Daily Archives: August 3, 2017

The volunteersload the hot lunches and pantry boxes of canned goodsinto the back of the car before venturing down the bumpy dirt road to the far side of the mountain holler. Eventually,the car slows to a stop when it reaches acreek itcant traverse.

You have to cross this bitty bridge or wade across the stream, and then someone will meet you down there, and theyll have a little ATV or something for the meal, says Milton Ready, a Madison County resident who helps distribute food to those in need. Then theyll take you up to this cabin where an old woman lives she never learned how to drive and now lives by herself since everyone else has died off.

Stories such as Readys are the reality of poverty in rural mountain areas, marked by a lack of transportation, infrastructure and access. In June, July and August, the problems worsen, says Kara Irani, director of communications and marketing for MANNA FoodBank, as the children of families who relyon free or reduced-price school lunches are home on summer break.

Everything is different every single organization does it differently but at the end of the day, people just want to get more food to kids, Irani says. One in every four children doesnt know where their next meal is coming from but it doesnt take much to get food out to people if you know what it is that youre capable of doing and what you can offer.

In Western North Carolina, just gaining access to rural communities is one of the biggest challenges that food distribution sites face, Irani says. WNC is really unique when it comes to being able to provide direct service to people the rural isolation, the lack of major highways or even just us being able to drive our big trucks out there, she says. Theres no mass transit here; people already struggle just trying to get from home to job, especially in those rural areas where theres not a lot of employment very close by. Imagine kids stuck at home in the summer: If youre not at a camp or dropped off at a church or something, youre pretty isolated.

Across the nation, summer meals are provided for children ages 2-18 as part of the U.S. Department of Agricultures Summer Food Service Program. Federally funded open-site feeding locations sponsored by school districts, local organizations and individuals tend to be located at area pools, community centers and in densely populated neighborhoods.

In Buncombe County, school nutrition officials work with community members to identify areas where children from all socio-economic backgrounds can come and access a hot meal, says Lisa Payne,Buncombe County Schools nutrition director. We turn over every stone, drive down every rural road and consult our bus drivers, local churches who know the areas and talk to community members to find the areas with the most need.

Yet the model is less applicable when examining rural areas of WNC, Irani says. Its a fabulous program, and theyve really helped a lot of people, but for our area, unfortunately, its not that effective, she explains. You have to eat a meal on-site, and you cant take any food with you, so its still the whole problem of getting kids to those locations. For that, isolation continues to be the issue, even when there is a meal available, whether its at a community pool or a lot of trailer parks that have a community meal.

To bypass the transportation issue, community groups are creating innovative ways to bring much-needed food to the children and families who depend on it.This summer, Henderson County Schools debuted its Meals on the Bus initiative a refurbished bus that stops and brings food to six open-site feeding locations throughout the county, says Amanda Stansbury, child nutrition supervisor for Henderson County Schools.

We have a population of about 13,000 children in our county, and 50-55 percent of those kids are dependent on free and reduced lunches during the school year. Unfortunately, the hunger doesnt go away, Stansbury says. The kids are familiar with the bus stop, they associate it with transportation, and its accessible to them, which is really the target to make them feel comfortable with a place they can walk to, to feel safe there. Theres a trust element as well that they get on the bus here to go to school, and then they get food there in the summer.

Meals on the Bus serves an average of 120 meals a day, Stansbury says a number expected to grow as the bus gains exposure. Theres a lot of hype about it, which is exciting because its such a community-involved program, she says. Obviously, were not touching every child this is a pilot program, and if we can reach as many kids as we can, theres so much growth potential in the future.

Further spearheading the movement to make mobile food distribution commonplace is the YMCA of Western North Carolina. In addition to supplying a free meal at all of itssummer camp programs, the YMCA has three mobile food distribution units, a mobile produce market and two mobile kitchens, says Cory Jackson, nutrition and wellness director for the YMCA of WNC.

When we launched our first food pantry, what we noticed was that people were driving from about 45 minutes away. Wed have families coming from past Madison County to our pantry, Jackson explains. And we learned two things: one, that we really need to meet the population where they are. If people are driving this far to go to our pantry to get healthy foods that meet our standards, we owe it to them to make this more accessible closer to them. And also, it really debunked the myth that a lot of people have that low-income families and those [experiencing] hunger do not care about the nutritional quality of what they consume.

At each stop, the program, which operates from a renovated bus and two vans,provides produce to families and offerscooking demonstrations. The focus is on shaking the ambiguity surrounding the term healthy food while making nutritionally sound options accessible to rural, impoverished areas, says Jackson. Weve been able to define healthy as a practical thing, and thats really been our leverage. Theres a vast need to meet the meal gap, and as the Y and as a very strong local nonprofit that focuses on healthy living, we have an opportunity to make sure that were not just feeding a kid to feed a kid, but feeding them with some intentional purpose.

Additionally, MANNA is continuing its Summer Pack program, which provides 1,150 children with a weeks worth of food for them and their families. In order to get the packs in the hands of the children who need them, Irani says, MANNA relies on partnerships with local nonprofits, clubs and religious organizations.

In the far reaches of Madison County, the majority of the food distribution programs are run by local churches, says Willow Wyatt, a member of Mars Hill Baptist Church and longtime volunteer with the MANNA Packs program. Since transportation is such an issue, its often up to smaller congregations to ensure that food is brought to those who need it, she explains.

Ready agrees. The people have just been left alone, politically and socially, to their own devices. Its their churches and their families, and thats it, he says. Delivering food works, but its still just a drop in the bucket.

Lack of infrastructure aside, an undercurrent of mountain pride makes providing meals for these rural populations more difficult, Irani says. Its such an interesting dynamic here, she reiterates. We really approach it from a place of total respect these people are living with absolutely nothing, and they are just resilient as hell. The strongest thing that we can say is that if you need help, come get help, and if you dont need help, come help.

As someone who works extensively in remote mountain areas, Wyatt sees this Appalachian mindset as just another obstacle to overcome once you get into the communities and offer to help, they quickly tend to accept it, she says. In her perspective, the biggest thing that can be done to address these attitudes while helping impoverished children is to have people open more USDA feeding sites.The more we have, the more people in these rural parts of Madison County can access food, she says. And we can help get the food and get the word out. We just need more people taking initiative, Wyatt says.

Reflecting on the unique movement that the YMCAs mobile units have prompted, Jackson sees the future of rural food distribution moving in a more transportable direction. When you look at it, it can be incredibly daunting, he says. But it didnt happen overnight. It started with a supersmall pantry and a small idea, and we really used the community to dictate where we went. Start small, let the community tell you where to go and dont really force it.

As the summer winds down, Stansbury believes that while it might take some effort to create sustainable and innovative options to bring food to rural families, the sheer fact that so many kids were hungry and inaccessible during the summer was enough of a reason to try and make a change.

I have all the information I need to say this is successful, because of all the good things that are happening, Stansbury explains. Now whether we feed 10children who need it or 10million who dont really need it, Im all about those 10kids who are benefiting. And thats our goal: to feed every kid that needs it, regardless of barriers.

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No vacation from hunger: Addressing summer food insecurity in WNC's rural communities - Mountain Xpress

As Bernie SandersBernie SandersDemocrats new 'Better Deal' comes up short for people of color Economy-focused Dems headlining Iowa fundraiser OPINION | Tomi Lahren: The liberal media twisted my words on ObamaCare MORE considers another White House bid, advisers and confidants are urging him to spend more time in the South in an effort to woo black voters.

While Sanders won over many white working class and millennial voters in his 2016 campaign, he failed to secure black voters and particularly support from older black women when he challenged Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonCongress wants Trump Jr. phone records related to Russia meeting Zuckerberg hires top Clinton pollster amid rumors of presidential run: report Democrats new 'Better Deal' comes up short for people of color MORE for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Sanders appeared at the NAACP national conventionin Baltimorelate last month, where he criticized the Senate health care bill, which ultimately failed.

He also stopped in states like Kentucky and West Virginia for rallies slamming Republicans on the issue.

Last month, he endorsedformer NAACP chiefBen Jealous for governor of Maryland, a move one Sanders confidant said was no accident.

In March, Sanders also marched in Mississippi with thousands of Nissan workers at a rally for organized labor. At the pro-union rally, he congratulated the workers for "standing up for justice."

People close to Sanders want him to spend more time in Alabama, Tennessee and other southern states, where Sanders took a beating in last years primaries.

In Tennessee, Clinton won 82 percent of the black vote, while Sanders received 12 percent support, according to a CNN exit poll. In Virginia, Clinton won 84 percent of the black vote, while she took 83 percent in Georgia. She coasted to huge victories in all of these states, running up her delegate lead on Sanders.

In 2020, if Sanders runs he is unlikely to have to face the Clinton machine. But hell have to do better with black voters regardless of the competition.

Bernie Sanders was popular with white intellectuals and with many white liberals but he didnt have much of a brand with older African Americans, said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons.

The real challenge with Sanders is how to court older black voters, said Simmons, who called them the bedrock of Clintons campaign.

Even if Sanders doesnt run for president, broadening his base could give him more political power and influence. Simmons noted that black voters propelled former President Obamas campaign, but that his coalition was broad.

A new GenForward survey obtained by The Hill shows that millennial voters are divided when it comes to who should lead the Democratic Party.

African Americans and Asian Americans would like to see Obama lead the party, while white and Latino voters prefer Sanders.

Sanders has represented the largely white state of Vermont during his congressional career, first in the House and then in the Senate.

The reality of being elected by a state with little gun violence led Sanders in 2005 to support legislation preventing victims of gun violence from suing companies making and selling guns. Clinton used this against Sanders during the campaign, particularly as a wedge issue with blacks.

Before the senator launched his 2016 presidential bid, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, told Sanders he needed to make inroads with Black communities.

I just want to be really frank, Lee told Sanders in one small meeting in late 2014 with other Sanders supporters, according to attendees. You are someone who represents a white state and you dont have any connection to the African American community and that will hurt you.

The advice stuck with those in the room and replayed over the course of the campaign, sources close to Sanders say.

At one 2015 event in Seattle, Sanders was confronted by three Black Lives Matter protestors who wanted him to focus on the anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Mo. The protestors confronted Sanders and demanded to speak and themoment caused headlines, portraying Sanders as out of touch with the needs of some African Americans.

Its a soft spot, one Sanders adviser acknowledged. He's gotta work on it and repair it.

Symone Sanders has been one confidante who has been getting in her former boss's ear about what he needs to do to fix his 2016 mistakes.

I think he's been receptive to this idea, Sanders said. He's someone who clearly keen on what he wants but he is definitely open to sound and concrete suggestions and adviceespecially to help bridge some of these gaps.

Another Sanders confidant added thatSanders is aware that he lacked support from black voters in 2016and is more intentional about issues serving the black community more than people.

He knows that as a country we have to work on it and not just check the box and say oh we took care of that, the confidant said. He believes we need to find issues that link us together and stay on those issues.

In his speech to the NAACP, Sanderskept the focus on the Republican health care bill, calling it "the most destructive and irresponsible pieces of legislation brought to the U.S. Senate in the modern history of our country."

He touched briefly on the need to fix a broken criminal justice system along with "the outrageously high level" of youth unemployment." He also mentioned the need for police reform, "and the need to cut back on the use of lethal force, so that innocent people, often black, are not shot down in cold blood."

Those close to Sanders say hell increasingly speak about issues important to black communities from racial justice issues to the economy. And hell look to talk to voters not just at rallies but in smaller settings in churches and colleges.

I think it would behoove him and other folks in the party to go out there and talk to various parts of the electorate, Symone Sanders said. Its only logical.

This story was updated at 9:23 a.m.

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Sanders urged to woo black voters - The Hill