One out of ten Bloomington residents struggles with food insecurity — having limited or uncertain access to food. A patchwork system of food banks, community kitchens, food-assistance programs, and other initiatives helps people get healthful food, but experts say it doesn’t address the root of the problem: poverty. Read part 2 of our Deep Dive into food insecurity.
Parents working multiple jobs, college students struggling financially, elderly veterans with health conditions. These are just some of the folks who experience food insecurity in our community. People working to fight hunger in Monroe County say they can’t keep up with the demand. This first article in a two-part series will look at the problem. Click here for a Deep Dive into food insecurity.
Building equity and supporting community access to healthy food are at the heart of the People’s Open Pantry, a new initiative under the aegis of the People’s Market, writes Ellen Wu. But starting a pantry during a pandemic takes dedication and planning. Wu talked to several of the people involved in the effort.
Click here to read the story.
A group of vendors, community organizers, and university professors began meeting last year to plan what would become the People’s Market, “a farmers market model unprecedented in Bloomington and Indiana,” writes IU history professor Ellen Wu. When COVID-19 “upended everything,” the group quickly reoriented to create a drive-thru CSA. Click here to read about the People’s Market.
Bloomington and Monroe County officials, organizations, and individuals have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by developing programs and resources to help people trying to cope in the pandemic. Limestone Post has compiled this list for people who need help, who want to help, or who just want more information. Click here for the list.
In this three-part series, Sarah Gordon investigates the popular misconceptions about “food insecurity” — the inability to afford nutritious, or even enough, food. Most people considered food insecure are seniors and families with children. Many are our neighbors. Local experts say the problem is more systemic than most people are aware. Click here to read the full story.
