I am a member of a group of Quakers and Episcopalians in a small central Maine town developing a multi-pronged approach to address food insecurity by examining both symptoms and root causes. We hope to be useful at local, state, and national levels, with our primary concern being our neighbors and fellow townspeople.
We began by participating in a five-part program on the subject of food insecurity and related issues that was created by the Maine Council of Churches. Each of the five sections focused on a different aspect (e.g. the elderly), and when it was over we began to brainstorm actions we might take.
Our geographical area is an interesting mix of semi-rural suburbia less than ten miles from the state capital. Efforts which might succeed in urban areas might not be viable around here (due in part to pockets of isolation and the lack of public transportation), but the growing number of farmers and gardeners in our area encourages us to look closely at resources for fresh produce.
Our numbers range from six to eight, depending on who is able to come the the meeting that night, and both of the congregations we represent are small and older, so we are trying to be as realistic as possible about what we can do without becoming over-extended, tired, and discouraged, unintended outcomes that are all too common for folks in our situation.
I thought I'd share a list of things we are either already doing, have decided to do, or are considering. I hope this will encourage others, and I would appreciate feedback from those who are further along the path than we are.
Please follow me over the fleur de kos for the results of our latest meeting.
This is what we are already doing, individually and collectively:
* We support food pantries in our area by holding regular drives for donations (e.g. a monthly "Can Film Festival" where we show a film for the admission fee of a can -- or box -- of food).
* We are urging our state legislators to oppose Governor Paul LePage's efforts to further punish the poor by cutting/restricting SNAP benefits.
* Some of us are committed to "growing a row" in our own vegetable gardens and encouraging others to do the same
Here are the new actions we will be taking:
* One person will keep us updated about the Maine state legislative calendar for food-insecurity-related bills/amendments/line-items/whatever we can either support (e.g. LD 783) or oppose (e.g. harmful SNAP guideline restrictions).
* Another person will serve as liaison between the group and the food pantry in our town, keeping us up to date with its needs and letting us know what ingredients (e.g. cans of black beans) they have in supply for which we might provide samples and recipes (e.g. black bean soup, black bean brownies).
* We will propose an event to our two congregations which would involve a simple (potluck?) meal and program on the work of Bread for the World and their letter-writing campaigns. One of us will contact BFTW to set up a date. As a fun element we might make a point of having breads from around the world at the event.
* Two of us will talk with an experienced member of our church family about gleaning, with a view to finding where apples, squash and potatoes (foods which store well through the winter) might be gleaned locally. Two other members of our group who live farther away may also contact an apple-grower in their area.
Here are some ideas which are interesting to us and back-burnered for the moment:
* Providing free seedlings to distribute through the food pantry (and possibly tied in with other community events). Our liaison will ask the pantry's director if this seems useful.
* Hosting a regular community pot-luck, each of which would feature a specific activity such as watching a food-related film (e.g. Food Inc.) or learning how to store or preserve harvested foods for winter (e.g. storing potatoes, drying herbs). I have volunteered to research film titles and gather information about programs offered by Maine's Co-operative Extension Service.
* Research income equality efforts, including raising the minimum wage and a more progressive tax structure, and report back with strategies and recommendations, something we consider essential to addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
* Research how our towns might be encouraged to plant public edible landscapes (e.g. TED talk).
* Consider how vegetables might be grown for the benefit of our local food pantries, either on our church property or on town property (e.g. Why Every Church Should Plant a Garden). This idea has been tried in the past but was discontinued (due in part to a shortage of reliably strong backs). Some of us would like to review the obstacles our prior effort experienced and research what other churches are doing to see what works.
So ...
What do you think? What are you doing in your neck of the woods?
(NB: I will be in and out for comments. Tonight is our monthly Can Film Festival so I will be scampering off soon to get ready for that, and this weekend my husband and I intend to be working in our own vegetable garden. I will check back in as I am able. Thank you!)