If you’ve been following Urban Seeds for any length of time, you know that our mission to food access, especially local options, takes a multi-faceted approach–and education is a huge part of the conversation. Recently we were flattered to receive contact from Kevin Kunst, head of Evansville Day School, about presenting to his AP Human Geography class. The class studies the spatial relationship between humans and food globally; and we were invited to discuss aspects of food insecurity, supply chain issues, and more, in a local context.

Our director Robin Mallery was thrilled to speak with an engaged group of youth about a wide variety of local food issues. Among the topics covered were the effects of COVID-19 on the food supply chain and how local farms were better equipped to handle these issues as a result of being closer to their community. Other local farm benefits are local economic and job growth, getting to know your food sources, and the future of indoor farming and its environmental benefits.

Robin also discussed the prevalence of local Food Priority Areas, formerly known as food deserts, and the causes, as well as the multiple devastating impacts to individuals’ health as a result.

Most importantly, possible solutions to food inequality were addressed, such as cooperative buying, food rescue – the repurposing of excess restaurant or retail food that would otherwise be thrown away – and Robin’s Kitchen Zen™ techniques, designed to maximize time management while minimizing food waste on an individual level. 

While researching the benefits of buying local food to alleviate many of our community’s food justice issues, Robin happened on a surprising statistic: “10% = $1 billion.  If we substituted 10% of our current at-home household food budget with locally grown and produced food, we would generate over one billion dollars of economic activity in Indiana. That’s just $458 per year per household.”–Ken Meter, CrossRoads Resource Center

We received some feedback indicating that these bright students were as engaged in the information presented as we at Urban Seeds always are to share it. The following is from an email received from Mr. Kunst:

“I wanted to thank you for speaking to my class last Thursday.  You were really wonderful with them and they learned a ton, and I think took away some really meaningful information both in how we are thinking about what we are studying, and what they can do themselves as actionable steps.  The next day, we talked as a class about your point about committing 10% of a grocery budget to local, which also ended up being a topic and a commitment of my own family this  weekend  (my son was in the class).

“More than anything though, I just appreciate so much the work that you are doing and the conversation you are creating here in what is an adopted home for both of us.  Thank you so much for that commitment.”

It is always gratifying to educate others in Urban Seeds’ passions regarding food justice, and even more so when we get the opportunity to help shape the choices for up-and-coming generations. 

Who else would like to participate? If you are able, please join us and the students of Evansville Day School in committing 10% of your food budget to buying locally grown items. You may be surprised at the benefits you notice! If you join us in shopping 10% locally grown, please report back! Post or send us your pics and experiences of buying locally grown (be sure to mention the producer from whom you purchased!) with the hashtag #10PercentLocalChallenge. Every month we’ll share our favorite pics, story, or recipe on our page! Be sure to share with your friends so our commitment to the local economy can continue to grow. Thank you!

We know… we promised to announce our scholarship recipient on February 5th, but we were too excited to wait! We truly wished we could have chosen all six who applied, as all were impressive in their essays and suggestions to promote awareness of food insecurity among their peers. Luckily, we had a rubric described in our previous post, “The Story of Our Story Challenge,” which allowed us to give each entry thoughtful and unbiased consideration. All have been notified of our decision; and even though the scholarship could only go to one student, we felt all six merited an invitation to check out our board of directors and, if they wish, continue to participate with Urban Seeds for our mutual benefit.

Our entrants, in alphabetical order, were:

1. Kate Baba – a senior at Signature School who has a deep interest in public policy and wrote very knowledgeably about the deep individual and community effects wrought by lack of food access.
2. Anna Blessinger – a senior at Signature School who plans to work in dietetics and has a passion for community gardens.
3. Amanda Kessler – a senior at Signature School who wrote movingly about her volunteer experiences at Tri State Food Bank, and how her work there deepened both her understanding of food insecurity and her friendships with her fellow volunteers.
4. Kayleigh Mayer – a senior at Benjamin Bosse High School who beautifully drew connections between food as a love language and a sharing of cultures, and her own work in food drives and her school’s International Club.
5. Linus McKinney – a homeschooled sophomore and aspiring filmmaker who questioned how the huge problems of food waste and food insecurity can coexist, then proposed community-based solutions.
6. Anna Sawyer – a senior at Signature School who tackled the deep-rooted issues with food deserts and possible education-based solutions for her essay.

Our winner, based on the criteria of “focus & details,” “organization,” and the author’s “voice,” is (drumroll, please!) Anna Blessinger. Congratulations to Anna and thank you to all our participants! Below is Anna’s essay:

How Does Food Build Community?

by Anna Blessinger

Food has the immense capability to introduce and intertwine individuals from all communities. No matter cultural barriers, socioeconomic status, or gender, we as humans are all linked through the necessity of nourishing food. Hence, during celebration, loss, trial and tribulation, societies gather to partake in a meal. From simply offering a friend a bite to eat to serving hundreds of people a hot plate at a food bank, food engenders community growth and healing, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Therefore, it is paramount that everyone has equal access to nutritious and affordable food. In 2020, my family and I created and spearheaded a new food ministry, the Corpus Christi Healing Gardens, for my church here in Evansville, building a robust community centered around providing healthy and fresh produce to those in need.

Arising as a mere concept a few years ago, my family proposed growing a community garden, in which all members could propagate and harvest the produce. Altogether, this would generationally strengthen the community and ensure that all individuals would have the equal opportunity to access nutritious food. Looking at various locations throughout the city to generate the outreach garden, we recognized the need for growth within our own faith community as well. My church held over an acre of unused land on its property, and thus, my family advanced the idea of a healing garden that would address the growing issue of food insecurity within our area. Along with the enthusiasm and volunteerism of my church family, the vision materialized.

In order to generate the startup cost of constructing a geothermal greenhouse to grow produce year round, my family, along with an additional couple, planned and carried out a fruitful harvest fest. With sole volunteer labor from individuals of all regions of the city, we were able to seed, grow, and harvest over a thousand pumpkin and squash, including over 15 varieties, in preparation for the fall season. Over the course of September of 2020, our church hosted the first annual Corpus Christi Parish Healing Gardens Harvest Fest. Volunteers and vendors donated their time and efforts to sell an array of baked goods, handcrafted products, and multiple activities for children to partake in, such as hayrides and crafts. All proceeds from the Harvest Fest benefited the various Corpus Christi Parish ministries, the Father Deydier House of Discernment for young men, and were reinvested into the Corpus Christi Healing Gardens Food Ministry, as a first step in raising funds for a geothermal greenhouse to provide year-round fresh produce to those in need in the Evansville area.

Throughout the year of 2021, we will continue to grow and expand the ministry and within the next five years we aim to have the Healing Gardens and greenhouse fully functioning as a food ministry for all members of the community and city. The gardens will provide nourishment for body, mind, and spirit. Incredibly, the Harvest Fest brought not only my church community closer, but it additionally attracted individuals from all age groups and various regions of the city. Schools attended the gardens on field trips, receiving fundamental education on how to to grow their own sustainable gardens. Additionally, many new faces joined the Corpus Christi Church parish, eager to engage with and volunteer for the Healing Gardens. As I pursue dietetics in my undergraduate studies, I plan on using what I learn to nourish, transform, and connect my community through food. It is beautiful seeing the immense capability that food
has on integrating individuals, by building and fortifying a community based around the greater good of providing quality and nutritious food to all.

2020 was a landmark year for Urban Seeds in many ways. Like the rest of the world, we were pained beyond words to see the effects of COVID-19 and systemic inequality in so many facets of our lives. Specifically, Urban Seeds saw an opportunity to answer the call in addressing inequalities in local food systems, with encouraging results. As our name recognition and community impact grew during this challenging year, we considered how we might continue to expand our reach to new individuals and groups. While we’ve been fortunate to see a diverse cross section of Evansville residents volunteer in a variety of ways, we wanted to specifically strive to hear from younger voices in our community – high school age individuals whose fresh perspectives have thus far been absent not only from our board of directors but from the Food Justice conversation in general. We envisioned a mutual benefit in which we and the teens would learn equally valuable perspectives from one another.

Our board brainstormed ways to attract a youth demographic, and a scholarship challenge seemed an obvious incentive. We tried to avoid the word “contest,” as Urban Seeds values collaboration above competition in all things; but we hoped that the scholarship offer would grab the attention of young people as a jumping-off point from which to build. How would we create a pool of applicants who shared Urban Seeds’ values? As with most decisions, we arrived at our answer after lively, dynamic board discussion. (How fortunate to be on a board where one feels energized and more enlightened after every meeting!) Community is of utmost importance to Urban Seeds – dating back to pre-civilization, food has offered not only physical nourishment, but the opportunity to gather and share. And what else was incremental to our ancestors’ mealtimes bonding around tables or campfires, through to the present day? Storytelling – the handing down of experiences, tales, and perspectives to bring generations together. Thus, the inaugural Urban Seeds Story Challenge was born. 

Participants were challenged to respond to their choice of prompts – each pertaining to the effects of food/food access on individuals and communities – with an essay, video, poem, or song. Additionally, they were asked to provide two strategies that they might implement to promote awareness of food access amongst their high school peers.

Behind the scenes, Urban Seeds gathered a diverse committee to review the entries: Robin Mallery, Urban Seeds director; three board members: Serah Theuri, Associate Professor of Nutrition in the Food and Nutrition Program at USI; Jahmel Fowler, a recent Master’s of Health Administration graduate at USI; and Blythe Battram, a freelance digital storyteller specializing in videos and written materials. Rounding out our committee were Charles Sutton, Social Impact Research Manager at EVPL; and Xavia Harrington, Instructor in Teacher Education at USI.

By the submission deadline, we had six entries covering a fascinating mix of topics, experiences and ideas – just the rich variety of fresh voices for which we’d hoped! Ms. Harrington was instrumental in providing a rubric for fairly judging each of the entries on the three merits of “focus & details,” “organization,” and the author’s “voice.” We avoided judging based on spelling and grammatical rules, with the understanding that especially at a high school level, these skills are still developing and often reflect the level of support students are receiving from family and educators, rather than a true reflection of the student’s potential. Instead we wanted to see evidence of students’ ability to connect research and experiences with a connection to the community in which they live and aspire to serve. Students’ understanding of the Urban Seeds mission and vision was also considered.

Lively discussions ensued as we gave feedback on each of the entries. In the end, we had a clear winner based on the rubric scoring, but we remained impressed with all the students and many of their strategies for promoting awareness. While only one student could receive the scholarship, the decision was unanimous to extend an invitation to each of the six participants to attend board meetings and become involved in Urban Seeds in a broader way, with the support of our Board of Directors.

We look forward to announcing our scholarship recipient and publishing the essay in our newsletter on February 5th. We also plan to recognize each applicant within their school, and publicly, as we invite them to explore whether they wish to continue to grow with Urban Seeds. We are so grateful to these young people, our committee and board members, and all in the community who supported this first of our Annual Story Challenge. Look forward to seeing more of these future leaders and their ideas soon! We can’t wait to see what they bring to the Urban Seeds table – and of course we can’t wait for our second Story Challenge next year!

When you think of home, what do you feel? If you’re very lucky, home is where you feel safe, comfortable, supported. Of course, not everyone has this experience. Among the frightening warnings that unfolded with the COVID-19 epidemic this year was the certainty that shelter-in-place orders, meant to protect people from the virus, were inevitably trapping some partners and children with their abusers. What happens then, when home is the problem, not a refuge? In Evansville, YWCA advocates for those who reach out for help and works diligently to redefine what home can be.

A fixture in the community since 1911, the YWCA of Evansville has continued to expand and evolve to meet community members’ needs. From the beginning, Erika Taylor, YWCA’s CEO of ten years, explains, “It was the social and cultural hub for women providing housing, classes, education, fitness programs, and swimming. Current programs include a domestic violence shelter, YES! residential recovery program, and the Live Y’ers after-school and mentoring program. We are definitely a multi-service organization, but the main thing to remember is that we are a home where women and children can find safety and supportive services to help them build better lives.” 

The theme of home is one Erika brings up more than once during our interview, and it’s clear how deeply she prioritizes bringing both mental and physical security to each of her clients. “I have always been drawn to the underdog, the underserved, the most vulnerable, and all things social justice,” says Erika. She remembers being in elementary school, walking several blocks to deliver groceries to an elderly member of her family’s church and helping the woman around her apartment. In college, Erika volunteered as a Big Sister and ultimately became an attorney. “Fairness, justice, and equity have always been my passion. The YWCA allows me to work with issues that I care about very deeply. I guess you could say I was recruited to apply for this job. Several people saw this position as my destiny before I even realized it for myself. I am getting paid for what I used to do as a volunteer and board member for many organizations in the community. Joining the YWCA truly allowed me to put my passion to work.”

Erika wears many hats as the CEO of YWCA because YWCA itself meets so many multifaceted community needs. “As a multiservice organization, it can be hard for people to understand all that we do. Most people only know about one program. It’s important for everyone to remember that we are a home to people who are facing extreme poverty and great adversity, whether it be addiction, abuse, or homelessness. Our clients are vulnerable. We empower them and support them as they break the cycle and rebuild their lives.” You are invited to learn more about YWCA’s diverse programming here.

COVID brought challenges to virtually every nonprofit this year, from increased demand with limited resources, to implementation of sanitation protocols – especially challenging in a communal living setting like YWCA’s residential programs. One opportunity for nonprofits to collaborate and alleviate pandemic stresses came when Urban Seeds began preparing and distributing weekly cooked-from-scratch meals as a relief effort for vulnerable community members. One recipient of these meals was YWCA. “I cannot even begin to express our gratitude to Urban Seeds for providing weekly meals to the clients living in our domestic violence shelter and sober living program.” Erika explains the varied benefits served with the dinners: “We operate on a tight budget where we must watch every penny. Urban Seeds provided us with more than a food donation. Communal living is not ideal. It can be even more stressful when social isolation is required. But we know that nothing heals the soul more than good food! These delicious made-from-scratch meals were truly a blessing to our organization. Urban Seeds helped to ease the burden on our budget while providing nutritious meals to the clients of the YWCA.”

What is a home? For some, a place to live and a feeling of “home” are far apart. When YWCA is able to intervene, the definition of home can begin to change. Home is a place where you are supported, where vulnerability can be turned into empowerment, where you can watch your children grow, where you can build healthy relationships, where you can gather around a lovingly prepared and nourishing meal. Eventually, the clients of YWCA will move out on their own, but the goal is that the feeling of home will be carried with them for life and into future generations.

How to help:

YWCA has created a personalized wish list to purchase requested Christmas gifts for their clients

Tickets for Urban Seeds’ Soup Share Spectacular fundraiser may be purchased through Nov. 27. Each soup and bread purchase will pay for an equal quantity to be donated to YWCA and Aurora Evansville.

One special aspect of Evansville nonprofits is the opportunities they have to work toward common visions and illuminate each others’ vital roles. Urban Seeds is deeply excited for our upcoming Soup Share Spectacular fundraiser, in which each delicious meal purchased by our supporters will also fund a meal for a client at YWCA or Aurora’s Vision 1505 facility. What is Aurora, and why does it matter? We reached out to Nathan Jochum to learn more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned changes on a scale few of us have experienced before. In fact, “unprecedented times” could well be considered the ubiquitous catchphrase for 2020. But Nathan Jochum, the Marketing, Communications & Special Events Coordinator at Aurora, reveals that sometimes, unprecedented challenges have paved the way for unprecedented innovations.

Nathan began his career at Aurora in February of this year, just a month before COVID restrictions were rolled out across the state. Considering his background, Nathan was in the right place at the right time: “I have a degree in Public Relations/Advertising and I’m Co-Director of ParksFest Music Festival, which taught me a lot about handling special events and controlled chaos.” Nathan describes stepping into his role during the sudden changes as “trial by fire.… It’s affected everybody in every way possible,” but ultimately the task of adapting to COVID response has brought together Aurora’s team and strengthened how they serve the community. As an essential service, “We never stopped working.” In fact, as the pandemic unfolds into prolonged illness, unemployment, and loss of savings, Aurora’s aim to both prevent and resolve homelessness is more essential than ever before. Aurora’s protocols required some tweaks to ensure adequate social distancing, such as offering appointments for case management instead of walk-in, but otherwise Nathan says “it’s been business as usual,” with the exception of increased demand.   

Nathan doesn’t hesitate when asked his favorite thing about Aurora: “We’re a team and a family, but the greatest part is knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life. It also adds a lot of perspective to your own life and makes you think more about the trivial ‘first world’ problems we all deal with and take for granted.”

In order to discuss Aurora’s core programs, it’s also important to recognize what Aurora is not. Unlike many homeless outreach efforts in Evansville, Aurora is not a shelter or a community food share site but rather a constellation of programs dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in the community, one client at a time. With each program, “the goal is to get as many people housed as possible.”

Aurora’s newest program is eviction prevention – a necessity for many struggling under the weight of insecurity brought on by COVID. Applicants may receive assistance with utilities or rent payments as a way of preventing homelessness from ever occurring. More information on this vital service can be found here.

On the other end of the spectrum is the award-winning Street Outreach Team. This group of case managers goes directly to those who are already homeless and provide immediate needs, such as food, hygiene products, and blankets, as well as connecting them to longer-term services such as housing and medical care, including mental health care.

Not only does Aurora strive to help unhoused individuals flourish, but society as a whole. To that end, Aurora created Indiana’s first re-entry program for former inmates in 2012. By ensuring clients have a stable start after incarceration, their recidivism rates are less than half the state average. “Re-entry causes so many obstacles,” says Nathan, “Housing doesn’t need to be another one.”

Aurora also offers Permanent Supportive Housing for those who may otherwise struggle to live on their own due to addiction or disability. PSH occurs both at sites scattered around Evansville and at the permanent facility Vision 1505. Those who qualify receive not only housing but life skills training and other case management services to ensure success. 

Nathan explains that while some individuals will need continued support, the goal is to help clients from all their programs become more self-sustaining in whatever capacity they can. “We’re here as a help, not a handout. There’s something empowering for those who have come through the system.” (A more detailed description of Aurora’s various programs can be found here: https://auroraevansville.org/how-we-help/)

Amid all the success stories and realignment of services, Aurora recently seized on yet another opportunity to empower clients. This summer, Market on Main, Evansville’s downtown farmers’ market, entered its second year and was met with its own COVID-induced need to restructure. One improvement that evolved in the Market on Main rollout was a new option to order a farm box online. Patrons had the opportunity to order a variety of boxes for curbside pickup, or, notably, to purchase a fresh produce box to be donated to Aurora. The brainchild of Market on Main director Ashley Kiefer, Nathan says “a true partnership” blossomed between Aurora, Market on Main, and Urban Seeds to ensure clients could have access to fresh food that offers a different nutritional profile than the more accessible shelf-stable items. Nathan says growing up on a farm had already given him an appreciation for the fuel derived from fresh food, which he tries to offer to clients whenever possible. 

The produce boxes immediately left a big impression. “The first day I brought back boxes from Market on Main, there was a mom and her kids preparing to move into their new apartment.” Aurora always sets up clients for success with furnishings, meal kits, household utensils, and other essentials when they transition into housing; this time, Nathan was able to offer a deeply appreciated housewarming gift of a fresh produce box to the family as well. “Five minutes after I brought in the boxes, and we already saw a benefit!” Anyone who has gone out on their own can probably relate to that feeling of a house/apartment feeling like home when a nourishing meal is enjoyed for the first time.

While 2020 is coming to a close, Aurora’s work continues to grow. Their “Adopt-A-Client” holiday program is in full swing. An exercise in gratitude and compassion for donors, Nathan shared the “sobering” experience of shopping for underwear as a much-wanted Christmas gift. “Who wants underwear for Christmas?! There are so many people who don’t have the things that we take for granted. It gives you a new perspective, and hopefully we move back toward helping others.” 

Get involved:

Follow the directions at this link to “adopt” an Aurora client for the holidays.

Nathan has newly updated the “How You Can Help” page on Aurora’s website. Learn about a wide variety of opportunities to donate time, money, or items, or host a fundraiser on Aurora’s behalf.

Tickets are available for Urban Seed’s Soup Share until November 27th.