Food Deserts and The Trouble with Travel
Rev. Gayle Tucker, Administrative and Communications Associate, WCC
The Faith Food Action Network is a mutual aid project of the Wisconsin Council of Churches in conjunction with the Medical College of Wisconsin, in partnership with Milwaukee-area churches and the wider community.
Earlier this year, FFAN Project Director Mr. Eyon Biddle, Sr. and Director of Ecumenical Innovation & Justice Initiatives Rev. Breanna Illéné visited the three congregations participating in the project and recorded conversations with nearly two dozen people. During those conversations, they encouraged participants to tell stories about times when the church helped people in the past, and to imagine ways the church can help in the present and future.
They also asked how people felt about the food deserts caused by recent grocery store closures in the city of Milwaukee. More than half the responses mentioned the distance their neighbors now have to travel in order to consistently get fresh, healthy food.
Here are some glimpses of the realities of food deserts:
A food pantry volunteer, who does not own a car, noted the amount of time it can take to travel such distances, particularly by bus, and how impractical it can be to travel with fresh groceries for more than an hour.
One person said, “We have people who are now trying to figure out where they're going to find healthy meals. …Not having the grocery stores in their neighborhoods, that means they're going to the corner stores, and that's where all the junk food is.”
Another pointed out, “If I can't walk to the corner store to get what I need and I don't have the transportation to go elsewhere … that's a problem.”
A pastor stated, “It's a statistical fact that one out of 5 people do not own automobile. They rely on public transportation. And for you to go miles, all the way to go to, either on the east side or all the way out to Brookfield, [for] food seems unconscionable. It's not right, it's not Christian and certainly it's not saying love.” He continued, “When the Bible says, ‘I'm hungry [and you fed me]’ and you make it harder for me to get fed, it's just something wrong with that equation.”
Thankfully, the conversations also carried hope that things can be better. One congregation already has a busy food pantry, with hopes to expand and meet other needs of the community. Others were planning for hot meals and fellowship open to the whole neighborhood. Many folks talked about how important relationships are, both in the ministries they currently support, and in the ministries they hope to build.
As Mr. Biddle wrote in a previous article, “Mutual aid embodies Jesus’s call to act with love, grace, kindness, and to build relational communities while serving immediate and material needs.” It is about being the Body of Christ in, with, and for our neighborhoods. This invitation was present in each one of our conversations. Our commitment to being present with one another begins to address the travel barrier in ways large and small.
Visit our Stories of Hunger, Hope, & Community page to see clips from some of the conversations. More will be added soon.
