I realize that I have spoken about iGrow and Frenchtown numerous times, but forgive me for sharing yet another story about the community that has impacted me to my core..
Two years ago I was enrolled in a community based social work class. Similar to many upper level urban planning classes, the class was structured around one massive group project. The instructions of this project was to implement an intervention that produces some sort of change within the community. As we have studied in class, food can be the center of change. It has the ability to bring people together, connect people culturally, and fuel the brain as well as the body--preventing (or causing) ailments and disease. Due to this, our community change project focused on food access issues within the Frenchtown community. To better understand the unique challenges to Frenchtown we decided to conduct a survey of the two streets surrounding the farm (Dunn and Dent St). In exchange for each survey we gave the respondents a reusable bag full of sweet potatoes.
The results of the day are as follow:
- Thirty-one families on both Dent and Dunn Street received Giving Bags of Sweet potatoes
- Each bag had approximately five pounds of potatoes in them, totaling to roughly 160 pounds of potatoes given away.
- Thirty volunteers (youth, adult, and interns) were present to distribute potatoes and collect research through surveys on November 15th.
- Volunteers were made up of:
- Youth from the iGrow Leadership team
- Youth from the neighborhood.
- Friends of the interns
- iGrow staff members
- Members from FSU’s Social Work program
- Members from a leadership class held at FSU
- Prior to surveying the neighborhood, each person engaged in a discussion of the history of Frenchtown, privilege, and appropriate behaviors when engaging in community outreach.
- Surveys were collected from twenty-six families on both Dunn and Dent Streets.
The major finding from the survey was that transportation played a large role in the residents' food security.
I love the idea of giving food away in exchange for research. I feel like it breaks down any trust issues that might come up with doing a traditional survey, and as you said, food can bring people together in any situation. If there is anything I've learned so far from taking urban planning classes, it's that food is extremely useful when dealing with the public. It builds trust, kind of like acting as an equalizer as it breaks down traditional barriers of status and power. In return for food, the public, or the families that were surveyed in your example, are more inclined to be honest and straighforward in their feedback.
ReplyDeleteMel, I think its amazing that you have had the opportunity to engage the community in so many different ways through iGrow! Your survey was clearly very important to the organization, the community members surveyed (I'm sure the potatoes were a welcome gesture), and the value that a community food assessment brings. On top of all of this, I think the most important part of your post was, "food can be the center of change." It is clear that you have seen this and are presently experiencing it in your work at iGrow, and you're correct, food can be an instrument for social change and action. We have seen evidence of this all over the country as locally sourced foods have amassed to a "movement," and the case in Detroit is repeatedly used as the hallmark standard. Detroit is as an example so often for good reason; their creative reuse of abandoned urban land has created an outlet for low-income families bringing together social networks and healthy habits. If food can have such an impact at a local level, I feel that revamping its power and place in our society at macro levels would change the way interact with each other, among many other possibilities.
ReplyDeleteI love the sweet potato survey gift! That's great! If they haven't started doing the new round of surveys yet, maybe they can give away kale or bok choy :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an awesome experience! Do you remember any other interesting findings from the surveys?