This article is part of the Sacred-Public Partnerships series, published in collaboration with Sacred Sector, an initiative of the Center for Public Justice. The series explores the ways in which faith-based organizations – the sacred sector – and government partner for good. Sacred-Public Partnerships focuses specifically on the intersection of the sacred sector, religious freedom, and government-administered social safety net programs and explores why partnership between government and the sacred sector is essential to the success of social services in the United States.
BY DIRK OUDMAN
The other day my wife and I stopped to eat supper at a small pizza restaurant. As we entered the restaurant, we were surprised to find that instead of teenage employees, a group of older men and women wearing colorful aprons were waiting on tables, clearing dishes, and seating people. We quickly discovered that this group was from the local Presbyterian church. They were raising money and awareness for their community garden project, an effort to address gaps in the local food system by providing free produce to local families in need. The produce was grown by volunteers using available space at the church property.
This project is representative of a growing trend in the local food movement, an effort by nonprofits, and in particular, churches, to meet needs in the local food system by providing fresh produce at reduced or no cost to individuals in need in their community.
While many communities have programs in place to deal with hunger, not all programs are equipped to address food insecurity. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),
It is important to know that hunger and food insecurity are closely related, but distinct, concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the level of the household.
Food insecurity is a much more complicated issue, with some families being food secure while living below the poverty line, and other families experiencing food insecurity even while making an income that places them above the poverty line.
According to the USDA, 11.1 percent of U.S. households were food insecure at some point during 2018, down from 11.8 percent in 2017. While this number is still large, continued efforts to improve food security in local communities can contribute to reducing the number of households affected by food insecurity in the United States.
As we see the growth of efforts of this kind, it’s important to identify why and how the Church can be effective in these areas. Churches have two very important attributes that uniquely position them to address needs within the local food system. Churches often have underutilized and untapped resources, especially space and labor, that can be used to produce food for the local community. Churches are also pillars of their local communities, often better positioned to identify and address local food issues than government agencies. These two factors give the church a unique opportunity to engage in a new way with the communities around them.
“One out of every 10 households in the United States experience food insecurity at some point during the year.”
Government programs designed to address food insecurity are essential, but there is often a gap between the available supports and the needs of everyday people. For example, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children), and other government food-assistance programs offer options to individuals and families in need to purchase food and supplies at subsidized government rates. Though fresh produce is a significant part of a healthy diet and is important for preventative care, the benefit allotments provided by these programs are often too small to allow program participants to purchase fresh produce. To address this discrepancy, the government has created additional programs specifically targeted at providing fresh produce, including Double Up Food Bucks and Market Fresh programs. While these programs are important, other community-based solutions must be found to address gaps in the available programs.
Churches are well-positioned to address these gaps and can make their own distinctive contribution to ensuring the well-being of children and families in the community. They are often better equipped to address local needs using local assets, as opposed to creating new systems and drawing on distant and inconsistent resources. Using local assets allows for more sustained, long-term, and focused development efforts. Churches also have access to resources and labor that many nonprofits need years to cultivate; allowing the church to more quickly move to address needs in the local community.
The Sheridan Story, a nonprofit that was created by and is still supported by churches in Minneapolis, MN, offers an example of how churches can mobilize to meet needs in their local community. Local churches realized that schoolchildren in their communities were not getting enough food over the weekends, so they mobilized to gather non-perishable food items to send home with each child over each weekend. This effort grew rapidly from one elementary school in 2010 to serving over 6,500 kids in over 200 schools in the Twin Cities area. According to Anna Prescher, a Program Management Coordinator, community organizations, including local churches and faith-based organizations, partner with and donate to specific neighborhood schools. This partnership between local schools and the sacred sector allows for a closer connection between all parties involved, offering both improved outcomes for students, families and schools.
As institutions embedded in the local community, churches often command significant tangible resources that can be used to address food insecurity. Churches sometimes own large tracts of land; space that can be utilized to grow food instead of grass or landscaping. From community gardens to full-scale farms, more and more churches are beginning to utilize the space they have to provide for the needs of the local community. Churches also have a large volunteer network to draw on, giving them a consistent way to maintain whatever food project their community may need. We may already be familiar with churches that run food pantries, but churches can also mobilize volunteers to plant, maintain, and harvest community gardens, organize produce donations from local farms, and coordinate the delivery of food items to local individuals and families.
Sola Gratia Farm, a nonprofit in Urbana, Illinois, was founded by St. Matthew Lutheran Church and Faith in Place. While addressing local food shortages was important, the church knew that long-term sustainability relies on continued funding. By both selling vegetables to church members and other community members and donating a portion of each year’s harvest to local food banks, this farm is able to support itself while addressing gaps in the local food system.
Government and the sacred sector — especially churches, as highlighted in this article — can complement one another in their efforts to address food insecurity. One out of every 10 households in the United States experience food insecurity at some point during the year. While government programs are an important component to addressing food insecurity, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, especially churches, know the unique needs of their communities, have established trust with community members, and can tailor services to meet these unique needs.
Dirk Oudman farms organic vegetables with his wife in rural Wisconsin. They strive to support their community through their farm and its produce.
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