CHAMPAIGN — More than 13% of U.S. households have challenges with access to food, according to the USDA. Rates of food insecurity in Champaign County track closely with the national trend, which means more than 26,000 residents do not have access to enough food.
Local organizations working to address food insecurity in east-central Illinois gathered at the third annual “Feeding Champaign County Food Summit” on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to explore solutions.
Rachel Mannen, a nutrition and wellness educator from Illinois Extension, explained that food insecurity can be a real challenge for people, especially families with young kids.
“If you are food-insecure, your kitchen might be completely empty, and you might not even know where your next meal is coming from,” Mannen said.
The event was sponsored by 11 organizations, with participants in attendance representing 71 community organizations. The day-long event included workshops, a resource fair and presentations on food insecurity and related issues.
Bobby Smith II, an associate professor in the department of African-American studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said he likes that the focus of the food summit is not limited to Champaign-Urbana.
“Oftentimes conversations around food in this area only are focused on Champaign-Urbana,” Smith said. “But in fact, we have cities like Rantoul, we have villages like Tolono, Savoy and other places that also have food issues.”
The goal of the summit is to foster collaboration among various groups, said JR Lill, a community health plan coordinator with United Way of Champaign County and the board secretary for Healthy Champaign County.
“The Food Summit was born out of this idea where we’re all working together, but we don’t really know what we’re doing,” Lill said. “Can we come together and figure out how to better collaborate?”
He explained that United Way provides funding to groups to address different health disparities and problems. When United Way leaders realized that many groups were applying for the same type of grant funding, they decided there was a need to bring people together to explore solutions.
The first Food Summit was planned for 2020, but it was postponed until 2023 due to COVID-19. Mannen said the pandemic had a big impact on food insecurity and the economy, and food insecurity remains as a huge issue in Champaign County.
The workshops at the Food Summit explored different aspects of food insecurity, including the impact on young people and senior residents. Sessions focused on strategies for writing fundraising proposals and organizing volunteer programs.
Lill said one long-term goal is to address food insecurity among the older population by creating congregate meal sites, which can provide nutritious meals to senior residents at different locations.
“Having more connection with our senior citizens so that we’re not forgetting about our seniors as they age, because in Champaign County, we have a lack of actual housing for senior citizens and then also lack of food support for those seniors,” Lill said.
Mannen said one of the projects Illinois Extension is working on is the Illinois Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (SNAP-Ed), which provides educational opportunities for students to learn about healthy local foods and how to cook. The program also partners with other local community organizations to provide food access to residents through food banks and pantries.
Culture matters when it comes to combating food insecurity, said associate professor Bobby Smith II. He gave a talk on the topic, where he explained that it’s important to recognize the cultural significance of food. Smith is the author of the book, “Food Power Politics: The Food Story of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement,” which explores the historical meaning of food in Black culture.
“Black communities have historically used food as a way to protect themselves from inequities. [There are] inequalities around the production, consumption, and distribution of food,” Smith said.
He said that race, ethnicity and cultures matter around questions about food insecurity in Champaign County and beyond.
Mannen said the annual Food Summit is open to anyone interested in networking and learning information about things happening in the community.
“We can do more collaborative things rather than duplicating efforts and working together to get the best outcome and sharing, resources, and things like that,” Mannen said.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story incorrectly identified the speaker in the lead image. The caption has been updated to note that this is Rev. Leah Robberts-Mosser.