Support AND Solutions

To effect long term charge, we must look at the core infrastructure and policies to uncover what is leaving our community susceptible to increasing poverty, housing instability, and food insecurity. With rising costs of living, much of our community is living paycheck to paycheck. The Gazette illuminated this in a recent article including this quote: “This really isn’t about food. … We're just seeing it come out as food, because people know that they can get food from a food pantry. If I can't make ends meet, nobody's going to help me put gas in my car, but I know where I can go get food to help feed my family,” Guardado said. “So, it's really about dollars, and it’s about our policies that drive what families have for income and how families spend their money. “We're going to keep doing what we're doing as far as feeding people. … But I think we really need to talk more, as a community and as a society, about the other policies that affect families and how that drives people to food pantries to get food.” So, as we work together as a community to support organizations who provide essential safety net programs, how are we going to collaborate to ensure we look at solution-focused policies. Looking more at the issue of food insecurity, there is a lot of power within the local municipalities to shift our food systems to become more sustainable and healthier. An article called "How Local Governments Support Community-Led Food Systems Transformation" outlines how catalyzing connections and collaboration between stakeholders, investing in effective initiatives, and celebrating food culture. At the heart of their suggestions, we see the need to truly, authentically listen to the community, amplifying the voices who are most affected.

There are some AMAZING local non-profits working on addressing food insecurity. Organizations like Feed Iowa First, HACAP, Iowa Valley Resource and Conservation, and Matthew 25 are offering innovative food programs to support our community and keep people fed. By connecting programs, sharing resources, and aligning goals we will empower our community toward a brighter, healthier future for all.