Urban Food Access in Northwest Indiana
Throughout our seven counties, there are 49 USDA designated food deserts, over 129,000 food insecure individuals, 235,472 individuals with low access to grocery stores, and high rates of SNAP eligibility. Recent supply shortages experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated these issues and disproportionately impacted food insecure communities with few safety net resources. Through several programs, the NWI Food Council is committed to improving access through increased farmers market sites and technical assistance, improving rates of SNAP/WIC use at farmers markets and farm stands, working with local farmers and markets to accept SNAP/WIC, and enabling community-driven ideas to improve access to fresh and nutritious foods, with an eye towards greater long-term food system resiliency.
Lake County Eats Local
The Legacy Foundation, NWI Food Council, Purdue University Cooperative Extension, City of Gary Department of Environmental Affairs/Green Urbanism, and City of East Chicago are partnering to address high rates of food insecurity and limited fresh food access in the cities of East Chicago and Gary while also supporting local farm viability through their Lake County Eats Local program. This program is funded by the US Department of Agriculture Farmers Market Promotional Program.
The communities, designated as food deserts in Lake County, lack sufficient access to nutrient-dense fresh fruits and vegetables. The Lake County Eats Local program will establish farmers markets in the Gary and East Chicago neighborhoods and work to build market capacity in order to create permanent and sustainable food access for residents. Local farmers will be invited to sell their produce within Lake County and through smart innovative, collaborative programming, increase their revenue.
This program is made possible thanks to USDA.
No Kid Hungry
Working to address the gaps in food access services identified by the Lake County Eats Local Program, the NWI Food Council applied for and was awarded a No Kid Hungry grant to develop a yearlong campaign surge to connect SNAP/WIC families with local farmers and farmers markets. Nearly ¼ of Gary and East Chicago is designated a USDA food desert--one of the many reasons only 27% of WIC checks are spent by local WIC participants. In collaboration with the Lake County Eats Local Program, we:
Conducted listening sessions in Gary and East Chicago with mothers receiving WIC. All participants reported not knowing how to use their food benefits at farmers markets
Created a double-up fund to match SNAP/WIC purchases dollar for dollar at Gary and East Chicago farmers markets–doubling the purchasing power for SNAP/WIC recipients and benefiting local farmers.
Conducted baby and toddler food giveaways with local food to raise awareness around SNAP/WIC use at farmers markets
Held several technical assistance workshops for farmers on how to become authorized to accept SNAP/WIC.
Offered farmers market tours to SNAP/WIC receiving families
Through our efforts and listening sessions, we’ve identified a host of barriers to SNAP/WIC recipients being able to successfully use and maximize their benefits. We are now focusing our efforts on changing some of the state rules around WIC at farmers markets and applying for additional grants to support broader technical assistance to more farmers markets across NWI.
This program is made possible by a generous grant from Share Our Strength.
Future Urban Food Access Initiatives in Northwest Indiana
Our future initiatives include:
Expanded SNAP/WIC outreach
Technical assistance for BIPOC and urban farmers
Urban land access
Urban farm water access
BIPOC-focused value chain coordination
Resources and reparations for BIPOC farmers
Our Partners in Urban Food Access
Our urban food access work is made possible by funding from:
USDA Farmer Market Promotion Program, No Kid Hungry, Foundation of East Chicago