Name: Klara Moss

Social Justice Group: Food insecurity in NYC (B)

Date of Fieldwork: December 19, 2024

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Caroline Walker – 5th grade humanities teacher who taught about food insecurity

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork:

Before break, my group met with the 5th grade humanities teacher Caroline Walker. We came to the library prepared with questions we had about where food insecurity is the worst in New York City, how food deserts result in unhealthy eating outcomes, and hunger’s effect on children. Here’s how parts of our interview went with Caroline’s answers:

Can you explain more about how food insecurity specifically affects children in education and how they learn?
– A lot of anxiety about when the next meal is
– Impacts the child’s life to wonder when they will eat
– Many children are food insecure and rely on school meals to be fed
– Ashamed of living in a country where people can’t feel secure

How do food deserts result in unhealthy eating outcomes?
– Delis are the next best option
– One banana is more expensive than a bundle which you would get at a grocery store
– Parts of town that don’t have access to a grocery store with fresh veggies or produce are food deserts

Why do you think prices of food have changed drastically and why is packaged food becoming the alternative?
– Big business taken over the food industry
– Hard for small farms and businesses to stay alive
– Hard to make profit

What NYC/what neighborhoods do you know to be struggling the most?
– In the Bronx
– Low income meaning poverty

I’m looking forward into digging into this topic more. This interview was a good start.