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The Inspiration to Fight Food Insecurity

Abstract for September 12th meeting in Nederland, Texas: Nederland, Texas received funds known as the "First Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund" in the amount of four million dollars to resolve several problems including food insecurity. Therefore, Nederland needs to figure out how to disperse this amount of money to combat this obstacle. Fortunately, three other cities have solutions to fix this issue which could help guide Nederland into establishing a solution in their community. The most significant solutions would be Addison's solution as a short-term fix and Lockhart's solution as a long-term fix.

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President Joe Biden speaks about the American Rescue plan and its components to help cities recover from the Pandemic.

Official Logo for the city of Nederland, Texas

Nederland, Texas

Original City

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Study made in 2016 explain how over four million people suffer from food insecurity.

   Nederland, Texas received the "First Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund" which is a part of the American Rescue Plan. This plan created funds for cities to recover from the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2019 which caused revenue loss and an increase in food insecurity. 

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   Therefore, Nederland now has to figure out the best possible solution to combat food insecurity given this surplus of funds. Food access should be a necessity, not a privilege.

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   Fortunately, there are three sister cities who have created programs to attempt to solve food insecurity in their own communities. 

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Image demonstrates how food insecurity became a larger concern during the Pandemic. Unfortunately, almost 1 in 6 children suffer from this issue. 

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Official Logo for the city of Addison, Texas

Solution #1: Food Pantry

Addison, Texas

   Addison, Texas solution to food insecurity was to partner with Metrocrest to create a Food Pantry for the community. This food pantry would provide families with a variety of healthy options to positively improve their health. 

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   Additionally, Addison Texas has been partnered with Metrocrest for over fifty years signifying the longevity of this partnership. Nederland could significantly benefit from this solution because it requires a program to help families for years and not as a one-time opportunity. 

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   Nevertheless, this solution may not work for Nederland because this method requires time for the food pantry to grow in enough size to begin feeding its members. If time is not an issue, then this solution could help the people who desperately need food.

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Data collected by Metrocrest Services with its impact on communities.

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Depicted above is a food pantry in Addison, Texas which is trying to help the community 

in times of hardship. 

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Volunteers at the food pantry in Addison, Texas organizing the pantry for the community to receive the food.

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Individuals depicted deliver food donations to Metrocrest services to help combat food insecurity in the city of Addison, Texas.

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Official Logo for the city of West Oakland, California

Solution #2: Farmer's/ People's Market

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West Oakland, California

Farmer's market in full swing with individuals buying organic and more nutritional items. 

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Image provided by Sarah Fritsche of a food market with all of the produce displayed.

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Image also provided by Sarah Fritsche of the local food markets and its benefit on the community.

   West Oakland, California's solution involves creating a farmer's/people's market for the community to become its own solution.

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   This solution could work in Nederland, because there is only a 2,000 individual difference between Nederland and West Oakland. With the funding of the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, this solution could potentially help combat food insecurity.

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   The only potential issue with this solution is the fact the community would have to bind together and provide these products in the city. This is a subjective question because there is no concrete method of determining this. 

1 in every 4
individuals rely on
emergency food programs

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Graph showing that from 1994 to 2014, there has been an over 300% increase in farmers markets.

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Official Logo for the city of Lockhart, Texas

Solution #3: Food Forests

Lockhart, Texas

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A full gown food forest is pictured above showing how impactful it could be to the ecosystem.

   Lockhart, Texas solution involves growing "food forests" in their communities. The main difference is the food grows on trees and are available all year-round.

 

   This method is an excellent solution to food insecurity in Nederland. It may require a huge investment, but the payback from it would outweigh the costs. 

   

   Unfortunately, this solution may not benefit Nederland for multiple years. This would be a factor Nederland would have to consider when making its final decision over how to spread the funds.

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Diagram showing the difference between the amount of carbon absorbed based on the size of trees.

Research: Hugh McMaster. Graphic: Frank Maiorana

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An ideal plan for a Food forest is shown above. Additionally, perennials and annuals are depicted in the image.

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School children begin planting a "food forest" on their campus to increase sustainability.

What action needs to be taken?

The answer to the issue of food insecurity is one that requires multiple mechanisms to secure the availability of food for everyone in the community. This answer requires intense analyzation from the members of the city council, but I will state my best option to solve this problem. I believe Nederland should partner with an organization such as Metrocrest to offer the food pantry as soon as possible to begin fixing food insecurity in the area. Additionally, Nederland should look into the future by planting "food forests" in the community to begin receiving produce from these trees in the next few years. Both of these solutions offer Nederland longevity to the issue of food insecurity while helping the ecosystem thrive by planting trees. 

Works Cited : 

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