Hunger
adam November 16th, 2009
America is the land of fat cats and hungry mice.
The U.S. Agriculture Department reported today “that 17 million American households, or 14.6 percent of the total, ‘had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year.’ That was an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, the previous year,” according to nytimes.com.
These numbers are difficult to comprehend. Almost 15 of every 100 households has trouble feeding their families? In America? In the richest country on the planet? This is almost beyond belief.
I’m wondering how many people at the Lawrence Community Gardens use their plots to truly supplement their diet. I certainly do. I’m not suggesting I could live off it, but I grow a tremendous amount of food that I eat daily for at least half the year.
The goal of Isles’ Community Gardening and Nutrition Education initiative is for low-income families to be able to gain greater food security, stretch their food budgets and obtain fresh and nutritious produce.
On their Web site Isles lists three specific benefits of the Community Gardening and Nutrition Education initiative.
- Providing access to fresh vegetables and improving nutrition. Isles’ community gardens provide access to fruits and vegetables that are low calorie and nutrient rich.
- Stretching food budgets. Studies report that every $1 invested in a community garden plot yields approximately $6 worth of vegetables. In a 2006 survey, Isles’ community gardeners reported an average savings of about $200 dollars per year, per gardener.
- Strengthening community fabric. Isles’ gardeners report that sharing food with friends, families and neighbors is one of the important reasons that they grow produce.
I’m wondering how the Lawrence Community Gardens could try and make a difference. I wonder how much space we would need to grow enough food to donate to an organization like Farmers Against Hunger or the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. I would love to plant all the unused plots and donate the food. If we organized ourselves well I bet we could grow a ton of food at minimal cost and give it to those who need it.
