Over the course of Field’s two week intersession program, students got the opportunity to join an elective where they would delve deeply into an activity. Pots for the People was one of these intersessions, and students in it worked hard to spark social change.
By Hadassah Cohen
Over the Field School’s two week intersession, I, amongst other Field Students, participated in the Empty Bowls Intersession. The intercession, quickly renamed Pots for People, was a group of students dedicated to raising money and volunteering for Bread for the City. It was renamed to highlight the pots we made and the people we helped.
Bread for the city is an organization located in Northwest and Southeast Washington D.C. which strives to help residents living with low income by providing food, clothing, medical care and social and legal services. They work to uproot racism, a major cause of poverty, and reduce the burden of poverty all together. Their vision is to create a community where “all residents have access to the basic material resources they need for survival and growth, and the prosperity of their social, emotional, and spiritual lives”.
Our school’s volunteers had a main focus in the food pantry and volunteered every afternoon from the 14th of February to the 18th, prepping and bagging food that would be given out to those who needed it. We were welcomed and embraced by the Bread for the City family and were educated on the reality of food insecurity, something that millions of American families struggle with.
The first week of intercession was not only spent volunteering but also spent crafting bowls, plates, mugs, sculptures and any other type of clay objects that could be sold at our fundraiser. Our group consisted of a handful of experienced potters but also those with no ceramic exposure. Every individual was able to contribute at least one piece to the fundraiser whether it was through slab building or throwing on the wheel. We then refined those pieces, trimmed, glazed and decorated until they were handcrafted works of art ready to be sold.
The fundraiser was set up as an auction and throughout the second week of intercession, we divided up into groups, arranging the necessary aspects of how our fundraiser would run. Marketing, constructing the website, poster and t-shirt design and educating our fellow peers was also all a part of our agenda before the fundraiser could be a success.
In total we managed to raise over $2000 for Bread for the City.
What is food insecurity? In short, it is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Since the pandemic 250,000 residents of the D.C region were thrown into food insecurity joining the 400,000 that had been struggling prior to the pandemic. Food deserts can be a cause of food insecurity and are areas that are unable to access good quality food and make up about 11% of D.C’s total area. It means not living within a close range of grocery stores or fully stocked sustainable food stores because food delivery vehicles are unable or unwilling to deliver to the area. By the end of 2020, D.C was estimated to have a food insecurity rate of 14% which has only increased since the pandemic.
According to the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, “14.3% of D.C.’s nearly 120,000 seniors are currently food insecure and D.C. also has the highest rate of seniors facing the threat of hunger in the nation, at 20.1%”. This results in D.C. having the highest rates of seniors living in poverty compared with the 50 states. In addition to this, D.C Hunger Organization reported that D.C. has the second highest percentage with 30.5 percent of households with children who face food hardship compared to the rest of America.
Many people assume food insecurity only affects the homeless population. However, according to the USDA more than 38 million people are food insecure, meaning one of those people could be your next door neighbor. Being hungry for long periods of time is problematic because it causes malnutrition, stomach problems, exhaustion, behavioral problems and can disrupt a child’s ability to focus and perform in a school environment. This damages and limits their future achievements.
The maximum monthly allotments for food stamps in a family of four is $782 which is $6.50 for each person to spend on food daily. Not to mention food stamps are exceedingly hard to qualify for. This limits the choice of food down to canned and non-nutritious food and is why food insecurity and obesity often go hand in hand because buying a pack of cookies is cheaper than fruit and vegetables.
An effective way to help is to spread awareness on this topic any way you can. This intercession has highlighted the mass amounts of negative impacts due to poverty and food insecurity and how important it is to do your part in the community. Furthermore, volunteer work is always needed at local charities and organizations in your area which can usually be seen in places of worship such as churches. Lastly, donations of money, food, clothing and any other helpful resources are extremely valuable.
To learn how you can make an impact, specifically at Bread for the City, go to https://breadforthecity.org/givetoday.