NEWARK – Laid off from a trade show rental sales position twice last year, Kareem Davis, a single father living in the city’s Lincoln Park Arts District, somewhat begrudgingly applied for food stamps, becoming one of the 45 million Americans who receive the assistance. The program allows a $200 per month food stamp budget — $50 per week, just enough for he and his 10-year-old daughter to get by in addition to whatever work he can get as a freelance photographer.
Davis’ concerns don’t end with a meager budget for food. He avoids C-Town in his neighborhood and, unable to afford the $10 cab ride from his home to the far more amenable Pathmark, he says he’d rather spend his own money on fresh produce from Trader Joe’s in Manhattan where he completes his photo assignments.
Asked about the quality of the food where he lives, Davis is mostly dismissive. “I always have to check the expiration dates. [You should] actually smell the meat there.
“We need better options in our neighborhood,” Davis continued. “It’s almost impossible to be healthy and get all of what I need to make meals, let alone pack school lunches so me and my daughter have enough to eat every day.â€
For his part, with the nobility of his intentions aside, Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s gamesmanship as it concerns a food stamp challenge with one of his followers on Twitter (@MWadeNC, who has declined to confirm her identity in media reports) has been a media sensation: a local politician with a national profile burrowing into the trenches with his city’s poorest.
With the challenge set to begin Tuesday, news organizations, social media and Newark’s residents are abuzz about what he plans to accomplish by surviving on a food budget of no more than $5 per day for a week. He plans to chronicle his experience across his Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook social network pages starting Tuesday and concluding on Dec. 11.
Questions abound
But despite his best intentions, opinions run the gamut; many are wary that Booker’s hands-on approach to governance will serve solely as a kind of political chicanery, or if he’ll really dig in to addressing the growing needs of people dealing with a nationwide problem. Calls to the mayor’s office for comment were not returned, but the mayor is not without his share of supporters.
Damyn Kelly, executive director for Newark Emergency Services for Families, says he’s impressed with the mayor’s willingness to bring attention to the plight of families in Newark. NESF, which provides emergency food assistance to families and individuals in Newark, provides up to fifty bags of food a month to families in need. Due to the fallout after Hurricane Sandy, that number is up to 200.
“It brings to light the plight that’s not really discussed. Politicians don’t specifically talk about the needs of urban American and marginalized communities,” he says. “Even during the presidential debates it wasn’t mentioned. Hopefully this will generate conversations on hunger but also on healthy living and other health issues.”
A need for change
What Booker’s actions may produce as a result of his highly publicized food stamp challenge is a greater surge in the mobilization of the Newark community to make a case for funding organizations and initiatives that support greater development opportunities for quality food-based businesses and services.
“Established places for residents to shop that have affordable prices are most important to Newark residents,†says Rhonda Lewis, executive director of the Newark Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC). “That is what the Mayor is trying to highlight. It should be commended that he is bringing attention to this issue.â€
A community united
During the summer, Davis frequents the city’s farmer’s markets with his daughter. But many close during the winter months, leaving Davis and many other residents stranded with limited options for finding close, affordable, fresh produce — a challenge Davis hopes will be highlighted during the mayor’s food stamp experiment.
But many point to activists and organizations involved in the daily work of food access as the real heroes of Newark, not its telegenic, intelligible mayor.
The Greater Newark LISC has collaborated with community-based organizations in Newark and the surrounding area to improve the quality of life for residents and shopkeepers. Their most recent project has brought fresh fruits into corner bodegas — havens of unhealthy snacks, food and beverages — to entice children to pick up a banana or apple instead.
Additionally, LISC has provided both direct support and AmeriCorps placements to develop community gardens and farmer’s markets in Newark’s Ironbound district as well as several other communities.
Another Newark-based nonprofit contributing to the work of bringing healthy and affordable foods to
residents is The Greater Newark Conservancy. They’ve partnered with the city’s Office of Re-entry, training ex-offenders in agricultural development and using their skills to farm open land in the city. These acquired skills then turn into full-time job placements.And earlier this year, Newark’s Central Ward neighborhood welcomed with open arms its first full-scale supermarket in 22 years. The 31,000 square foot Food Depot is the result of financial incentives and tax breaks provided through Brick City Development Corp.’s Supermarket Initiative. Now, many of Newark’s Central Ward residents can access quality food within walking distance from their homes — no buses, expensive cab rides or vehicles needed.
The race to providing access to healthy and affordable food options in the city of Newark is a responsibility the community is tackling one step at a time — and will continue to do post-food stamp challenge frenzy.
Says Lewis, “It’s up to us as a community to provide access to affordable and healthy food for residents. The question [we have to solve] is how we plan to bring these options to the table where the ordinary residents of Newark can take part in them.”