Multimedia reporting by Courtney Campbell
In a society where food is overproduced and over consumed, there are still some that are worried about their next meal. This is especially true for those living in Alamance County, North Carolina.
Many areas of Alamance County are a food desert and 19 percent of citizens are food insecure, above the national average of 14.3 percent. 43 percent of residents said they didn’t have fresh produce within walking distance and 11 percent do not live near a grocery store.
To spark conversation between Elon University students and the community, Community Connections held a panel moderated by Jason Husser, faculty fellow for civil engagement. The panel consisted of Kim Crawford, executive director for Allied Churches, Linda Allison, deputy director, Alamance country department of social service, Svetlana Nepcatych, assistant professor of exercise science and Heidi Norwick, president of United Way.
The conversation was facilitated by questions from members of the audience while the experts gave their opinion and began with the norm of hunger.
“Anytime we talk about numbers it makes it seem like a number is okay,” Crawford said. “If one person is struggling it’s a problem.”
In 2013, Alamance’s largest food pantry shut down abruptly leaving 7,000 people who got food there monthly without options. Crawford knew something needed to be done and opened up a food pantry with Allied Churches, despite having limited knowledge of how to run one.
The panel attributed this success to the community and its outreach.
“We’re definitely making progress because this is a community program,” Allison said. “There’s now a distribution center in Holiday Hill Mall that gives out 6,000 pounds of food.”
Currently, there are registered18 food pantries available in the area. Now, that there is food available to a certain extent the community is working on making more healthy foods available.
“The conversation is starting to change in Alamance country,” Crawford said. “We’re starting to have the conversation so we can not just hand out food, but what kinds of food we hand out.”
According to Nepoctych, there are many macro- and micronutrients from diets, which can lead to obesity with a lack of exercise. Additionally, parents with fewer funds, parents will chose the fast-food, which is cheaper but high in fats and sugars.
To change the types of foods available, these pantries are looking towards community gardens and more specific donations. However, if they have quality foods there must also be an education component to allow people to know why this food is better and where they can obtain it.
“When we have food pantries an if we start providing diff kinds of food we also need to provide the education,” Nepocatych said. “You can’t give people lentils and chickpeas and expect them to know what to do with it.”
In order to improve the hunger conversation, the stigma behind food stamps and receiving help must end. In Alamance County the SNAP, or nutrition aid program has grown 123 percent since 2008.
“They need to realize that they should not be embarrassed,” Allison said. “Their lives have turned upside down. We see ourselves as a safety net for the community.”
These stamps are stored on a card, so it is less conspicuous, but people are still unwilling to admit they are in need. Allison emphasizes that these people are just simply hungry, are in a tough spot and should not be judged for that.
For now, food pantries are looking for donations, volunteers and understanding.
“Come to the soup kitchen and eat, and realize how much your life revolves around food,” Crawford said. “We’re the only three or four course dinner place for people to go. We need people to come sit down, have a conversation and do it more than once.”
Courtney Campbell 