WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Story By: Madison Stratton
“You know, abundance is our watchword and so we focus on taking the abundance that is in our world and giving it to those who don’t have abundance and making sure that they can move from survival to thriving,” said Jada Bee.
According to the World Food Programme, “An estimated 37.2 million people across 47 countries will be in Emergency or worse levels of acute food insecurity in 2024, and require immediate emergency assistance to save lives and livelihoods. An estimated 24.5 million children are predicted to be acutely malnourished in the 15 countries with the highest burden in 2024.”
In America alone, about 37.8 million people face food insecurity. One driving factor to lower these numbers is buying and supporting food locally even right here in Bloomington.
WFHB News first spoke with Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard CEO Megan Betz to gain more information about the benefits of this local food pantry.
Betz said, “For me, I think the major benefits are the sense of community we all get. We want to be really clear that all of us could move through moments of needing support and moments of having space to offer support over the course of our lives.”
WFHB then spoke with People’s Market planning committee member Jada Bee to gain more insight into the Co-op’s mission and how food scarcity drove their vision, especially during COVID-19.
“And so, we realize very quickly that the people who are going to get caught in the middle are going to be Black and brown people and poor people. And so our mission shifted to our sponsored boxes, and trying to figure out ways to help stack food pantries, and get food to people in need,” said Bee.
Betz spoke about Mother Hubbard’s biggest reasons for helping the local residents of Bloomington.
Betz said, “The more that we can think about food as really situated in our community, we can talk more about how it feels to not only be nourished by the food but to be really in connection with the people that bring it to us.”
Over 41 million U.S. residents currently use SNAP benefits to gain access to their meals. SNAP benefits is a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides food assistance to low and no-income people and families living in the United States. According to the USDA, “benefits averaged $230.88 per participant per month.”
WFHB spoke with Farm Stop Cooperative Manager Bobbi Boos about local accessibility between not only local residents using SNAP benefits but farmers as well.
“So it’s a really beautiful thing as a farmer to know that I can price good. I’m also a farmer. I can price goods…and yet there’s still some access and it’s affordable to people who do receive SNAP benefits,” said Boos.
The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market Coordinator Clarence Boone described how the market supports residents who use SNAP Benefits.
Boone said, “Say if there’s a SNAP recipient that has a family, we help them. We double the face value of, say, a market buck, so the max is $27 worth of market bucks that all the sudden can turn into $54 of buying power.”
Farm Stop Volunteer Board Member Ash Teng along with Bobbi Boos spoke of how they grow closer to the Bloomington community including the use of SNAP benefits.
“So folks who have SNAP EBT cards, they can double their value, which has been really great and means they get to access fresh, delicious, nutrient-dense food when maybe they wouldn’t normally be able to use,” said Teng.
WFHB followed up with Jada Bee and asked her to discuss exactly who the People’s Market helps and how you can support people in your own community.
Bee said, “The families are what matter. You know, feeding those families are really what matters every single week.”
By buying your produce locally you are not only creating a connection with local Bloomington residents but also helping to promote food security.
“The basics of food security is about overall health and wealth. You know, when you have food security, you can focus on other things in your life that aren’t secure,” said Bee.
Locations mentioned:
Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard:
Tuesday through Thursday from 12PM to 6PM
1100 W. Allen St. Bloomington, IN 47403
https://www.mhcfoodpantry.org/
People’s Market:
Every Saturday from 9AM to 1PM
2420 E 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47401
https://www.peoplesmarketbtown.org/
Bloomington Farm Stop Cooperative:
Open Daily 8:30AM-6:30PM
902 W Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47404
https://www.bloomingtonfarmstop.coop/
The Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market:
Every Saturday till November 23rd 8AM to 1PM
401 N Morton St, Bloomington, IN 47404
