World Hunger Relief, Inc., known around town as “The Hunger Farm,” is launching a new Veggie Van program to bring organic, locally grown produce to food deserts in our community. WHRI describes a food desert as “a geographic area where affordable and nutritious food is difficult to obtain, particularly for those without access to an automobile.”
Here’s a little demographic data for you:
- 57,983 people in Waco (46.5% of the total population) live in USDA-declared Food Desert tracts.
- In zip code 76704, 48.2% of people live below the poverty line with an average annual income of $16,673.
- African Americans, the majority population in zip code 76704, have an unemployment rate of 15.3%.
- 98% of students at J.H. Hines Elementary School are on free and reduced price lunch.
- Over half of households in 76704 have received SNAP (food stamp) benefits in the past 12 months.
- 22% of the households in 76704 do not have a car.
- 63% of people in McLennan County are obese or overweight.
I am fortunate enough to own a car, live above the poverty line, and have access to healthy food from a variety of sources. So I should leave these vegetables for those less fortunate, right? Wrong. The Veggie Van will only succeed if all types of people buy it’s produce. BONUS: You don’t have to wait for the Saturday farmers’ market to get awesome veggies!
WHEN: The Veggie Van will be on the road in January
WHERE: Get location updates on their website: www.worldhungerrelief.org
Twitter: @whri
Facebook: facebook.com/whriwaco
WHY:
Personally—eating fresh, organic produce is the best thing you can do for health.
Locally—patronizing the Veggie Van ensures that your fellow Wacoans have access to affordable and nutritious food.
Globally—buying local puts your carbon footprint on a serious diet. Plus you’re helping to support WHRI interns who teach sustainable farming to impoverished communities around the world.
