GrowMemphis: Fighting Food Insecurity in Memphis and Shelby County

A recent national survey of food insecurity across the U.S. identifies the Memphis metropolitan area as the food insecurity capital of the nation.¹ This should not come as a complete surprise. One study² finds that food insecurity is typically higher

• in the South
• in urban areas
• in single-parent families
• in families with children
• among minorities
• among poor families

Part of these differences reflect income differences among groups, since the study made no adjustments for income.   Still, each of the characteristics listed above is relevant to Memphis, and we likely would have been a top contender even if we had not received the dubious honor of being at the top of the list.

Several grassroots organizations are working to alleviate food insecurity in Memphis and Shelby County. One of the most successful is GrowMemphis, a program of Mid-South Peace and Justice Center. GrowMemphis is fighting food insecurity in our city by working with low-income neighborhoods to create and maintain urban gardens. The program includes about 20 currently active gardens. Each one is tended by a mix of local residents and GrowMemphis volunteers, providing neighborhood families with fresh, organically grown produce.³

Helping low-income families increase the quantity and quality of accessible food is a primary goal of GrowMemphis, but neighborhood gardens have other benefits as well. To name just a few, they provide communities with green spaces, opportunities for building social capital, and healthy and educational activities for neighborhood children.³

GrowMemphis is also playing a key role in efforts to create a Memphis and Shelby County Food Policy Council. The Council, which participants hope will be active in 2012, would coordinate the efforts of numerous community stakeholders to influence food policy in ways that would help food-insecure families have better access to healthier foods.⁴

GrowMemphis is also working to bring to Memphis a program that would not only increase the number of farmers markets that accept food stamps but also allow shoppers to receive double the value of the stamps.⁵ This would be a significant incentive for at-risk families to buy healthier foods and avoid the nutrition-related dangers of food insecurity, especially for our youngest and most vulnerable children.