Witkos and Willis discuss food deserts

NORFOLK —  The Church of Christ’s youth group and the Rev.  Erick Olsen  hosted a forum on food choices and food deserts on Sunday, Jan. 31. 

At the church’s event, state Sen. Kevin Witkos (R-8) and state Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64) spurred a lively discussion to gather ideas about advocacy and hands-on action for local food justice.

A food desert, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a geographical area where there is a lack of fresh fruit, vegetables and healthy food choices due to a lack of access to grocery stores, farmers markets and providers of healthy food. 

“The bottom line is, the reason there are food deserts is because there is poverty,” Witkos said. “The cities of Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven are some of the poorest cities in the country.” 

Willis came equipped with illustrated printouts of poverty scales comparing Norfolk, Torrington and Hartford to pass around to audience members. 

Hartford, with the highest percentage of people living in poverty in the state, has a 12.1 percent unemployment rate and a staggering 51,890 SNAP recipients.

“This is not just an urban issue. We don’t see it as much in the rural areas, but it’s out there. It’s in our communities, and the need is great,” Willis said. 

She said that with a vast majority of Connecticut’s produce being shipped from California and out of the country, healthy foods can be quite expensive, a huge problem for cities and towns facing poverty.

A letter from a senior at Prince Tech High School in Hartford was read by a member of the Norfolk youth group. 

“I live in Hartford, and when it comes to our community, what I see are fast food places, liquor stores, bodegas and drug stores,” the Hartford student wrote. “I see the wrong type of investment in our community.”

 Witkos affirmed that there are no grocery stores in Hartford.

The closest one, The Crown, is located a mile outside the city. 

However, on a positive note, Witkos mentioned that a leading partner of the Downtown North (DoNo) redevelopment project, Centerplan, is in the process of transforming Dunkin’ Donuts Stadium into a shopping destination that will include a brand-new, full-size grocery store. 

“It’s located on Connecticut transit, and opens up accessibility for residents to get there, but still requires the ability to carry whatever you’re traveling with,” Witkos said.

Witkos and Norfolk farmer Molly Peterson praised farmers markets and organizations that accept SNAP and WIC as forms of payment, allowing healthier food options for low income residents.

 “A few years ago, we passed legislation allowing you to use your food stamps and WIC to buy fresh produce,” Witkos said. “Prior to that, you couldn’t do that. You could only buy whatever was approved by the state.” 

Peterson presented Billings Forge Community Works as an example of an organization that operates programs such as double-value coupons for people using EBT, SNAP or WIC. When they spend up to $20 of their own money, the farmers market provides produce worth double the amount they spent.

 According to Peterson, education about healthy living is of utmost importance, and students should be started on it as early as possible. 

“They should learn how to garden, see what’s healthy and see what’s organic, so they can choose those options in the store,” Peterson said. Witkos mentioned embracing “backpack programs,” as some public schools in Canton do, where students call fill up backpacks with donated foods to bring to their families. 

“They take the backpack home so that they’re not stigmatized, carrying food home,” Witkos said.

The ensuing discussion brought forth other ideas, such as hydroponic gardening, food hubs, utilizing local food banks, providing transportation for those interested in gardening and farming, working with local businesses and community gardening. 

“The power of a garden in a neighborhood is transformative,” Erickson said.

According to Willis, a coalition of farm groups, groups dealing with issues of hunger and faith-based organizations have been investing in Connecticut to promote small farms. 

Connecticut has gone from just over 20 farmers markets to 125 statewide, with the number of small farms increased by 22 percent.