Learn 2 Food Security and sustainablitity

Learn 2

The Local High Plains food bank has started a sustainable permaculture
project by building a community garden. Having sustainable food bank
gardens is a reality and can happen in any community. It can help feed
local people and it makes you eat local food more and it makes you think
about where you food comes from. They help people learn how to make
sustainable gardens in their yards. http://www.hpfb.org/Fighting%20Hunger%20Facts.pdf
"This project has strong potential," stated Executive
Director for United Way of Amarillo & Canyon. "Plans were discussed
by The High Plains Institute for Applied Ecology, the High Plains Food
Bank, and the Amarillo
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (AUUF) members earlier this year, with
the dream of being able to supply fresh vegetables and fruit for Kid's
Kitchen as well as other Food Bank members," "United
Way was honored to be invited to be a small part of this community
project."

Arzella Kay, HPI Executive Director stated, "The idea for a Community
Garden was born earlier this year when HPI board member, Mary Emeny and
HPFB Executive Director, Janie Singleton were brainstorming about
starting a garden in order to have quality food for the Kid's Kitchen.
At that time, they decided to co-host a permaculture workshop. Out of
that workshop in February, a plan emerged. Credit for this plan must be
given to several HPI board members who are also members of the Amarillo
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. These Fellowship members were aware
of potential grant funding through the national UU Social Action Fund.
Applying for that grant started the process."

"We see this project as the start of something big for the area. Local
organic food production is an idea whose time has come. Good for our
most at-risk, good for the environment, and good for community building,
United Way will recruit other nonprofits and corporate sponsors to join
together in what is reminiscent of an oldfashioned barn raising," .
Information concerning the statistics of people using the High Plains
food bank
In 2009, the High Plains Food Bank distributed 4.7 million pounds of
food to the Texas Panhandle
The Food Bank now distributes over 500,000 pounds of food each month!On
average, the Food Bank is assisting approximately 8,000 families
throughout the Texas Panhandle.The amount of people seeking assistance
has increased about 40 percent since 2009 –mostly due to job losses
locally and people being unable to keep up with growing expenses.Vast
majority of above people are seeking help for the first time and the
families have children under 18 years of age Over 49 million Americans
at risk of hunger/food insecure From 2006-2008, 16.3 percent of Texans
lived in households that were food insecure Food insecure does not mean
"hungry right now," "going to bed hungry tonight," or "not
knowing where your next meal is coming from. Food insecure does mean
"facing hunger," "at risk of hunger," or "forced to decide between food
an other necessities (medicine, rent, utilities etc)
Over 40 percent of the Food Bank’s total distribution goes to our rural
counties
Through our Kids Cafe program, we serve over 1,000 meals on average to
at-risk children each week night In 2009, we served over 130,000 total
meals through our 7 Kids Cafe locations
We serve over 600 children on average each month at all our Kids Cafe
locations
According to the 2008 American Community Survey (release by Census
Bureau), the total population of Potter County was 118,145. Of that
amount, 26,189 of the population lived in poverty
The above is a 2 percent increase in poverty from the previous year
Altogether, over 68,000 people in the Texas Panhandle live on or below
the poverty line Approximately 9,600 different people receive assistance
through emergency food programs through the High Plains Food Bank in
any given
week 40 percent of the members of households served by the High Plains
Food Bank are children under 18 years old


It is important that each one of us protects our food culture. To invest in local food banks and gardens. To start our own garden so that we will not have to rely on others to fill our plates. We can have food security if we do this. We would know what is on our food and where it directly comes from. We would have fresher and safer food sources if we would all plant a garden in our yards.To use edible plants instead of ornamental. We should by local farmers market foods which in turn helps the community prosperity.