Equalizers

REFLECTION ONE:

We decided to explore our first theme, Mindfulness, by engaging with people from all walks of life to discuss the issue of unequal access to food. Wherever we were situated, we were able to hear diverse perspectives, and we came to recognize some overarching commonalities: that availability of fresh food varies across neighborhoods, that certain populations (like immigrants, the homeless, and college students) are more likely to experience difficulty in accessing fresh food, and that the higher cost of fresh food drives people to pursue cheaper, less healthful options. In greater detail below, we describe some of the key takeaways we got from our conversations in each of our four cities.

In New York City, access to fresh food in many neighborhoods was limited by the scarcity of grocery stores. Gentrification in these neighborhoods also was a factor in driving up rent and food costs. One college student shared that the cost of food, when combined with tuition costs, textbooks and rent, was one of the biggest causes for her having to take out loans; she said that she and her classmates often forego nutritious food for food that’s cheap and readily available. Though there are farmers markets throughout New York City, the higher cost of living restricts some from having access to these foods and the resources to prepare and cook these foods. A homeless man shared with us that the homeless population in particular has very little access to fresh food as they have extremely limited resources and would rather spend their money on fast food or something that is already prepared.

In Houston, people either had extremely easy access to fresh food or little to no access.  Additionally, many people mentioned access to food as a smaller issue than knowledge about food. For example, immigrants noted cultural differences about eating in the United States and their home countries. Many pointed out that large amounts of food in America is preserved and prepared in places people drive to (or through), whereas in their home countries it is much more natural and requires walking to a market and then back home. One respondent summarized the situation by saying that there are many options in America at grocery stores and in restaurants, and this leads to many decisions families can make regarding food. These decisions have consequences that affect families’ time, wallets, and health. Many immigrants appreciated and took advantage of educational opportunities such as nutrition classes and community farmers markets to learn more about the benefits of eating fresh produce. This part of our conversation provided a different cultural perspective of our issue.

In San Francisco, there is a significant homeless population that lives in tents on the streets, usually near major roads and bridges. One homeless lady stated that she received most of her food (in the form of “skins”, potato chips) from a local convenience store, in which the prices of fresh produce was twice as much compared to a nearby Trader Joe’s. Furthermore, although farmer’s markets are common, there is a specific population that is willing and able to access and afford the fresh food from them. The individuals who often frequent these markets have the luxury of having a large disposable incomes, and thus can afford the organic and fresh produce found in the markets (which were almost twice as expensive as produce found in supermarkets). They value the guarantee of the quality and the freshness of the foods they know they can find in farmer’s markets, and thus are willing to pay the associated costs. Homeless individuals, on the other hand, value the ability to have any sort of food and thus choose the cheapest and most filling foods that provide immediate comfort. However, it was also encouraging to see the merchants at the farmer’s market provide for individuals that may not have as much access to their produce: they sometimes accept WIC and food stamps, and at the end of the day, some merchants give whatever leftovers they have to the homeless community that lives nearby.

In Paris, there is a new policy in place that is working to close food disparities within the city. The policy prohibits grocery stores from throwing away excess food. Instead, stores put expired food on sale at half price, leaving people who can’t usually afford food a cheaper option. Leftovers are also donated instead of thrown away. Interestingly, France doesn’t have a culture of volunteerism like that in the United States, but people still help out individually. For example, individuals typically purchase food for homeless people at markets.

In summary, it appears that there are large food access disparities in all of our respective cities. We found both income and geographic disparities. We also found that access to fresh food isn’t always the issue, but it is the mindfulness of what people choose for their food or their limitations on resources to use fresh food. Moving forward, into our theme of Fairness, we will look to address some of these disparities and work with others who are also trying to close the gap.

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REFLECTION TWO:

We decided to explore our second theme, Fairness, by volunteering in our respective cities at organizations that aim to alleviate food disparities.     We each learned a lot about food disparities and experienced a variety of different organizations that target a wide range of hunger issues. Some of us sorted food, some of us prepared food, and some of us distributed food. In addition to lending a hand and volunteering, we also took the time to discuss food disparities with people at the organizations in our various cities. In doing so, we not only contributed to a worthy cause, but also learned more about the issue our cohort is tackling. Below, we describe each of our experiences in Houston, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Paris.

In Houston, Hannah and Aric volunteered at the Houston Food Bank. One of the things we learned was that although the food bank sorts through several thousand pounds of food a day, a notable portion of this amount is thrown away for expiration reasons. By talking with experienced volunteers and employees at the food bank, we learned that the Houston Food Bank sometimes has an issue getting healthy food. While a lot of food is donated, it is not always the most nutritious or healthy food. Another thing we noticed about the Houston Food Bank was its high standards of organization, management, and efficiency. The food bank recruits huge groups of volunteers several times every day to help with a variety of projects.  Volunteers are told about the food bank’s mission and made to feel part of something well worth their time and effort. One interesting thing Aric learned during his experience was the diversity of these volunteers. During one shift, high school and college students worked in one room, elementary school students in another, and prison inmates worked near the trash, recycle and compost area. Overall, we realized why the food bank was named Food Bank of the Year and why it is a leader among nonprofits in Houston.

In New York, Joanna volunteered at a soup kitchen run by St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Greenwich Village. Her duties for the day included shopping for supplies, making sandwiches, setting tables, and washing dishes. Steve, who runs the soup kitchen, expressed that the summer is the most difficult season in which to find temporary volunteers. He said that the temporary volunteers are vital to the success of the soup kitchen because they complete tasks that the cooks do not have time to complete. Another challenge the soup kitchen faces is the constant monitoring of volunteers to make sure they are following health and safety standards, as the soup kitchen can be shut down by the health inspector like any other restaurant. Like in Houston, Joanna were pleased by the diversity of the volunteers. There was a lot of different groups volunteering – people of all different races, backgrounds, and religious beliefs. Despite these apparent differences, everyone Joanna volunteered with was focused on alleviating hunger disparities in New York City and contributed to the goal of providing hungry people with good meals.

In Boston for a weekend, Zara was able to volunteer at a community center, helping with food distribution and clean up afterward. Something she thought remarkable was the incredible diversity of the people represented: most worked full-time jobs, some were students, while others were unemployed. All ages were present, from children to the elderly. One aspect that stuck out about the organization was the way in which people were encouraged to keep coming back and made to feel welcome. Zara heard from several adults who spoke about how much of their lives revolved around the center and how they liked to give back in whatever ways they could, from providing food if possible to telling others about the center’s mission. Her experience taught her about the fluidity of food access, how, while food may seem a certainty one day, could be difficult to obtain the next.

For Sydney, this goal turned out to be a bit more difficult than expected. Finding short-term volunteer opportunities in a culture that doesn’t really do short-term volunteering has been a challenge. Sydney discussed the problems she was having with Michael, her mentor, and her fellow interns. Her mentor suggested that she ask other Americans which particularly helpful because she doesn’t know any ex-pats in Paris. Michael got in touch with someone who knows Paris well who provided a few organizations for Sydney to get in touch with hoping that one of them would have something. Sydney is still working on that angle, which has been a bit harder than she anticipated. She is confident that she will find something eventually. When she asked her fellow interns about solving hunger issues in Paris, they made an interesting point. It is not at all uncommon to see the homeless, particularly those with a child, sitting outside of the grocery store, bakery or market. Their idea of fighting hunger was simply sharing your groceries with those sitting outside. It’s a very simple and different approach to fighting hunger than the large organized volunteer efforts but it certainly has an impact. Sydney chose to follow their lead by simply sharing some of my purchases with families outside. That does not mean that she has given up on finding an American-style volunteer opportunity, but rather that in the mean time she has taken to fighting hunger the French way, with face-to-face interactions.

In San Francisco, Vickie volunteered at an event called “VolxKuche” or “Free-Cafe SF”, which is a free supper club held the second and fourth Friday of every month at St. John Episcopal Church. The purpose of this event is to gather and enjoy a delicious, vegetarian meal, free of cost. All of the materials are donated from local street vendors and food marts, and leftover foods that are not used are free for the guests to take home. All of the foods are fresh and nutritious, and the preparation is simple and straight-forward. Typical dishes prepared include rice and beans in a large wok over a propane stove, cauliflower and corn stir fry, salad, and fruit salad. Though this event is free for everyone and is advertised on the San Francisco website “Free & Cheap Events & Things to Do at San Francisco”, the majority of the individuals attending were working class individuals who dropped by the church after work to get a free and delicious meal. There were a few families, young singles, and homeless individuals, but people generally set separately and by themselves or with people they already knew. Although this could potentially be a useful event to give those without access a healthy meal, it was not openly advertised to that community and was difficult to get to.

In summary, and in response to our goal of identifying the neediest portion of the population, we were able to conclude that access to food depends on various factors, some of which are not immediately obvious. Although organizations may attempt to address this issue by providing food, there are challenges in physically getting the fresh food to the individuals who need it most. Additionally, the food that reaches the population, such as given by the Food Bank, is heavily preserved and not nutritious. Furthermore, most of the free food services are open to everyone, and individuals who can afford food also take the food, potentially taking away from someone who could not afford it. Thus, the issue about fairness in the light of resources surrounding fresh food has many nuances that are difficult to address.

REFLECTION THREE:

The Equalizers explored our third theme, Accessibility, by compiling a list of organizations that counter food disparities in our various locations. We have compiled lists for Houston, New York, and San Francisco, which are attached. Sydney could not find any specific organizations in Paris, but learned tremendously about the food disparity culture in the city through her research, and has some very insightful comments. She found that Paris has a number of hunger relief resources spread across the city, and take many forms including grocery distribution centers, soup kitchens, and food banks. As a whole however, there seems to be a strong trend toward hunger relief organizations that serve the international rather than the local community. In theory, France’s robust welfare state and employment laws should be a strong first step in addressing hunger issues.

The rest of the group experienced varying levels of difficulty compiling the lists; for example, Aric found it easy to find local, community-specific resources since his placement is in a building with many service agencies and in a community with many needs.  He works right across from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) office, so he hears about a lot of resources for hungry mothers and children.  One drawback he noted was that some of these organizations are so small that resources (whether staff or actual food) are quickly overwhelmed by the community’s needs.  Similarly, Hannah thought it was straight-forward to find organizations, but she found that most organizations were presented with volunteers in mind, not in terms of actual clients seeking food.

In Joanna’s experience, it was simple to find a multitude of resources for food access and nutrition, but she did not think that it was logically organized. For example, there were city-wide lists of soup kitchens, but they were not arranged geographically. In the future, Joanna thinks that valuable resource would be in the form of a community calendar that would list the dates and times that each resource was available to that specific community. Zara agrees with Joanna, noting also that while there are countless advertisements for food assistance and help throughout public areas in New York, they all suggest calling a number or logging onto a website for more information. For people with limited access to web or phone service, there is this added difficulty of not being able to access info about where and when to find food. A list with complete information – time, location, directions – is necessary for effecting maximal change.

Vickie found that San Francisco has a broad and extensive network of resources available to the homeless community, many of which targeting food accessibility. Multiple churches and secular non-profit organizations have programs dedicated to providing fresh and nutritious meals to those who do not have access. Vickie’s roommate is interning at OneDegree, an online platform dedicated to accumulating various San Franciscan resources divided into topics such as “Housing”, “Health”, “Money”, “Learning”, and others. The resources available for “Food” included the sub-topics “food education”, “groceries”, “free meals”, and “food stamps.” There is a convenient search function for OneDegree users to specify what they are looking for and features to save their selections. However, as Zara previously mentioned, the necessity of the internet or a mobile device may exclude the individuals who need this service the most from accessing the site. To counter this, OneDegree visits multiple communities and talks to community members directly about their service, and inform them of local places in the area that offer free Internet services (such as nearby churches or libraries). Vickie accompanied her roommate to a free event in the Tenderloin, an economically impoverished area in San Francisco, and talked to several community members about OneDegree’s services.

Houston Food Resources
NYC Food Resources
San Francisco Food Resources
Banques Alimentaires de Paris

Overall, this experience has taught the Equalizers that although there may be resources available, utilizing them is another matter, thus adding another dimension of accessibility by revealing the interconnected issues behind food access. Compiling the resources for each region will hopefully centralize the searching process and increase the likelihood that these resources will be used by the individuals who need them the most.