Serving the Food Insecure with Dignity

What a jar of peanut butter won't do...

Food security vs nutrition security - is there a difference? The short answer is yes, the long answer is in this podcast. Join us to hear about how adding dignity and choice goes a lot further in fighting hunger than assuming everyone has the same needs.

Guest:
Rachel Russell, Cross-Lines

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Transcript

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On today's podcast, we're going to take a dive into the field of fighting hunger. We'll address the differences between food security and nutrition security, the importance of providing choice in the service sector and how to fight hunger with dignity.

GUEST: Rachel Russel is the Director of Community Engagement at Cross-Lines, a nonprofit based in Kansas City, Kansas. Cross-Lines had programs for meeting basic needs assisting with housing stabilization and relieving hunger. 

Sofia Gillespie: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and what inspired you to join cross lines? 

Rachel Russel: I grew up in Wyandotte County, though I will say that I am a Wyandotte transplant. I am originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, but I've spent most of my young ages here as well as graduated from a local high school. Throughout my professional career, I have spent a lot of time involved here in Wyandotte County. I identify as a person of color, and I often see that there is a lack of persons of color in the Social Service network. And so for me, I think about how I could create an impact. What needs to happen in social service so that we're providing better service to those that we are serving? I've now been with Cross-Lines for nineteen months, no, I'm not counting the months. But I shared my vision and my hopes and dreams for where I think social services could truly grow in the centuries to come to make it more welcoming, but also a place where people of color feel wanted and needed. So that's really my inspiration and honest story behind joining Cross-Lines. But when I got here, the amazing work that's going on behind the scenes to transition and transform our programs into programs that are people-centered, that are really grounded in dignity and choice, I believe that's why I stay. 

SG: That is amazing and an excellent segue into my next question, which is, can you give us a glimpse into the different programs Cross-Lines offers, particularly in the hunger relief area and bringing into focus the dignity that you mentioned? I'm really interested to hear more about that. 

RR: Yeah, we serve three H’s. Housing, which is ensuring that folks have the ability to have their rent and utility paid. Folks who are coming off of the street, that they have access to safe and quality housing. And then, of course, the topic you mentioned, Hunger. That's where we've seen the most growth, and also the most need throughout the pandemic. We had more families than we have ever seen an entire year prior to the pandemic show up on one day. We also operated a thrift store, and so we ended up transitioning that thrift store into what we now call today the Cross-Lines community market. We are just now celebrating the one year anniversary of that market, and within that market, folks have the ability to come in and shop for what they need based on their household size. This is something that we didn't come up with, our great friends at Just Food in Lawrence, Kansas. Our team had the opportunity to go out and use their space and see how they are providing food access in the twenty-first century from a pantry standpoint, and just fell in love with it. So prior, to me getting here, our team worked for an entire year to try and figure out how we could envision that, not knowing that the pandemic would happen. The thrift store ended up closing, we were able to transform that space into truly meaning the needs of our community. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have a place where folks can come and shop very similar to how you and I shop at the grocery store, with points which are relative to dollar bills. Then also have access to those things that you can't get through SNAP like basic hygiene items. We just have some really great things in our market where folks can truly get what they need, culturally, what best suits their family and their household makeup, as well as just a place to not be in a dark dungeon, or to be given a box of food and be told you get what you get. And so we're really excited about what's going on in our hunger relief side. And then, of course, at the end of this is Hope. And so we are hoping that by making sure that folks have access to housing and making sure people have access to food, you can see more of a future for yourself. 

SG: I know that so often, when people think of hunger relief, the first thing that comes to mind is people standing in line at a soup kitchen, or like you said, receiving just a box of food, and they don't really get to pick or choose what goes in it, not taking into account any religious or cultural preferences, or even medically required dietary restrictions. So why is providing choice so important to Cross-Lines and for the clients who serve?

RR: Yeah, the first thing when I hear you ask the question is, I reflect back on my childhood. We all know our parents would put things in front of our faces and say, ‘Hey, this is what's for dinner.’ I did not like peas as a child. I still do not like peas today. I do kind of like them in tuna casserole, but that's a whole other thing. But if you think about that reflection of getting presented with something that you really don't like, it doesn't get you excited to eat it. It doesn't get you excited to be like, ‘I'm about to go to bed really full and tired.’ More or less, it just has you like, “I guess I'm going to eat this because if I don't I'm going to be hungry.” That's a choice we don't want our folks to have to make. I want you to feel comfortable. I want you to feel great about what you're eating tonight for dinner. I also reflect on the things that I really like that other people may not like. Oftentimes we don't think about that when we're trying to help others, we're just coming from a place of like, ‘well, I like this so everyone else will like this.’ Well, actually, that's not true. I am a person that also doesn't like Brussels Sprouts. My children love Brussels Sprouts. My kids can tell me all the great things about Brussels Sprouts, but that doesn't change my mind. I'm telling both of those stories to show that when we say to our clients, ‘Hey, I'm gonna provide you choice, but it's limited to these few vegetables,’ are we really serving things that are culturally appropriate for folks? Here at Cross-Lines we serve a huge Latinx community. If we don't have the staples of their community food, but we know what their community enjoys putting together, then that means we're not truly serving them with dignity. We're saying, ‘Hey, this is what you get, and you don't throw a fit, because otherwise you just won't eat anything.’ And is that truly the right mentality to have?

But then, also, when you think about food waste, if i'm not giving someone choice and there's something in that box that they truly don't like, then it just becomes waste. Whereas someone else's family or another household would gladly take the peas for the Brussels Sprouts. Those are the things that we also have to think about. Oftentimes, people are like, ‘Oh, well, let's just tell them how to use them, or how to eat it,’ but sometimes it's just that psychological thing of, ‘I don't like that.’ So I think through us being able to provide people choice, we are seeing an increase in the number of folks utilizing our service at the market. When you just think about being a human being, you like choices, and so to be provided with choices at a place where you may have thought, ‘Oh, I don't want to go there because they'll judge me for this,’ I say, ‘No! I want you to have all the choices. I want you to have all the things that I have when I go into the grocery store. And I also want your child to feel like they have a choice.’ You may be struggling with figuring out how to put food on the table, but, hey, there's cheese here, there's graham crackers here, because those are things that people can relate to when they're looking for food. I'm really excited, and I could probably blabber all day about choice, and why it's so important. But even the smiles on people's faces, I think that's what takes the cake for me every time. When they say, ‘Oh, my gosh, you have this,’ and we say, ‘Yeah, because you deserve something wonderful.’

SG: I love that so much. It makes me want to go check out your store and see what all you've got there. It just sounds so cool. 

RR: Yeah! Hey, we try to make it a great experience, and every month is different from the next. So yeah, I love going to the market. However, you can also restock things all day long. So, if you come, you may also be put to work.

SG: Sounds like a deal! So whenever you are developing these programs, whether it be this market or otherwise, you're helping fight hunger. Are you spending time as an organization, thinking and planning around nutrition? Whether that'd be putting more nutrient dense items on the shelves, or providing education about ways to cook, or, you know, just general nutrition education? 

RR: You are asking a really great question. I would say something that I didn't hit on when I was talking about the choices, or the things in the market, is that we truly want to make the healthy choice the first choice. When you walk into our community market, there is a table full of fresh produce, fresh fruit and vegetables, right as you walk into the doors. We are really striving to ensure that when you walk in you have access to those things. Not even just access, but that they're not the most expensive thing. Very similar to how you and I get our fresh vegetables at the store, you grab a bag and fill it up - then that bag only costs one point. We also partnered with After the Harvest co-op and some of our local produce providers to get some of their excess produce to really get that into the hands of folks who can use it. We also partner with Liberty Produce in our backyard, to purchase additional fruits for our families and individuals to have. Alongside all of that food recovery and purchase work, we are looking forward to launching a partnership with K State Extension to offer nutrition classes. As you mentioned, there is some education needed, because you're like, ‘Hey, what do I do with this eggplant?’ And so we are looking forward to that piece. Our community is the most unhealthy county in the State of Kansas. How do we challenge that narrative? By providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables, we have the ability to do that. It's way easier with the dollar to buy a bag of chips now than it is to buy a whole food. How do we challenge that narrative? How do we encourage others to think about even though fruit is sometimes expensive, it's important that our communities have access to that as well?

SG: That's so good. These things really have to work in tandem in order for hunger relief and general improvement of public health to be successful. Not only do you have to provide access to nutritious foods, but you have to teach people how to use them in ways that are delicious, and encourage more consumption, right? And just to stress something that you said earlier about how that point system works at the market - each family or individual has an allotted amount of points to spend at the market, but an entire bag of fruits and veggies counts as only one point. That's amazing. Would you say it's more bang for your buck to get the fruits and vegetables at the market, since it's priced that way?

RR: Yeah, you get more bang for your buck by having the bag of fresh fruits and vegetables than you do for the canned items. 

SG: So you aren't just making the healthy choice the first choice. You're making it the easiest choice, the most logical choice. It's all the choices.

RR: All the choices. I just ate a kiwi from there a week ago, and I was like, ‘Oh, I could just fill my whole back up with kiwi!’

SG: I love that. So this next idea is relatively new, I guess, but it's growing in popularity and understanding that people need nutrition security in addition to food security. Food security being food in people's bellies versus nutrition security which is meeting a higher level of health and nutritional needs, in other words, making the calories count. So I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about that difference, and why it's important. 

RR: Food security is just having access to food. Nutrition security is ensuring that you have access to food that can help you live a long, prosperous life. I do think there is a difference between those two. You can have access to food, whether it be at your Family Dollar or your local gas station, but those places don't have access to things that have good nutrition. Someone's work that I will elevate right here is Kanbe’s - the work they're doing is ensuring folks have access to fresh fruits and vegetables in those places that oftentimes are nutrition insecure.

Nutrition insecure is also a place where communities have easier access to snacks or some of those convenience-like items. For us at Cross-Lines, I will say that we more often offer options to relieve food insecurity. However, we are striving and doing our best to make sure that folks have access to things that will give them the nutrition that they need. 

SG: And it sounds like you're trying to get into that space even more with those nutrition education classes that you're going to be offering this fall. Yeah, and I know that is a huge barrier for a lot of people. I would say almost everyone on this planet knows they should eat fruits and vegetables, but it is a different thing actively choosing to eat them or knowing how to prepare them or knowing which items are good and less good when it comes to freshness. So I know that education can be a huge barrier…

RR: Exactly. How many servings of fruits and vegetables do we need? Like those are things that we have to actively pay attention to as a community. It’s not just on Cross-Lines. It's not just on our health care providers. We have to continue to educate one another and practice that - make it a norm in order for us to see both food security and nutrition security as one, like ensuring that our grocery stores have the things that we need to make sure that we're meeting both causes.

Absolutely… I don’t know if you’ve seen Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a show on Netflix, but there is an episode where one of the characters finds out that he has scurvy. They live in a neighborhood in New York City where he is not able to buy the fresh fruits and vegetables that he needs to maintain his health. Mind you, this is a comedic representation on a sit-com, however, it does poke at the idea that not having access to nutritious foods can have a negative impact on your health. Scurvy might be an exaggerated example, but there are certainly other diseases that come from not having the right nutrition. So it is really awesome that Cross Lines is pricing fruits and veggies the way that you are, so that clients can get a whole bagful for the same point price of just one box of graham crackers for example. There is a huge nudge there in the right direction.

RR: We are excited that we have been able to champion that, and that we have been able to share that with other food providers. I won't say we have the power to change the entire narrative, but we at least have the opportunity to get the conversation started to say, ‘Hey, this is the healthier choice and we want you to be able to prioritize it,’ versus being like, ‘Hey, I might get these canned veggies over these fresh veggies because they're cheaper.’ That is a lifelong thing that we are embarking on. Oftentimes healthier foods are more expensive, and so folks are more likely to buy the things that aren't nutritious. How do we change that narrative, or challenge it, and then encourage others to do this as well? 

SG: That is so important. And I wonder if you come across this - I mean you have mentioned it a couple of times so far in our conversation - about how “you get what you get” or “beggars can’t be choosers”… it feels like those kinds of mentalities are… very narrow, first of all. Giving people food is helpful, right? And meeting that food security, but we could be doing so much more in providing choice. Like what you were saying earlier, you could give people a sack of potatoes, but what if they would prefer rice? So do you come across that mindset a lot in your work like when it comes to funding or just getting people involved? That “beggars can’t be choosers” mindset?

RR: Reflect again on the way humans operate. I can also get what I get and not throw a fit, or I can throw a fit, because you're really not helping me overall. If I’m getting something I don't want, I almost see it as unfair. At Cross-Lines, we see that as a way that white supremacy has also risen in the systemic issues around who is oftentimes helping another. I think that mentality doesn't get us where we need to be. We truly want to be taking care of the full person, and if the whole person has identified that that's not what they need, or that's not what they want, then how can we do it differently? It's like a survey - if we survey all of our folks, and they tell us, ‘Hey, we don't like this,’ and we do nothing about it, we just keep it the same way, then who are we really serving? Are we surveying ourselves because it's more comfortable, or are we serving the folks that need our help at the most vulnerable point in their life?

I will also share with you something during this transition from a food pantry to a market. One of the staples of most pantries is a jar of peanut butter, so, as we're planning the transition from a pantry to a market, we continue to buy peanut butter for the market. What do you think is the #1 thing that does not go off of our shelves? That peanut butter. While it provides protein, it seems to be a cheap, easy way to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, no one ever told us that folks don't want peanut butter, except for the fact that when they have the option to choose, no one bought peanut butter. So what we take that as, is people either have many, many shelves of peanut butter in their house, or the folks we serve really don't want peanut butter. And so that is something through this process that we’ve had to sit with. Looking at the inventory, what is going? What is the first thing out? What is the first thing that we're always reordering because we can't keep enough on the shelves? Those are identifiers for us of what people want. Our fresh fruits and vegetables, our volunteers are always restocking those. That shows us that people want access to those things. We're excited that we don't have to just say food is food, or that beggars can't be choosers. We are truly grounding ourselves in the fact that we want people to have choices and choices that they like. 

SG: Everything you are saying is just so cool and so spot on, I just love talking with you about it because I agree so much with everything you are saying. You put it so well that if we are claiming to be serving people, but we are putting things in front of them that they don’t want or maybe don’t need, then who are we really serving? That is a huge thing that I think we should all keep in our minds as we are thinking about ways to fight hunger. Like we can’t fight hunger with things people don’t want or perhaps don’t know how to eat or even can’t eat due to a special diet.

RR: Yeah, those folks will continue to be food insecure as long as we don't allow them to have options for the things that they need. 

SG: Exactly! So to kind of close us out, I would love to ask you about what are some things we can do as consumers and beyond to help improve access to nutritious food for everyone?

RR: We've got to talk to our local politicians more. I'm excited to see that there are some bills in the legislature that will help us with the rising cost of food as well as help folks have access to it at Cross-Lines. We believe that there is no shortage of food in America, but it all lies in who has access to it and who has the power and privilege to determine who can receive it.

The other thing that I would say is to support local farmers. The way that their prices come down is by more consumers taking advantage of the opportunities to have access to fresh produce - vegetables and fruits.

And then, collaborate with global food recovery efforts. Those, for me, are the game changers here. We can can and jar, and use meal prepping. And then last I would say, revive a community garden. Note, I did not say start a community garden. I believe that there are a lot of great community gardens in our community, but they need love constantly. Oftentimes, we see a lot of community gardens come up, and then we see them fall because of the seasons, because of transition, whatever. But most communities have a local community garden in their proximity, so, reaching out to your local neighborhood association and saying, ‘Hey, how can I support your local community garden?’ ensures that everyone in our community has access to fresh produce.

SG: Those are excellent tips, I hope everyone out there got their pens and paper out to take some notes, because I know that is what I’m going to be doin. So one more quick question… how does Cross-Lines receive its funding or food supply in order to stock the market? Do you accept individual food donations or do you prefer financial donations that can be used to directly purchase those fresh fruits and veggies that we’ve spent the last half hour talking about?

RR: Cross-Lines, of course, accepts all monetary donations, so feel free to visit our website at www.cross-lines.org to donate there. But we also still host food drives. We try to ensure that this is very similar to a grocery store, so we want to make sure that there are like-items. We do have those items that are one-offs, and that's okay. We have a section in our market just for those things that maybe there's just a few of them. But we do encourage groups and individuals to host food drives and maybe pick one or two specific items. So if you're doing cereal, you maybe are having all your friends collect Frosted Flakes or Fruity Pebbles or those types of things. We want to try to eliminate the, ‘I have to be the first person in the market to get all the good things,’ or ‘I have to be here at the first of the month.’ We really want to make sure that folks feel and understand that the same great things you can get at the beginning of the month are also here at the end of the month. So by hosting food drives or collecting like-items, we're able to put those things on the shelves similar to how you see them in the grocery store. 

SG: Thank you so much, Rachel Russell, Director of Community Engagement at Cross-Lines for coming on Free-From Podcast to talk about both food and nutrition security and what your organization is doing to help fight hunger in our community.