AmeriCorps Wellness 360
Looking Forward
at
First Grace

Food Access
Food Access means all community members have
access to “good food”. The W.K. Kellogg
Foundation describes such food as being:
 Healthy  Fair
 Green  Affordable

Food Security
When a person does not have access to “good
food” they become “food insecure”. Some
access issues that lead to food insecurity are:

Access Issues
 Living in a “food desert”
People in this situation do not have adequate
grocery stores close to them. They must rely
on convenience stores or take the
bus/walk/ride bike to the nearest grocery
store. This limits the amount of food that
people can purchase in one trip.

Access Issues
(Continued)
 Transportation issues
Although many farmer’s markets take food stamps,
it can be difficult for low income community
members to find transportation to the market
locations.

Access Issues
(Continued)
 High price of healthy food
Those who are on a limited budget often must make
the choice between purchasing fresh fruits and
vegetables and purchasing cheap foods that make
you feel full for less money. Because of
government subsidies, it is often the unhealthy,
empty calorie foods that are the cheapest.

The Need
Ohio has been particularly hard hit by
economic troubles. Akron unemployment
levels are in double digits and Emergency
Food Providers have seen dramatic increases
in the need for food.

Solving the problem
The issues of food access and food
insecurity can be addressed by thinking
about them in terms of:
Community Food Security

Community Food Security
“Community food security is a condition in
which all community residents obtain a safe,
culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate
diet through a sustainable food system that
maximizes community self-reliance and social
justice.”
--Mike Hamm and Anne Bellows

6 Principles of CFS

Low Income Food Needs
Like the anti-hunger movement, CFS is focused on meeting the
food needs of low income communities, reducing hunger and
improving individual health.

Broad Goals
CFS addresses a broad range of problems affecting the food system,
community development, and the environment such as increasing
poverty and hunger, disappearing farmland and family farms, inner
city supermarket redlining, rural community disintegration, rampant
suburban sprawl, and air and water pollution from unsustainable
food production and distribution patterns.


6 Principles (Continued)
• Community Focus
A CFS approach seeks to build up a community’s food resources
to meet it’s own needs. These resources may include
supermarkets, farmers’ markets, gardens, transportation,
community-based food processing ventures, and urban farms to
name a few.
• Self Reliance/Empowerment
Community food security projects emphasize the need to build
individuals’ abilities to provide for their food needs. Community
food security seeks to build upon community and individual
assets, rather than focus on their deficiencies, CFS projects seek to
engage community residents in all phases of project planning.

6 Principles (Continued)
• Local Agriculture
A stable local agricultural base is key to a community responsive
food system. Farmers need increased access to markets that pay
them a decent wage for their labor, and farmland needs planning
protection from suburban development. By building stronger ties
between farmers and consumers, consumers gain a greater
knowledge and appreciation for their food source.
• Systems-Oriented
CFS projects typically are “inter-disciplinary,” crossing many
boundaries and incorporating collaborations with multiple
agencies.
These principles are from The Community Food Security Coalition www.foodsecurity.org

What We've Done So Far
The following slides illustrate how we have
put the 6 principles of Community Food
Security to work during our 2010-2011
AmeriCorps year

People’s Choice Food
Pantry
Shoppers have the
opportunity to choose
which groceries will fit
their own situation the
best. This allows not
only less food waste,
but a greater sense of
dignity.

Local Produce
Our AmeriCorps team has
introduced fresh produce
into the pantry. Some of
the produce comes from
the Akron-Canton
Regional Food Bank and
some is surplus donated by
local farmers.

Kitchen Utensils
Thanks to a generous
donation from Local
Roots Co-Op in
Wooster, The pantry
was able to start
offering pots, pans, and
other kitchen utensils.

Spice Drive
We organized a spice
drive to be able to offer
spices at pantry. For
families that rely on the
food pantry, spices can
turn ordinary foods into
something special.

Newsletter

Our newsletter includes
healthy recipes with a
focus on pantry
ingredients. We
spotlight vegetables and
further engage the area
by including profiles of
local community
members.

Cooking Demos
Our demos show
pantry shoppers how to
use unfamiliar
ingredients, highlights
recipes from our
newsletter, and gives
shoppers the chance to
sample delicious
pantry food.

Farmer's Market Outing
To address the issue of
transportation to the
Farmer’s Market, our team
has collaborated with
Countryside Conservancy.
We will give interested
community members a ride
to the market, and the
conservancy will give a
lesson on how to stretch
your food dollar while there.

Community Meals
The AmeriCorps Focus on fresh,
team plans the local ingredients
first Saturday Provide service
free lunch. with dignity
A dinner party that
the whole
community is
invited to.

After School Program
 Gives children the
opportunity to eat more
fruits,vegetables, and
healthy foods
 Gives them the
opportunity to exercise

Teen Meal

Opportunity to
introduce teens to
new foods like
Quiche and
Spaghetti Squash

Gives teens the
chance to learn
valuable cooking
skills

Wellness Fairs

Our MLK wellness fair
allowed the community to
gather information on a
variety of important social
services. We plan on
having more fairs that will
enable a conversation
between the community
and the organizations that
serve us.

Outreach
The AmeriCorps team
has also partnered with
a church in the Summit
Lake Neighborhood to
develop an after school
program focused on
feeding healthy food to
hungry kids.

Outreach
The AmeriCorps team
has worked with
Freedom House, a
homeless shelter for
veterans, and cooked a
meal to share with the
residents.

Building The Future
The following ideas can help us continue to
follow the 6 principles of Community Food
Security

Volunteer Recruitment
As our programs grow we can recruit volunteers from
the community to help build self reliance. We will be
looking for volunteers to help:
Community garden
Share recipes for newsletter
Teach community members basic cooking
skills
Assist with pantry
Assist with community meals

Building Relationships
We will continue to build relationships with other
groups that are committed to attaining Community
Food Security. Such groups include:
Crown Point Ecology Center
Countryside Conservancy
Summit Food Policy Coalition
Ohio State University Extension Office
Freedom House

Getting Thing Done....
In Ohio!

Our Program is generously
funded by: