Guest blog by Sharon Sullivan
I don’t mind spending a little more to purchase high-quality, nutritious foods because I value good health. Fortunately, thus far, I’ve been able to make that choice and haven’t had to skimp on the foods that I want for myself and family.
So, when I was invited along with 80 other community members to attend “A Night With(out): A Dinner to Experience Complex Realities” at Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope Etkin Family Distribution Center in Grand Junction, I welcomed the opportunity to gain more insight regarding food insecurity in my own community. I also looked forward to sharing a meal with Food Bank of the Rockies employees and volunteers.
The event began with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and a chance to mix and mingle before proceeding to the dining area. Tables and chairs were set up for dining inside the distribution center, where eight participants were assigned to each table, along with a staff member to help guide that evening’s conversation. Each participant received a brochure that included a real-life story about a person or family who uses the Food Bank’s services and experiences food insecurity.
My client story featured Claire, a single mother to a 5-year-old child. She visits her local food pantry each week to collect fruits and vegetables that her daughter loves. Claire says the pantry has allowed them to try new foods that she wouldn’t normally look for or buy.
Another participant’s client story highlighted two women, both of whom are retired and live alone. The women carpool together to their local mobile pantry to collect food they can’t afford to buy. Both say their Social Security checks are not enough to cover their basic living expenses. One of the women, Julie, said nothing she takes goes to waste. For example, when she acquired a large bag of beets at one distribution event, she made canned pickled beets with the surplus.
“These stories are real client stories,” said our table host Kaila Green, Western Slope Direct Services Lead for Food Bank of the Rockies. “They are people we serve every day. We serve 12 counties on the Western Slope plus a portion of Gunnison County. I know these people. I see these stories every day.”
Participants were provided with typical life event “scenarios,” along with their budget for that evening’s dinner. My scenario involved having to pay for water damage in my home, an unexpected expense that left me with $2.20 left over to spend on food that evening. Even though I wasn’t able to select all my first choices at the buffet line, I felt a little guilty knowing that some of my tablemates had much less money to spend.
Watch: Attendees Share their Experience at A Night With(out)
For example, Linda Pennock, a participant at my table, was allotted just $1.10. With that she was able to order a side of roasted beets and sweet potatoes and a chocolate chip cookie. “What I really wanted was the broccoli salad, but I didn’t have enough money,” she said.
Linda, who has been thinking about volunteering at the Food Bank, said she came to A Night With(out) after seeing the event advertised on television. Although she has not experienced extreme poverty, as a single mother she said there were plenty of times she was forced to make tough choices.
Another participant seated at my table, Nikole Miller, noted that while she couldn’t afford a protein to go with the vegies she selected, she was able to purchase a cookie. Several participants said they would have selected the more nutritious options if they’d had more money to spend.
With my budget of $2.20 I was able to choose macaroni and cheese, the broccoli salad, and two jumbo cookies; I actually would have preferred the roasted beets and sweet potatoes over the cookies, but it was a choice between spending $1.00 for the veggies, or 10 cents per cookie. Since I didn’t have enough money to purchase the second veggie dish, I chose the cookies. Still, mac and cheese and broccoli comprise a decent meal, hence my slight sheepishness about what I was able to spend compared to other participants.
At another table, Paula Anderson was given a budget of $1.90 to spend on dinner. She opted for the roasted beets and sweet potatoes, plus the macaroni and cheese (less expensive than the pork or chicken options) and a cookie. “I would have gotten the broccoli instead of the [less expensive] mac and cheese if I had had more money,” she said.
Paula is a health and wellness coach who said she tends to think that people just need to eat more fruits and vegetables to be healthier. She said she was shocked to learn of the disparity that exists in the Grand Valley.
“This event made me really think about it,” Paula said. “I was not understanding that people don’t have enough money [to purchase higher-quality, and more expensive foods]. I get the struggle now. It’s not a simple choice. I normally don’t buy cookies, but in this case, I bought a cookie because I was hungry. This event was instrumental in removing any judgement I might have had as to why people make the choices they do.”
Toward the end of the evening, Western Slope Director Sue Ellen Rodwick shared her own experience with food insecurity — stories that are not always easy to tell. She described herself as a survivor of domestic violence, which led to her raising a son alone. “I had to figure out how to make ends meet,” she said. “You never know: one unexpected expense or life event can make it so you’re unable to make ends meet.”
The Food Bank’s Western Slope Mobile Pantry Program has seen a significant increase in people seeking food assistance at its distribution events, compared to last year. Right now, food insecurity rates in our region are the highest they’ve been in 10 years, making the stories learned and the emotions felt at A Night With(out) more relevant than ever. To support Food Bank of the Rockies’ mission of nourishing any person in need of food, consider making a donation or signing up to volunteer today. Learn more at foodbankrockies.org/about/western-slope.
