Gather Around the Table: Communities Can Come Together to Support Food Security

 

By Shawneece Stevenson - Manager of Family Success Coaching, Carson Cook - Manager of Policy & Growth, and Chelsea Sansano - Associate of Communications & External Relations

 
 

A student helps himself to a nutritious breakfast before school begins.

 

The State of Food Security

It’s the question that’s been top of mind for so many recently: how far can we stretch our dollar? Inflation, expiring COVID relief, and slowing economic growth are compounding the financial strain on  American families to the point where many are struggling just to barely get by. The clearest example of where families are acutely feeling this pain is at the grocery store.  Grocery prices  were 12.4% higher in October 2022 than October 2021, contributing to food insecurity for 34 million Americans (including 9 million children) (1), with Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities experiencing the highest rates of food insecurity due to systemic and structural inequities. (2) In San Mateo County (home to The Primary School - East Palo Alto), 7.1% of the population is food insecure; in Alameda County (home to The Primary School - East Bay), that number rises to 9.3%. (3a, 3b) In the Bay Area — already one of the most expensive places in the country to live —  many families simply cannot keep up with the increasing demands on their budgets. (4)

Government Response to Food Insecurity

In response to growing rates of food insecurity and nutrition-related diseases, the Biden-Harris Administration released their National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, outlining five pillars that the administration will focus on in order to meet the goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030. (5) Pillar 1 of the plan specifically addresses food access and affordability with steps that include expanding programs such as free school meals and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), permanently extending the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and leveraging community programs to increase access to food. (6) State governments are making efforts as well: in California, CalFresh (California’s SNAP issuer) benefits have been extended for specific populations, such as undocumented immigrants over age 55 and college students, and benefits have increased by 12.5% in response to inflation. (7a, 7b) CalFresh has also redesigned their website, launched an EBT management app, and partnered with the Second Harvest Food Bank to simplify the application and renewal process. The federal and state government’s collaboration to release the Pandemic-EBT program was another important step in serving families with infants, toddlers, and school-aged children with additional food benefits. (8)

While we applaud the efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration and the state of California, particularly in regards to the integration of local community programs, the unfortunate reality is that government benefits are simply not fully meeting the needs of millions of Americans. Some eligible participants never apply for benefits , while families who do receive benefits find that their allowances do not come close to funding their entire grocery budget. (9a, 9b) Pandemic relief efforts helped alleviate food insecurity during their existence, but as relief programs are expiring and food inflation is outpacing annual cost of living adjustments, more families are finding that their benefits run out before the end of the month. Inflation for other monthly expenses, such as rent and child care, further limits families’ grocery budgets. (10) Improved infrastructure foundations are a necessity, but community organizations will have to continue providing support as the governmental gears grind. 

Food Security at The Primary School

 

A staff member encourages a pre-K student to try healthy food.

 

Why we care about food security

Addressing food security is an essential part of the integrated approach we take at The Primary School. We believe that when parents are well, children will thrive, which is why our Parent Wellness Program invests in the well-being of the entire family unit. Our wellness-centered, relationship-focused programming aims to mitigate the effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (11) on parents and in turn, their children. Some adults with a history of ACEs may experience poor physical and mental health outcomes, but with intentional investments in promoting positive childhood experiences and providing access to reliable nutrition, these challenges can be lessened or even overcome. (12)

Food security screenings

 Questions On Food Security From Fall 2022 Social Needs Survey

One of the outcome areas that our Parent Program  is designed to impact is safe and stable home environments.  We accomplish this by supporting families with concrete needs referrals to community services for financial support, housing, and food. Families are identified for referrals through a biannual social needs screening process.  Any family that is flagged as having at least one concrete need is followed-up with by their wellness coach who connects the family to their needed resources. In the 2021-2022 school year, 48% of our families received  a concrete needs referral. Over time, fewer families require concrete needs support since our parent wellness coaches aim to build families’ self-efficacy.  In spring 2022, 75% of families reported a high level of capacity to access concrete resources, up from 60% in fall 2021.

 Results from The Primary School’s Biannual Social Needs Survey

Survey results demonstrate that approximately ⅓ of The Primary School’s families experienced food insecurity in Fall 2021 – at the height of the Omicron variant’s spread. Food security improved in Spring 2022, when families continued to receive pandemic relief efforts and the economy was beginning to recover. However, in Fall 2022, food insecurity is on the rise again, with expiring relief efforts and rising inflation. 

Access through partnerships

Providing families with access to food would not be possible without the support of community partners. Fresh Approach Farmers Market provides families with an opportunity to purchase high-quality, low-cost food (with CalFresh dollars, if eligible), as well as access to the Collective Roots Community Garden, where families can grow their own food. Our families are able to access prepared meals through weekly distributions provided by Loaves and Fishes- A La Carte and the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula offers daily take-home suppers, available when families pick up their children from the after-school program. East Palo Alto Site Director, Lena Potts, says “In the past three years, food insecurity has risen for our local families. As folks lost their jobs to COVID, and have faced rising food costs, they are looking for ways to feed their families. We’ve loved having The Primary School’s students this year! As a community organization, we’re happy to serve youth from our neighborhood schools!” 

Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP) is a key partner in helping our families access groceries, especially when SNAP benefits are not enough. EHP coordinates with major grocery retailers, as well as philanthropic donors, to secure high quality food donations for distribution four days per week, alongside clothes, furniture, diapers, and household supplies. Our close partnership with EHP has facilitated a streamlined process where our families can easily register for food distributions and know that supplies will be available for them, which has been especially beneficial during the busy holiday seasons. Associate Director, LaKesha Roberts, states “Our partnership allows EHP to expand our reach and provide assistance to The Primary School families who might not be aware of our services or how to access them. Parent wellness coaches, who are familiar with and close to The Primary School’s families, bridge the gap by providing necessary information to get the support their families need. I believe this partnership helps to extend trust to EHP and that makes families more comfortable to receive services here.” In the 2021-2022 school year, 164 out of our 246 East Palo Alto families received benefits from EHP.

Just as pandemic relief efforts expire, rising food prices are setting back families who were just beginning to recover.  While federal, state, and local governments are starting to acknowledge the issue, government programs can be slow moving and difficult to access, and are often not robust enough to help families become food secure. Here at The Primary School, we are committed to supporting families in creating safe and stable homes by continuing to build trusting relationships with them and supporting their capacity to access concrete resources provided by community partners.  We hope to be a model for other community schools and demonstrate why our efforts beyond the classroom are just as important as our efforts within.

Footnotes

  1. The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. (Feeding America).
  2. Hunger In America. (Feeding America).
  3. Overall Food Security in San Mateo County. Overall Food Security in Alameda County. (Feeding America, 2020 data).
  4. Regional Data, GDP and Personal Income. (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2021 data).
  5. White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health:Ending Hunger and Reducing Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities. (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022).
  6. Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. (The White House, Sept. 2022).
  7. CAFB Applauds Governor Newsom for Signing SB 641 Into Law! (California Association of Food Banks, Sept. 30, 2022). CalFresh program increasing benefits to help with rising food prices. (ABC News by David Gonzalez, Oct. 7, 2022).
  8. Pandemic EBT. (California Department of Social Services).
  9. Fighting Hunger: How Congress Should Combat Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Americans. (Center for American Progress, Apr. 7, 2022). SNAP Participation Rates by State, All Eligible People. (US Department of Agriculture).
  10. Fighting Hunger: How Congress Should Combat Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Americans. (Center for American Progress, Apr. 7, 2022).
  11. The CDC defines adverse childhood effects (ACEs) as painful or distressing events (such as experiencing or witnessing violence, abuse, neglect, or parental substance abuse or mental health issues) that tend to cause feelings of insecurity and instability. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the Best Available Evidence. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).
    12. The Primary SchoolNews