The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 8 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on April 30, 2021.
Brianna Lundberg ’24
Staff Writer
Many of our neighbors were facing food insecurity before the coronavirus pandemic. As the pandemic disrupted just about everything, it also created major obstacles to many peoples’ access to food. To help bridge the gap, nonprofits have pivoted their work to provide fresh produce to those in need.
Feeding America operates and supports many food pantries nationwide to combat food insecurity as a non-profit organization. In its latest brief, “The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020 and 2021,” it reports that those who were most at risk for food insecurity before the pandemic have suffered the most throughout the pandemic.
According to Feeding America, 45 million people experienced food insecurity in 2020, 9.8 million more people than in 2019. While this increase looks drastic, it is lower than what the organization projected at the start of the pandemic. Feeding America claims this was due to responses from governments and private sector donors that allowed for the charitable food sector to assist people on a larger scale.
Theresa Collins, CEO and president of Beacon Organizational Consulting in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, helps nonprofits gain financial sustainability. Collins says donors lifted many restrictions for nonprofits seeking financial grants in response to the pandemic, allowing nonprofits to swiftly address issues such as spiked food insecurity in their communities.
Grow It Forward is one of the nonprofits that has expanded its food distribution throughout the pandemic. Amber Daugs, CEO and founder of Grow It Forward based in Manitowoc, was motivated to start the organization after her own experiences with homelessness and food insecurity.
Her struggles inspired her to provide “dignified access” to food and food education to people facing similar obstacles. Grow It Forward started as a community garden in Manitowoc in 2014, and when the pandemic began, it shifted its primary focus to food distribution. Since then, it has evolved into a critical community center that offers fresh food to anyone who needs it.
When it started, Grow It Forward was quickly met with lines of people who needed their services. It managed to effectively provide for those in need by acquiring a frozen food truck and seeking resources from Feeding America and various other supporters in their community.
One of Grow It Forward’s most impactful decisions was to not require personal information such as proof of income from people needing food. This greatly benefited those whose incomes were drastically upended by the pandemic and undocumented individuals who worry about sharing their personal information.
Daugs says that expertise and community trust are the most crucial components to supporting her community, and she has been astounded by the local dedication to Grow It Forward’s cause.
Similar to other organizations that stepped up to help those in need, Roberti Community House, a nonprofit based in Waukegan, Illinois, also greatly shifted its focus to addressing food insecurity after seeing how hard the pandemic hit those in their community. Before the pandemic, it primarily focused on providing a safe community gathering place through over 20 programs, such as a culinary training program.
When the pandemic began, the need to social distance and avoid gatherings disrupted their operations significantly. That, in addition to spiked community need, prompted it to pivot its focus to food distribution.
Maribeth Roberti, founder and president of Roberti Community House, says she and her team have been able to help many people facing food insecurity thanks to support from the community and the many innovations made to accommodate the pandemic.
Roberti Community House coordinated with places like restaurants and grocery stores with large food surpluses and used the food they donated to cook free meals for people in need. They also got help from community members who could highlight “pockets” of the community where many people were facing food insecurity.
Roberti Community House now has eight weekly pop-up distribution centers, and it uses a sturdy tent it received as a donation. Roberti said that the tent is a perfect way to accommodate social distancing requirements, harsh weather conditions and people’s immediate need for support.
Roberti says shifting its focus to addressing food insecurity has been greatly rewarding for everyone involved, especially because it strengthened connections within the community during a crisis where feelings of loneliness and isolation are particularly common. She adds that local support has been incredible, and they plan to continue food distribution work after the pandemic is no longer an issue.
Urban Roots is an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit that also shifted its focus to combating food insecurity. Urban Roots provides opportunities for youth to get involved in agriculture to build important skills and strong community connections. Lucia Cole is a farm specialist at Urban Roots, and she says that the coronavirus outbreak was hugely disruptive especially since social distance requirements heavily conflicted with their daily farm operations.
By using donatinged produce from their farm and partnering with organizations such as the Austin Justice Coalition, Urban Roots has massively expanded its food donations. Cole indicated that they plan to remain focused on hunger relief after the pandemic, in addition to its focus on youth empowerment.
“Everyone in some way or another, whether it’s like gardening with their grandmother or cooking a meal, or whatever; everybody can connect to food,” Cole says. “All of our social problems can also be connected to food, and so we use it as the means to do all of this work.”
Although food insecurity is an issue that continues to be exacerbated by the pandemic, many nonprofits have significantly helped their communities by focusing on hunger relief. These nonprofits have managed to strengthen communities in times of necessary isolation, and there are many ways for people to contribute.
Members of all three organizations emphasized how crucial dedicated volunteers have been during the pandemic. The Roberti Community House is in Lake County, and students can support them by volunteering, visiting their community garden, and a variety of other ways detailed on the organization’s website.
