Food Insecurity in Washtenaw County

COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives, including food and our ability to access it. Due to large waves of unemployment, disruptions in the food supply chain, and other social and economic factors, more people are dealing with food insecurity than before the pandemic. According to Feeding America, “food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life”.

 

However, food insecurity is not a new problem to Washtenaw County. The Washtenaw County Health Department has several programs in place to address this need, such as food assistance programs Prescription for Health and Senior Project FRESH. Additionally, there are a number of wonderful organizations throughout the county that work tirelessly on this issue including: Food Gatherers, Aid in Milan, Hope Clinic, Peace Neighborhood Center, Faith in Action, Maize & Blue Cupboard, and Northfield's Human Services, to name a few. These examples represent hundreds of individuals and thousands of hours that are dedicated to ensuring every individual in Washtenaw County has safe, reliable, and consistent access to food. 

 

 

To understand the current state of food insecurity in Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw County Health Department embarked on a project beginning in January 2020. This was done in partnership with the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council, with support from a Michigan Local Food Council Network Seed Grant. At the beginning, the team completed a literature review to understand what county-level data were available to use to paint a picture of community food access. They also looked at similar projects from other counties as a guide for effectively communicating food insecurity information to the broader community.

 

As the team began the project, COVID-19 was spreading throughout our nation. In March, the county shut down, and this project was subsequently put on hold. The county re-opened in June, and some Washtenaw County Health Department staff were able to return to their pre-pandemic work, such as this project. Realizing how much had changed in that time, the team decided to reframe the work with COVID-19 in mind.

 

 

In addition to utilizing existing numeric data from the Health for All Washtenaw website, the team sought out stories from community members and employees such as Community Health Workers, who work directly with people experiencing food insecurity. Staff reported a disconnect between pandemic safety messaging and food security messaging. Charles Wilson, Community Health Promotion Supervisor, said that “for people who are food insecure, they often rely on other people [to help them get food], which may pose a risk for transmission - so we’ve been considering our response now through that equity lens, how do you stay safe AND access food”. Similarly, Community Health Workers have reported that some people throughout the county do not feel comfortable going into a store setting and were worried that they would not be able to find food if they did not have access to Washtenaw County Health Department programs, such as Prescription for Health.

 

Looking beyond the work of the Washtenaw County Health Department, we can see how COVID-19 has impacted our food security organizations. In their Summer 2020 newsletter, Food Gatherers, the food bank serving Washtenaw County, reported food pantries seeing a 30-300% increase in people seeking assistance. Food Gatherers distributed 2.8 million pounds of food throughout their network between March - June 2020. 

 

In early September, the team presented this project work to the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council for feedback. Council Members helped solidify the deliverables for this project, including a handout that combines numeric data with stories from the community about food insecurity during this pandemic (see below for images of the handout). Additionally, Council Members proposed future avenues that this type of work could take. One of the most popular was exploring the idea of mapping important food insecurity measures with other social and economic factors. The concept of intersectionality is becoming increasingly important as we discuss public health issues, and we know that individuals rarely experience a singular disadvantage at one time. 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought increased attention to food insecurity in Washtenaw County. Community members can find the information they need about food insecurity in Washtenaw County by visiting the Food Insecurity Dashboard on the Health for All Washtenaw website. Addressing food insecurity will need continuous work, especially in the wake of COVID-19. The Washtenaw County Food Policy Council’s Food Access & Nutrition Policy Action Team works to make healthy food more accessible in Washtenaw County. This Team’s meetings are always open to the public. Please join us as we address food insecurity in our community!

 

For more information about this project or the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council, visit their blog.

 

First page of handout:

 

Second page of handout:

 

September 2020

 

Photos courtesy of Food Gatherers and partners