Washington D.C. Hunger Solutions

Blog Post 1:

Washington DC Hunger Solutions

By: Nikole Q. Mendez

Districts 7 and 8, also known as Wards 7 and 8, located east of the Anacostia River in Washington DC are struggling with access to grocery stores and affordable, healthy food options. One in seven households in Washington DC is food insecure which means they are in a state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food (D.C. Hunger Solutions). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and DC Government, the majority of residents in Wards 7 and 8 are African American. To be exact, 94.4% of the population is African American in Ward 7 and 93.7% of the population is African American in Ward 8. A surprise food inspection took place in one of the grocery stores in Ward 7 in August 2017. The health inspector encountered long lines, poor service, and rotten food including moldy produce and spoiled steak (Norton & Johnson, 1). Activists of Wards 7 and 8 want to secure funding for more grocery stores and boost existing healthy food programs in their communities.

Activists march to "Safeway" (grocery store) in Ward 7. 

Community members joined activists as they marched for improved food access in Wards 7 and 8.

  In 2010 it was reported, by the Government of the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, that there were four full service grocery stores in Ward 7 and three in Ward 8. Then, in 2016 it was reported that the number of grocery stores reduced in Ward 7 to two grocery stores and only one in Ward 8. It has been observed that grocery stores have often struggled east of the Anacostia River, even when backed by the District government. “An Organic Market in Fairlawn, Southeast DC, opened with the support of $900,000 in grants in 2010, only to close two years later” (Norton & Johnson, 1). “If you go to the Harris Teeter at Potomac Ave on a Sunday morning, you see half of Ward 8 over there, and it's because they feel the Giant in their own neighborhood doesn't give them the choices and the options as consumers that they want” (Norton & Johnson, 1). Many people have to go out of their way in order to acquire the fresh, high-quality produce they need. This becomes a huge burden on citizens of Ward 7 and 8 because transportation costs to and from the quality grocery store are expensive; these citizens are poor and have other costs to worry about than going out of their way for healthy food options. Collective action by the citizens of Wards 7 and 8 can pressure retailers to expand and improve grocery options by demonstrating that there is a market present in Wards 7 and 8 with over 150,000 residents with a lot of purchasing power that retailers should not ignore (Norton & Johnson, 1).

Local politicians and activists speak out at the grocery walk. 

“Reilly, the DC Greens Volunteer Coordinator who wrote about the Grocery Walk, suggested that the District reduce barriers to federal nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC, such as increasing the types of places that accept these benefits and allowing clients to sign up online. She also wants the District to increase funding for local programs that bolster access to fresh food, such as Produce Plus, Healthy Corners, and others” (Norton & Johnson, 1). As a result of activists from Ward 7 and 8 who spoke up and lead the “Grocery Walk” to increase the availability of healthy food options in their communities, the Community Grocery Co-Op is looking to set up a physical location east of the Anacostia River. They describe their vision of a co-op as “a store which is owned and controlled by individuals within a community or collaborative rather than a single store-owner or corporate entity in order to keep wages high and prices low” (Norton & Johnson, 1). Co-Ops are more likely to remain in areas like Wards 7 and 8 which have proved to be challenging markets for traditional for-profit grocery store because co-ops are not run for profit (Norton & Johnson, 1). Also, co-ops allow for community members to have a say in how the store is run. Opening up a Community Grocery Co-Op is progression for Ward 7 and 8’s citizens and for society because the rate of diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart disease resulting from food insecurity will reduce since healthier food options are now more available. Healthy people results in a happier world. The actions people take at the community level to serve the people in one’s community is what leads to a more harmonious and sustainable environment.

By: Nikole Q. Mendez

References

Coleman-Jensen, A., Rabbitt, M. P., Gregory, C., & Singh, A. (2015). Household Food Security

in the United States in 2014. Available at:

http://endhunger.org/PDFs/2015/Food_Insecurity_2014.pdf. Accessed on November 22,

2016

D.C. Hunger Solutions. “Closing the Grocery Store Gap in the Nation's Capitol.” Dchunger.org,

D.C. Hunger Solutions, www.dchunger.org/pdf/dchs-closing-grocery-store-gap-

report.pdf.

Government of the District of Columbia O ce of the Chief Financial O cer. (2010). Fiscal Impact

Statement – “Food, Environmental, and Economic Development in the District of

Columbia Act of 2010” (Memo). Available at: http://app.cfo.dc.gov/services/ scal_impact/pdf/spring09/FINAL-FIS-18-967-Food-Environmental-and- Economic-Development-in-the-District-of-Columbia-Act-of-2010.pdf. Accessed on November 22, 2016.

Norton, Sam, and Dave Johnson. “DC’s ‘Grocery Walk’ Highlights Limited Food Options East

of the Anacostia River–and Suggests Possible Solutions.” Ggwash.org, Greater Greater

Washington, 18 Oct. 2017, ggwash.org/view/65233/dcs-grocery-walk-highlights-limited-

food-options-east-of-the-anacostia-river-suggests-possible-solutions.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2011). The Bene ts of Increasing the Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Pro-gram (SNAP) Participation in Your State. Available at:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/ les/bc_facts. pdf. Accessed on November 22,

2016.