What does it mean to serve? This winter break, a group of 16 NSU students, including myself, got an opportunity to answer that question by working with the YMCA of Western North Carolina (YMCA-WNC) through the Sharks and Service program run by Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement (SLCE).
In the Black Mountains of western North Carolina, the temperature brisk and the air crisp, one could say a desert exists. Just outside of Buncombe County, and in some parts of it, lies Tier-1 food deserts, areas denoted by low socioeconomic status and limited or no access to grocery stores within 10 miles.
To help combat food insecurity in these areas, the YMCA-WNC has been putting their pedal to the metal, quite literally. Last year, with their fleet of mobile kitchens, they facilitated 240 healthy food distributions of over 65 metric tons of healthy food, focusing on providing fresh produce and low-sugar foods to the communities that need them at no cost.
Humble origins
When the YMCA first had the idea to pair food distribution with healthy eating, they were not sure if it would take off. Cory Jackson, Nutrition and Wellness Director of YMCA-WNC and architect of the program, said that at their first distribution, a stationary distribution at the Y in November 2013, only eight people showed up over a two hour period. However, by January 2014 they were seeing 30 to 40 people per week.
Jackson realized the potential for the program and decided that to be able impact more families, they would bring food and education directly to these communities. So, the YMCA-WNC created Healthy Living Mobile Kitchens, trucks and a bus altered to include a full kitchen and seating for on-site cooking demonstrations and distributions.
“It’s about breaking down the stereotype and a lot of preconceived notions that folks that are living in poverty, that are going through hunger, don’t want to eat healthy,” Jackson said.
A class act
Lisa Riggsbee, the Healthy Living Manager of Nutrition Programs at YMCA-WNC, said that many of their distribution points are schools where half or more students are on free or reduced lunches. They are able to pair food distribution for adults with nutrition education and fun activities for students. Every distribution has an on-site demonstration to go with it, from making crockpot applesauce to cranberry juice spritzers.
By educating students and getting them excited about eating healthy, Riggsbee said they can affect change in their homes and in their lives.
“Things start in the school. Kids can start influencing the shopping,” said Riggsbee.
Sharks and Service
During the trip, NSU students helped sort donated food, distributed out of the Healthy Living Mobile Market, and participated in demonstrations for the community, largely with elementary and middle school children. Some of the children they worked with had never tried some of the vegetables they brought: items like cucumbers, tomatoes and sugar snap peas.
“It is truly the small things that make a difference. Whether it be just smiling as someone comes up to the table to collect some food or watching a child try a vegetable for the first time, those are the things that matter,” said Johnson.
Site leaders Moira Majaha, sophomore biology major, and Michaela Johnson, sophomore marine biology and biology double major, both agreed that the trip was very student-driven this year.
Johnson said, “[Students] choose the issues, the locations, where to eat, where to stay and almost everything else in between. Of course they receive guidance from professional staff, but the SLCE office really empowers the students to go out and really make the trip their own.”
This year, the SLCE office switched its programming model and joined the Break Away program, which focuses on strong direct service, education and reflection. Reflection is a large part of the trip each evening, as participants and site leaders facilitate activities that help put the week into perspective.
Liz Mazorowicz, graduate assistant for SLCE, said, “The cool thing about having such a big group is that all 16 people bring their different perspectives and their different experiences and that helps all of us have a really good comprehensive understanding of the issue that we’re serving with.”
What ends up being a common thread among participants is how much impact the service has on them.
“What’s so special about the alternative break [is that] you get something out of it. Explore a new place, make new friends. Make impact in many communities,” said Majaha.
Voting with your dollar
One of the big takeaways for the group was how individual spending affected donations. According to endhunger.org, approximately 40 percent of food is wasted from production to the dinner table. By being diligent with their spending and mindful of their eating habits, consumers can help lower the amount of food waste.
Riggsbee explained that, on an individual level, buying more produce can affect the supply chain and increase production and lower costs of healthy food items.
“Whatever decisions you’re making, how you spend your time, how you spend your money, who you spend your time with, how does that affect what goes on in the whole system? Because we vote with our money and we vote with our time,” said Riggsbee.
When asked what she learned on the trip, Mazorowicz said, “How much I as a human can contribute to creating less food waste but also contribute to positive change on a level of food insecurity. We talked a lot about voting with your dollar and how the food I buy will trickle down to be the food that might be donated… or more available for others.”
Any student that wants to participate on future service trips can go to OrgSync and check out Sharks and Service or contact the SLCE office at slce@nova.edu or 954-262-7195.
For more information about the YMCA of Western North Carolina, visit their site at ymcawnc.org/nutritionprograms.
Photo credit:
Photo 1:
Sharks at a food distribution.
Credit . L. Mazorowicz
Photo 2:
Sharks in front of the Healthy Living Mobile Kitchen.
Credit . L. Mazorowicz
