According to Moody’s Investor’s Service, food stamps rank number one as an economic stimulus provision. For every $1.00 in SNAP, $1.73 returns to the economy. USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates that each $1 billion of retail demand by SNAP generates $340 million in farm production, $110 million in farm value-added, and 3,300 farm jobs.  By comparison corporate tax cuts have a multiplier effect of only 30 cents on the dollar.

And as a political argument used to sway the public, Gingrich and others might do well to first consider the opinion of voters before calling for a reduction in SNAP funding.  Polling data released today by the reputable Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) shows that across party lines “77% of voters say cutting food stamps is the wrong way to reduce spending and only 15 % favor cutting such assistance.”

In contrast to the Wall Street Journal’s characterization of SNAP as an entitlement creating further dependence on the government, the work support program is helping hungry children (40 percent of SNAP beneficiaries) and seniors (9 percent), supports low-wage workers in making ends meet and assures that families are financially better off working than on welfare, all the while creating economic stimulus in a time of prolonged economic recession.

Read Alison’s article as published in the Wall Street Journal here:
WSJ.com – Opinion: Food Stamps Working as Designed

Learn More/Take Action!!

If you or a neighbor needs help getting food, contact the National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3 HUNGRY and 1-877-8 HAMBRE (1-866-348-6479 and 1-877-842-6273)

Join the conversation, leave a comment to share your thoughts on this post.

Click here to learn more about U.S. Hunger and programs like SNAP that help many U.S. Citizens access healthy, nutritious food.

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The Compostadores: “Keepin’ the nutrients in the Neighborhood!”

, January 26, 2012

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Written by Christine Bell, WhyHunger Intern

This post is part of WhyHunger’s Peer Mentor profile series for the “Community Learning Project for Food Justice” (CLP).  Each week through April 2012, we’ll highlight a new CLP Peer Mentor and their contribution to creating a national learning/teaching community to support the growth and expansion of the food justice movement.

Patsey Parker facilitates a compost bin build

Compostadores crew member, Patsy Parker, facilitates a compost bin at Edgerton Community Garden in Maplewood, MN just outside of St. Paul

Gardening Matters is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving community gardening across the Twin Cities metro area by connecting gardeners to each other, providing training and resources to support gardeners and community gardens, hosting a community garden listserv, and by acting as a clearing house for information about community gardening.  Gardening Matters helps to foster a network of community gardeners to advocate for and educate on community gardening.

Compost bin

Completed static, “no-turn,” 4’x4’ compost bin capable of holding up to 1,000 pounds of compost

Through Gardening Matters, the Compostadores are working to building a neighborhood-based compost infrastructure in the Twin Cities by leading bin-building workshops multiple times a month throughout the cities, teaching the Growing Power method of bin construction.  The Compostadores are a group of individuals extremely enthusiastic about joining together, having a good time, and composting.  This year, they are working to develop a bicycle-based food waste pickup service for the Twin Cities communities. In addition to providing jobs for community youth the Compostadores see the food-waste pick-up service as an opportunity to educate consumers about waste, reduce waste in the community, and cycle nutrients back into gardens through composting.

As CLP peer mentors, the Compostadores are sharing their love for composting and bin building as well as the work they are doing with the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to create a safe and effective model for a community-based, owned, and operated composting program.  In exchange, they are learning and developing the skills they need to take their composting operation to the next level by adding a bicycle-based hauling service that specializes in diverting food waste from the landfill and into a network of compost bins in partnering community gardens.

WhyHunger is proud to be working with the Compostadores and Gardening Matters as one of 15 peer mentors participating in the Community Learning Project for Food Justice (CLP).  Click here to learn more about the Community Learning Project for Food Justice and this year’s crop of peer mentors.

Read more about the Compostadores’ and their CLP partners Nuestras Raices and Pedal Coop.

Visit the Compostadores blog.

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Stories from the National Hunger Hotline: Helping Those Who Serve

, January 20, 2012

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The National Hunger Hotline (NHH), a service of WhyHunger’s National Hunger Clearinghouse, provides real-time referrals for people in need across the U.S. to emergency food and assistance programs. Receiving an average of 700 calls per month, the NHH is a portal to information, assistance, and resources, ultimately empowering families and individuals to meet their vital needs including fresh, healthy food. In Stories from the Hotline, we share some of the experiences of callers and our efforts to support them.

An administrator from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Boston, MA recently called the National Hunger Hotline after noticing a flyer inside a local community center. The administrator was interested in starting a meal program that would provide food for low-income children during their winter and spring breaks. Students who are in need of food are guaranteed breakfast and lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and National School Breakfast Program (NSBP), but these programs do not run when school is not in session.

The advocate was able to assist the caller by sending her the information for the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program run by the USDA and now offered in Massachusetts. The program works to provide dinner and snacks to children in need year round. The advocate also provided the number to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which helps community-based programs and public institutions provide summer meals, breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner for children who are under the age of 18.  With these two resources, the NAACP Administrator will be able to set up both programs in her area to help with the hunger children face when school is not in session.

The National Hunger Hotline 1-866-3 HUNGRY and 1-877-8 HAMBRE (1-866-348-6479 and 1-877-842-6273) refers people in need of emergency food assistance to food pantries, government programs, and model grassroots organizations that work to improve access to healthy, nutritious food, and build self-reliance.  Help is available on Monday through Friday from 9am-6pm EST.  Hablamos español. The Hotline is funded in part by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

This article originally appeared in our monthly e-newsletter, the Clearinghouse Connection, which facilitates the exchange of information, resources and ideas among emergency food providers. To subscribe, email NHC.

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