Food insecurity is a tough and ongoing challenge in our community – one that’s become even more pressing with the arrival of COVID-19. In response, organizations across the city are coming together to help. And you can help too.
Cover photo by City Sprouts
The Pressures of COVID-19
Due to the sudden economic and employment challenges brought on by COVID-19, food pantries across the city have seen a dramatic increase in the number of requests for assistance. In just one example, Mike Hornachek, President and CEO of Together, Inc., said in a news report last month that their food pantry in Omaha served about the same number of people in a 45-day period as they did in all of 2019. Lines for assistance have wrapped around the block. And at the same time, donations of fresh produce have declined.
Photo by The Big Garden
Joining Forces in the Fight
In response to this massive challenge, numerous organizations from across the community have banded together to brainstorm, plan, and execute a large-scale effort to increase urban food production in Omaha. These organizations already do great things for the community each year – working in fields such as urban agriculture, food systems, and career development. But this year, they’re coming together to pool their resources and expertise to collaborate on a community-wide goal of producing and distributing tens of thousands of additional pounds of food in 2020.
In March, representatives from various groups began meeting online, as The Urban Ag Coalition, to grow the conversation, assess the community’s needs, and brainstorm various solutions. From these conversations, several partnerships and projects have launched across the community.
In one such partnership – called Siembra Nebraska – several groups have joined together with the goal of raising 50,000 pounds of food this year. Collaborators in this project include The Latino Center of the Midlands, The Big Garden, City Sprouts, Together, Inc., the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center, Metro Community College, and more. Some groups within this collaboration are focusing on food production, others on processing and preserving the harvest, others on organizing volunteers and career development, and others on distributing the food to the community. Another partnership within the Urban Ag Coalition brings together Nebraska Extension, the Omaha Home for Boys, the Lutheran Family Services Global Roots Project, and Whispering Roots for a large food-growing project at Cooper Farm.
Photos by City Sprouts, The Big Garden, and Whispering Roots
How You Can Help
A challenge as complex and far-reaching as this requires many hands, hearts, and feet to make its goals a reality. If you’d like to help, here are a few ways to jump in with your talent and resources.
Grow + Donate Fresh Produce
For plant-focused people, this is a perfect opportunity to point your passion for growing things toward the community. Plant a few extra tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, carrots, or other vegetables this year, and donate the extra harvest through our Plant to Give program. In collaboration with Whispering Roots, we’re now accepting donations of fresh produce every Thursday afternoon from 11am to 2pm.
Recommendations for safely sharing produce:
- Wear a mask and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling the produce.
- Rinse the produce well with cool water – no soap or bleach – and allow it to dry.
- Transport the produce in clean containers and avoid letting the food touch other surfaces.
- And of course, refrain from handling or sharing food with others if you’re not feeling well or have been in contact with someone who is ill.
Photo by City Sprouts
Support Local Organizations
Organizing a team of volunteers becomes more challenging because of COVID-19, and many organizations are currently developing safe practices for engaging new volunteer teams at this time. But check in – or check back often – with local food pantries and other organizations working toward food security to watch for opportunities to help as they come up in the coming weeks. And of course, monetary donations are always appreciated as they help supply these groups with the equipment and materials they need to keep moving forward.
Some of the organizations working to increase food production and gardening education in Omaha include:
- The Big Garden
- No More Empty Pots
- City Sprouts
- Whispering Roots
- The Union Center for Contemporary Arts
- Latino Center of the Midlands
- A Sacred Seed Pop-Up
Photo by Whispering Roots
A Big Need Inspires a Big Response
If you’re as inspired as we are by efforts of so many across our community, we hope you’ll lend your time and resources to the goal of providing thousands of pounds of fresh, nutritious food to those in need during this challenging time and in the years ahead.
