by Megan Valandingham
Bobby Chumley, NSBC Food Pantry Coordinator
In the podcast "Food Insecurity in Appalachia,", Bobby Chumley, the coordinator of New Salem Baptist Church Food Pantry shares his thoughts on food insecurity within the Appalachian Region, specifically within the small community surrounding the church.
"The food pantry started over in the old building, working with local grocers to get what people needed. But when the store closed, it moved up to the church. It real simple items, beans, mac and cheese, you know, things people like to eat and can fix up really quick," Bobby says.
The Appalachian Regional Commission says;
"Appalachia, as a region with historically high poverty rates and a large rural population, faces distinct challenges with respect to food insecurity and food access. The negative impacts of food insecurity are not limited to the experience of hunger."
Food insecurity is a crisis within the region, as many families have a hard time making trips to town and rely on local food banks and pantries for just a week’s worth of groceries. The Appalachian Regional Commission says that 30.4% of Central Appalachia households receive food stamps through SNAP. However, in Speedwell, TN, the only store in town is a Dollar General.
An example of the food boxes distributed by NSBC
"It's a big deal because, one family we help regularly, needs the bare necessities. Some people will call, but they don't want to be seen. They'd rather us come and deliver to their homes, and when you see their homes, you'll know why they need the food pantry's aid. It's a bigger deal than people realize," Bobby says.
In the area, there are two major kinds of food banks, faith-based and federally funded. One federally funded program is ETHRA. They offer a multitude of programs to help the community, and one of them is nutrition. Commodities is a program in the company that distributes food quarterly within the surrounding counties. It requires the applicant to meet the qualifications before they receive food, but at least 25%-50%, or 8,067-16,134 residents of Claiborne County, are helped quarterly by commodities alone.
So, what can be done to help aid the food crisis? Most agree that there needs to be more food pantries and neighborly helping. There is no opportunity here for the people of Appalachia, however, if we brought opportunity back they could begin to grow into stability and help aid hunger and poverty in the region. Community is the strongest asset Appalachian people have.
"There is no power of change greater than a community discovering what it cares about," Margaret J. Wheatley.
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