Food security named as top NJ challenge

On November 11th guest speakers from Elijah's Promise took to the podium at Rutgers to outline the problem of hunger in New Jersey.

Organizers told the assembled students that something is "terribly wrong" with the way we feed people in NJ.  We live in one of the ten worst states when it comes to food stamps, school breakfast, and summer food sources for school-aged children, according to the agency's director, Rev. Lisanne Finston.

One out of nine people rely on food pantries, Finston said, and the statistic may be higher in the current recession.  Studies of the products in food pantries found that New Jersey's emergency food supplies are over-proteinized, or highly produced.  The foods most lacking are the perishable fresh fruits and vegetables that make up the base of the food pyramid.  But mainstream attitudes often reflect a "something is better than nothing" and the hungry should "take what you get" mentality towards feed the hungry.

High calorie-to-cost foods like Mac and Cheese, soda and other processed foods often have heavy concentrations of high fructose corn syrup and starch.  These sugary caloric foods, can lead to health problems later.  Obesity and diabetes are epidemic in the US, but these public health problems can largely be prevented with a healthy diet.

 

There is a tangible need among low income families for access to healthy nourishing foods.

 

Elijah's Promise organizers believe there is a difference between food waste management (keeping left-over food out of landfills etc.) and the emergency food system (community pantries and soup kitchens), and that community food security is the best way to fight hunger.

Operating a soup kitchen, Elijah's Promise serves about 300 meals a day, but they do not only feed the homeless.  Their soup kitchen provides food to working families that cannot make ends meet.  Beyond feeding those in need Elijah's Promise runs or assists with a dynamic array of programs that aim to lift at risk persons out of poverty.

The Promise Jobs Culinary School provides culinary training to people struggling with poverty, giving them the skills necessary for a career in the the Catering and Hospitality industry.  EP also provides addiction services to those in need, treating a symptom of poverty and enabling addicts to get their lives back on track.  Clothesline is another charitable program which provides clothes and interview outfits to those in

A Better World Cafe is a new joint project between Elijah's Promise and Who Is My Neighbor, Inc. operating a community cafe in the center of Highland Park's downtown. The project aims to expand access to quality nutritional food, regardless of income.  A Better World tries to use local food, produced within thirty miles of Highland Park and New Brunswick.  Another innovation is the flexible pay scale that allows diners to pay what they can afford, or to exchange an hour of volunteer labor for their meal.  Those who can afford to pay more help cover the cost of feeding those who can only pay a little.

Elijah's Promise organizers are working with groups across New Jersey seek to strengthen the connection between urban and rural communities.  As part of the effort to get local seasonal farm products in the Emergency Food System, the Farmers Against Hunger coalition allows organizers to 'glean' the fields of produce missed in the main harvest.

Progressive organizations are at work across NJ to improve food security.  In Highland Park a 2010 operations grant from Sustainable Jersey is intended to grow gardens within the public schools, and to use the fresh produce in preparing school food.  Elijah's Promise and like-minded organizations advocate for the implementation of universal school breakfast, offering all a hot morning meal which will improve the performance of every child.  The Anti-Hunger Coalition is working to improve access to food stamps.

For Rutgers' part, programs like the Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships (CESEP) offers college credit for community service.  The speakers cautioned that any of these volunteer-driven programs can be only effective insofar as students and community members are motivated and committed to their goals.