Feeding the hungry in the Ozarks.
A food justice advocate in Arkansas shares what COVID's impact is on an already hungry community.
Tom is going to the city to look for work,
He is tired of poverty. Molly is weeping,
Blowing her nose on her apron.
The children look on stupidly.
A skinny dog sits on his haunces
And wags his long tail,
His head cocked to one side.
The green logs in the fireplace sputter,
Sending smoke into the faces
Of Tom, Molly, and the children,
Making their eyes blink
As if they were peeling onions.
Outside the earth is packed with ice.
The wind blows wads of newspapers
From the window-holes to the floor.
The newspapers uncrumple. One could read:
“New York—Chicago—Unemployment—
Bread lines—starvation—”
But Tom, Molly, and the children
Have never been taught to read.
— Shanty in the Ozarks by Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni, (poet laureate of Arkansas, 1953-1970)
Name: Tomi Townley
Hometown: Fresno, California
Current Residence: Little Rock, Arkansas
Living Situation: Partner, Michael, Mom, Jan (age 74, living with COPD), two dogs and four cats
Age: 31
Occupation: Advocacy Director, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
Photo caption: This is me getting arrested for peacefully protesting at a Black Lives Matter rally.
Before COVID, a lot of Arkansas families were struggling to put food on the table. In fact, according to the Arkansas Food Bank, the food insecurity rate in Arkansas in 2018 was the second worst in the country. So, help us understand how the pandemic has impacted folks who were already vulnerable to hunger.
There’s no one story that fits everyone we serve in the state. By and large, though, I would say that they’re exhausted.
Over the last few years the funding for programs that serve people living in poverty have been picked away at. The government has made it harder for you to prove that you are worthy of support. Some of these programs include SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Women, Infants and Children program), school meals, summer meals, meals on wheels, home-delivered meals, and congregate meals. This pandemic is exposing that there’s clearly a need to assess how inefficient the food system is.
Take a look at some of our child nutrition programs. In a lot of rural communities we’ll see parents walk to the summer meals site to pick up the food for their kids. Keep in mind, their kid is the only one that qualifies for that meal. The parent doesn’t get one. You can see the stress and the pain that a kid goes through knowing that their parent is hungry, knowing that they want to share with Mom or Dad, but they know that it could really get the meal site in trouble if they did so, and then the resource would be gone.
There’s a lot of punitive rules like that that are written into food access programs that we need to get rid of.
I don’t know that a lot of Americans understand what it takes to qualify for food stamps. Can you explain that?
In order to qualify for food stamps, you have to show that you are pretty much living in abject poverty. The qualifications are very strict.
For a family of four -- two kids and two working parents’ -- the combined income can’t be more than $30,000 per year. Depending on where folks live, they may be paying a crazy amount of money for utilities because in rural areas, residents are paying for big propane tanks and maybe a garbage pick-up service.
I work with parents who tell me, “If I work overtime and I don’t report that extra income I’ll lose access to food stamps because the program will say I’m now making too much money to qualify. But I want to qualify for this program because it really does free up about $250 to spend on other basic needs.” It’s heartbreaking to witness a family weigh those kinds of decisions.
How do you educate public officials about how COVID has exacerbated food insecurity?
I think that some days it feels like you can’t. On other days, I’m certain I’m going to make people listen to me! The most powerful way to communicate about this is through first person accounts, when we get families who receive food stamps in the same room as lawmakers to share their stories.
When you can get lawmakers, even for a moment, to recognize, “I would do anything, as a parent, to make sure my child has exactly what they need,” then you can get somewhere in the conversation about the need for the government to help the hungry.
What have been some of the immediate reactions to the increase in hunger as a result of COVID?
We’re seeing a lot of reactionary assistance, and it’s not always the most efficient -- like “Ok! We have all this dairy to get out before it goes bad! Everyone come to this parking lot and pick up a box of dairy!” Those are things that are actually happening right now.
My hope is that we see that there’s a need for change and food justice work, especially in a state that is as agriculturally rich as Arkansas. We’ve got the resources here!
It’s a time for some of our best and brightest researchers in the state to look at what’s working well and what isn’t. We need to be prepared when we get to the other side to make sure that this never happens again. But it requires a lift from people that have a whole lot of power, and benefit from white supremacy, to do that lifting. We cannot be shocked by how flawed the food system is and how many people benefit from keeping other people poor, sick, and unfed.
What has been getting you through this quarantine?
Therapy! Even though sometimes I’m dreading it right before my session, having an hour to just sit down and process whatever is in my head at that moment is a beautiful thing.
It’s a privilege that I get to be with my partner and my mom, as well as my animals, right now. The fact that I can hug my mom is so precious, and I recognize that that act of hugging a parent, isn’t something that a lot of people have at this time because of COVID.
The other thing that is both painful and powerful is getting to stand with some of the organizers and activists in the Black Lives Matter movement right now. Speaking with them about injustice is important.
Photo caption: My mom, Jan Tachino.
What do you want to take to the other side of this?
A plan for fixing our broken food system. It may not end being a perfect plan, but I hope that what we come up with will do a whole lot more good for the people who need our help.
I also want to take my appreciation of the privilege I have and the duty to use my privilege to fight injustice.
A note to our readers,
After learning about the scale of need across Arkansas, we wanted to support local efforts to help address these local challenges. Tomi shared some great organizations in Arkansas who are making a difference. We hope you’ll take a moment to check them out.
xoxo,
Erin & Rachel
The Clark County Ecumenical Food Pantry provides individuals and families that are struggling with grocery bags of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, and non-perishables.
http://www.ccefoodpantry.org/
DecARcerate is an organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration in Arkansas. They do really great work in a number of areas. They lead a conference every year to educate the community about the criminal punishment system. DecARcerate staff and volunteers partner with state leaders to craft legislation that works to support change, and they support people who are personally affected by the criminal punishment system by including them in leadership and decisionmaking processes.
https://www.decarceratear.org/aboutus