This report is a comprehensive evaluation of food resources and food access avenues as they currently exist and operate in and around the Avondale/Glen Elder neighborhood in South Sacramento, California. The Sacramento Hunger Commission's vision is a community food-secure and free of hunger. In pursuit of our vision, we sought to evaluate access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for the residents of this diverse, low-income area so that we may build upon assets and address gaps in the local food shed and, in effect, enable residents to improve their own health and happiness.
From January through May, 2004, a wide variety of research was conducted, analyzed, and compiled into a report. We evaluated all food resources available to residents in Avondale/Glen Elder (between Fruitridge and Florin Rd., 65th and Power Inn), and surveyed residents to determine their difficulties and opinions regarding food access in the community. Nearly 45% of the neighborhood's residents are South-East Asian, almost 25% are Latino, and over 20% are African-American. Approximately 27% of residents live at or below the federal poverty level.
Avondale/Glen Elder was chosen for assessment because of its manageable size and because it is relatively well organized, thanks to the presence of the Weed & Seed program. A steering committee of active neighborhood representatives was developed to help lead the research and pursue actions to improve food security. Despite this organization, it was a difficult area to assess because of the great plurality of cultures and languages.
Recommendations from this report speak to areas of the regional food web that, when functioning well, contribute to a socially just, food-secure community. These recommendations were created through an integration of the Hunger Commission's knowledge, experience, and collaborative efforts with those of the neighborhood's residents. Many of these recommended actions need to be pursued at the 'grass roots' community level. Others need to be addressed by the city and/or Sacramento region, and some others need to be addressed by departments of state and federal government.
A map of grocery store locations, and an assessment of grocery store prices showed that Avondale/Glen Elder lacks easily accessible sources of affordable, culturally appropriate food. Not surprisingly, many residents express vehemently that having a full-service grocery store closer would make it easier for them to access food. Food costs in Avondale/Glen Elder create a significant barrier because the closest food resources also have the highest prices.
Besides finances, transportation was the most commonly mentioned obstacle that impedes residents' access to food. Older residents, kids, and immigrant residents who do not drive are particularly subject to transportation dependence. Avondale/Glen Elder residents without access to a car are much less food secure than those who have access to a car and drive. A carpool network, possibly facilitated by Weed & Seed, could improve access to food for many residents. The neighborhood could also improve infrastructure and street design to make the community more bikeable and walkable. Since grocery cart theft is common in this area, functional pushcarts should be made available for residents who must, or choose to walk. Sales of these carts could possibly be a revenue generator for a neighborhood organization.
Though bus services are reasonably comprehensive and useful in and around Avondale/Glen Elder, the new Neighborhood Ride Shuttle (route 37) should alter its route to connect residential areas (and thus residents) with services and resources. Next, transit information outreach to non-English speaking residents is needed. Many Southeast Asian residents, particularly seniors, are unaware of bus services and/or unsure what routes could provide them with the transportation they need to reach food resources.
Farmers' markets are an inexpensive source of healthy and delicious fruits and vegetables - all grown locally. But at the beginning of each month, an individual with food stamps has no-cost food waiting at most grocery stores. Regardless of the value and quality of farmers' market foods, a Food Stamps participant is economically forced to shop at the grocery store. For this reason, a solution must be found that allows Food Stamp participants to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card at the farmers' market. Sacramento should look to other communities, such as Berkeley, to see how a centralized scrip (token) system could be developed at markets here.
For non-food stamps shoppers, farmers' markets continue to be one of the best available resources for a variety of fresh, nutritious, low-cost food. Avondale/Glen Elder could make much better use of the Florin Mall farmers' market. A Thursday morning carpool system could be arranged to help bring interested shoppers to the market. An RT bus field trip could be organized to demonstrate how to use the mass-transit system and promote bus ridership.
One of Avondale/Glen Elder's greatest assets is the availability of open spaces that can be used as community gardens. The Redevelopment Advisory Committee should take steps to preserve current community garden spaces. The Lemon Hill Garden is a significant source of fresh produce for neighborhood residents; the loss of this garden would be a significant detriment to food security in the area. Community garden participation should be encouraged and promoted, particularly at the new Florin Reservoir Garden.
Co-operative buying techniques provide grocery shoppers' savings that can help them to better meet their grocery needs. A community-organized food-buying co-op could take the place of the now defunct Food Opportunities food-buying program. To shop co-operatively, family grocery shoppers coordinate their grocery lists, buy staple items in bulk, and split the costs. Participants share knowledge of money saving techniques (e.g. coupons) and sales. The initiative of a few neighborhood residents could start this type of 'self-assistance' program.
Survey responses from this assessment showed that very few Avondale/Glen Elder residents eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Of course, the availability (or lack there of) of fresh fruits and vegetables certainly contributes to this problem. However, we also received many comments that alluded to a lack of knowledge regarding healthy foods; how to prepare them, how to know what's healthy, etc. In order to encourage healthier diets nutrition education must be made available in the neighborhood. The Weed & Seed Health and Safety Team should include information about nutrition and preventative health measures when planning events and activities. This group should also consider arranging cooking classes that could demonstrate inexpensive ways to prepare healthy foods.
Food closets in Avondale/Glen Elder do a wonderful job of organizing volunteers, procuring food donations, and providing services to needy individuals in Sacramento. Unfortunately, the two closest food closets that offer services to individuals of all ages, Capital City Adventist Community Services and South Point Christian Center, are both open for just a few hours on Monday mornings. These two food closets should consider coordinating their services for alternate days. In addition, daytime hours may prohibit working individuals from accessing emergency food services; therefore we recommend an occasional weekend or evening distribution. Recipes could be included with food to be sure food will be utilized.
Many respondents commented that they did not know what public assistance programs were available and/or did not know if they were applicable. Neighborhood organizations and local churches should disseminate information regarding public assistance programs to encourage and assist individuals who could benefit from food stamps or the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Public Assistance outreach could be performed at a neighborhood health fair.
Avondale/Glen Elder faces a number of barriers to accessing affordable, nutritious food that need to be addressed by state and federal governments. The Senior Nutrition Services Home Delivered Meals program needs to be supported financially so that capacity to provide meals to homebound seniors can increase. Far too many seniors literally die waiting for Senior Nutrition Services to be able to serve them.
The WIC program also suffers significantly from insufficient staff. To reach more mothers, more WIC staff must be available to provide services and decrease the wait time for an initial appointment. Further, more WIC farmers' market vouchers should be made available (through increased government funds) for local WIC offices to distribute. These vouchers encourage healthy child development and support local agriculture.
Prospects for improving school meals also hinges upon support from the state government. State support for each student's lunch has not been increased (from $.11) in twenty-five years. Excessive paperwork and bureaucracy involved in qualifying schools to receive reimbursements for free and reduced price meals significantly obstructs Sac City Unified School district from improving food options.
Concerned nutrition advocates in California have made positive progress with school food policy and regulations that eliminate unhealthy foods from California's public schools. However, focus needs to also be directed towards getting quality foods in to school cafeterias. The health and happiness of our young people depends upon quality school food. Extremely limited finances and the size of the bureaucracy surrounding school food are the largest constraints to making positive changes to school food quality. Some California school districts have been able to overcome these barriers by moving to universal feeding; eliminating the paperwork and time involved with free and reduced meal qualification. This has also eliminated much of the stigma associated with getting meals for free, increased participation in the school lunch program, and freed some resources to be spent on improving food options. Farm to School programs are one such option that bring fresh delicious foods into cafeterias and may increase meal participation. School gardens are another great option that not only improves food quality, but also provides an opportunity for nutrition education to be correlated with the origins and production of food. These options should also be considered for schools in South Sacramento.
Other items that need to be considered include: staggered lunch periods at Hiram Johnson High School and Will C. Wood Middle School in order to reduce the length of lines that deter students from eating; set time periods for elementary school lunches so kids are not encouraged to eat as quickly as possible to go to recess; beverage options other than milk for lactose intolerant students of color. Teachers also need to set an example for students by not consuming foods or beverages that are not allowed for students.
This report is intended to broaden awareness and understanding of food-related issues so that actions can be taken to yield sustainable positive changes in the community. Following the release of this report the Hunger Commission anticipates working with residents and influential actors inside and outside the community to pursue these items.