The National Guard assisting in food distribution at Cleveland’s muni lot off the Shoreway. [Greater Cleveland Food Bank]
A collaborative group of food justice advocates is calling for movement toward food sovereignty and nutrition equity in Cleveland as new leadership takes shape under mayor-elect Justin Bibb.
The group authored an op-ed that was published on cleveland.com and was featured prominently in the Forum section of this week’s Sunday Plain Dealer.
Intended as an open letter to Bibb, as well as an urgent plea to the community, the op-ed identifies hunger in Cleveland as a “smoldering public health crisis driven by lack of nutrition security and food sovereignty”. It identifies several actions it wants the mayor to take once in office, some of which he may be inclined to embrace.
The coalition met virtually after the primary with both Bibb and his opponent, outgoing City Council president Kevin Kelley, to engage in dialogue about their concerns over food insecurity. The op-ed was a pre-planned outgrowth of those sessions.
The op-ed was signed by Michelle B. Jackson a Ward 4 resident and community organizer who works as a community researcher at the Swetland Center for Environmental Health at Case Western Reserve University, and Gwendolyn Garth, an activist and a founding member of the Central-Kinsman Neighborhood Up Network.
Members of the ad hoc coalition that met with the candidates and generated the op-ed include: Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition, Cleveland Fresh, the Swetland Center, Hunger Network, The FARE Project, Kings & Queens of Art, and the Neighbor Up Network.
Coalition members are inviting those who wish to learn more about opportunities for promoting food justice, to register and attend the foodNEST & friends event on December 1. The virtual event will celebrate food systems changes already gestating in the local ecosphere and encourage continuing innovation to promote nutrition equity.
foodNEST 2.0 is a three-year study focused on developing tools and strategies that support a more equitable food system in Cleveland. The event is free and open to all.
Registration for the two-hour program, which will start at 9a, can be done via this link.
Click here to read the full op-ed.
Many Greater Clevelanders rely on a network of area food banks to stave off hunger each month [Greater Cleveland Food Bank]
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