Fighting Hunger with Local, Healthy Food
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 12:02pm — laiken
By Michele McKinley, Volunteer, Western Wake Farmers’ Market
Thanks in part to “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” there’s a lot of attention these days on the unhealthiness of lunches served at schools, and the problem of replacing them with more expensive but healthy, fresh foods.
In addition, we’re hearing more about the drastic increase in the number of North Carolina households needing assistance in putting food on the table, as the economy takes a toll on the middle class as well. (See “Thousands Seek Food Assistance”) At the same time, right here in this AHA blog, Tonya Post has been writing about her experiment to eat on a “food stamps budget” and the challenges that presents.
These stories are intertwined as we face a national health crisis with obesity and diabetes at high levels, expensive health care and a crippling economy. So as we seek to bring about a food revolution for better health in schools and at home, as well as the need to feed less fortunate families with healthy food, we are faced with one big question: What can we do?
How to Help
Being involved with groups like AHA and learning more about the health benefits of eating locally grown foods is one way, and when citizens take action, with one small food donation at a time, they can make a huge difference to feed the hungry in our area with healthy foods.
The Western Wake Farmers’ Market (WWFM) in Cary has two programs to enable our community to help: Farmer FoodShare and Plant a Row for the Hungry (or PAR). WWFM partners with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, which picks up fresh food donations at the close of each market and delivers them that day to area shelters, pantries and other organizations.
The result: People in need receive local, healthy, fresh foods, rather than fatty, salty, processed foods that contribute to medical problems and higher health care costs.
Buy a Bunch, Give a Bunch: 425 Pounds So Far
FoodShare has been a great success in the early weeks of the market’s season. Market shoppers and vendors have donated an estimated 425 pounds of fresh food in just six weeks! Modeled after a volunteer-initiated effort at the Carrboro Farmers Market last year, FoodShare encourages shoppers to “buy a bunch, give a bunch” each week and “feed” WWFM’s Donation Station.
When people are shopping the market, they may buy an extra head of lettuce, bunch of beets or dozen eggs, for instance, and drop them off at the Donation Station. Alternatively, shoppers may donate money for market volunteers to shop for food donations. WWFM vendors also proudly donate to FoodShare.
Gardeners Can Help Too: Grow to Give
WWFM is proud to be a Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) partner with the Food Shuttle this year. That means that home gardeners can plant an extra row, raised bed or even a container and donate extra fruit, veggies and herbs at the market’s Donation Station once their gardens are producing. Any business, church or other group with a community garden, and anyone who has a garden or even a pot of herbs at home, can sign up at the market (or via info@WesternWakeFarmersMarket.org) to participate in PAR. Once the garden is producing, they can simply drop off their extra bounty at the market for the Food Shuttle to pick up.
And About Those Food Stamps…
Tonya’s challenge to live on a food stamps budget is undoubtedly eye-opening for many. This summer, the Western Wake Farmers’ Market also will begin accepting EBTs, or electronic benefits transfers, which are the new “food stamps.” To date, WWFM is the only farmers’ market in Wake County accepted into the N.C. 21st Century Farmers Market program run by the Leaflight Foundation. With this new capability, individuals and families that qualify for food stamps will be able to buy fresh, local food from area farmers at the market.
WWFM is working with the county’s health and human services department to let those eligible know of this coming opportunity and market staff will soon be trained on the program. We look forward to launching this program this summer!
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