Street Soldiers: Feeding Newark

Fox 5 and Hot 97 present Street Soldiers with Lisa Evers. Hi there, I'm Lisa Evers, host of Street Soldiers. We're on location here in New Jersey, and we're calling this episode Feeding Newark. Newark, like many other cities across the country, is faced with a food insecurity crisis so severe it's affecting more than 25% of its residents. Nearly 80% of school kids qualify for free meals in their schools. But here in Newark, they're coming together, community groups, city leaders, and even a hospital to meet this need in innovative ways. In Newark, the city opened five grocery stores here. where shoppers can pay what they can and there are always free giveaways. It's being owned and run by community-based organizations, you know, United Community Corporation, St. James Corporation, you know, organizations like that, La Casa de Don Pedro, you know, Clinton Hill Community Action. They run it, they own it, in conjunction with the city. The city really Mayor Baraka tells me the partnership with the non-profits just makes sense because they have the community access and know exactly what to do and the city contributes what they need. We got the work and the people in the city who do this work. We couldn't have done it without them because they know what to do. We had infrastructure and resources so we put it all together and they stood five of You know, all over the city. And now we are... At Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, the team, under the leadership of CEO and President Daryl Terry, is taking a unique holistic approach to health and wellness. The growing vegetables are the only hospital greenhouse in America. They also run a food pharmacy for struggling families. It all comes with counseling and other support services. We wanted to make sure we took some things off their plate by putting some things on their plate. So we have all kinds of friends. Fresh fruits and vegetables and other food available for them and their families. So they go see the doctor, and when they leave, not only do they get the great health care, they get food and groceries. Newark's West Ward is known for producing hip-hop stars like the first lady of the Flipmode Squad, Rod Digga, Redman, and the hip-hop trio, Lords of the Underground. One member... Dupre Do-It-All Kelly is now focusing on serving the needs of his community as West Ward City Councilmember. Councilman, this program is helping over a thousand people a week. Yes. How important is this to you as a mission? Well, it's important because accessibility to the food is very important. And giving them a place where they can feel like they have dignity. In receiving the food, you know, access and good food, that's one of the most important things to have. Let's take a deeper dive and find out what's being done. Mr. Terry, this greenhouse is part of your hospital? Yes, it is. For 10 years now, we're actually celebrating our 10th anniversary with this greenhouse, Great opportunity to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for our community. You know, we address the social determinants of health here at Newark Beth Israel, and so one of the problems has been food insecurity, and so we talked about it, we taught about it, we had a lot of lessons about it, but then we had to actually produce the food. Let's go in and take a look. This is amazing. This is the Beth greenhouse. This is one of a kind. I don't know any hospital anywhere in the United States that has a greenhouse. Right on its campus, available for the community. Incredible. When you look at this and you see what this has done for 10 years and how it's helped so many people and so many families and really changed their whole approach to their own health. What does that make you feel? So I was born at this hospital actually and grew up in this community and so when I see this and I know that the Beth has played a really big part in creating something special for our community, it really makes me feel proud to be a part of it, to make sure that people have what they need and not just us talking about it but actually being about it. Barbara Mintz is a senior vice president of social impact at RWJBarnabas Health. She teamed up with Daryl Terry to get the greenhouse off the ground, launching a wave of new food and nutrition programs. And so this food is going to end up going to people that need it. Yes, it's going to our farmer's market, which is one day a week on Thursdays, and it also does help us. With our education programs, we take a lot of this food and harvest it and put it into some of our cooking classes. Our dieticians teach folks the importance of eating leafy greens and that kind of thing. So it's right here, ready for us, and then it goes to our farmer's market, but also to our educational programs as well. That's fantastic. It is a hydroponic system. It's about 5,000 pounds of food a year. Does this run all year round? Yes, we have a farmer's market that runs year round in our lobby. The reason we decided to do a hydroponic greenhouse is that we started out with a farmer's market that... And from farm food that we couldn't really harvest in the wintertime, as New Jersey, it's cold. You can't grow anything. So here, you really can grow on a year-round basis. When you look at this and you look at what you and Mr. Terry and the team here has built, what do you find most satisfying about this? Because this is beyond a job. This is a labor of love. It is totally a labor of love. And as a dietician, it truly is. So, um... I'm not, it's hard for me to even explain, but when I see the face of that little guy who's going to be eating fruits and vegetables the rest of this life, I know he's going to be healthy, and he's going to understand the reason why he needs to pick something more healthy when he goes shopping with his parents, or he goes to a corner store, or even a fast food restaurant. There are, believe it or not, some healthy things in there as well. So, as health care providers, this is something we should be doing. We have all the knowledge of what it's like to be healthy and what we can do, not only healing diseases, but preventing them as well. Mr. Terry, where are we now? What is this called? We are in the Wellness Pantry at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Food Pharmacy. So, in order to address particularly maternal mortality in our community, we wanted to look at all factors, and obviously how women eat matters, and also the worry when you have economic challenges is the stress can actually have a negative impact. So they go see the doctor, and when they leave, not only do they get the great health care, Food and groceries, as well as diapers and feminine products, which are, you know, a godsend in many cases. And expensive. Very expensive. Very expensive. So this idea, so this isn't just a food bank. You're calling this like a food pharmacy for women. Food pharmacy, yes. So any doctor at our hospital can recommend or send someone over to our food pharmacy and we will fill the prescription. A lot of hospitals are facing funding issues with changes in government programs, changes in support from local and federal governments. How are you dealing with that? It is a struggle because obviously none of this is funded and so we have been able to work with some of our community partners and the state has been very helpful in providing some resources for us. Shaniqua has been participating in the food pharmacy and other Beth Israel programs for nearly three years. As a mom, she tells us she's received support with food, diapers, housing resources and employment assistance. What impact has this Women's Wellness Center and the programs that they have here had on your life? It helped me save a whole bunch of money. I have seven children, so buying food can be costly. So getting it free versus having to go to the store, it helped tremendously, and I saved a lot of money. And then in terms of how they treat you here, because there's also been an issue. For women, getting the care that they need, being listened to, people really addressing, you know, a woman's concerns. How do you find that you're treated here? Oh, they treat me like family. I learned to come here. Every time I need help, I come here. I need a listening ear. They listen to me. They talk to me about everything. And they really become my family. I love them for that. That's fantastic. Can you give us an example of some of the things that may, or something that maybe you like to change a habit or anything like that? Well, some of us used to have like little groups and classes of how to make healthy foods and stuff. I interpreted that into my kids. I did that at home. So they helped me make like make healthy snacks and stuff for my children. So that's something I learned here. And then what about the food that they have in the pantry and everything? All of the fresh produce and everything, like stuff from the farm. My kids love vegetables, so they like to get vegetables here and stuff and little snacks. What would you say to women in the community here that really could use a helping hand? Well, I would tell them to don't be afraid to reach out and get help because that's what they're here for. They'll help you with anything you need. They'll try their best to help you with anything you need. Don't go away. We're back right after this. Welcome back to this special episode of Street Soldiers Feeding Newark. We're on location in New Jersey. And the mayor here in Newark is partnering with many community organizations in order to make sure that people get the food that they need. Mayor, thank you so much for meeting with us in your city here in Newark today. A lot of places are dealing with food insecurity and just the high prices of feeding a family now. That's right. How are you seeing things here? It's the same. I mean, the cost of groceries are up. What? You know, your dollar is going less than what it was. It's not going as far as it could. And so we find ourselves trying to create programs to subsidize people's access to food, to lower housing costs, to do everything so people can have, you know, money to do the things that they need to do in their household. And one of the things that you've come up which are these community grocery stores. Right. What makes this different from a regular grocery store? Well, one that is owned by the community, is owned and run by community-based organizations. You've got free. You've got $5.59 for a big, gigantic... Right. The things that are free are things that they get from the food bank and places that do pantry. They have extra stuff. They give it here. So we give it out free here. Thank you. Everything else is at... About 30% reduced costs based on what the city subsidizes. And because they buy it in bulk or collectively, it helps to reduce the price as well. The people that are in the most under-resourced circumstances, the most impoverished circumstances, what kinds of pressure is on them now when you see these new requirements for SNAP and these other programs getting cut and that type of thing? It's a lot of pressure. I mean, we started this. We became very serious about it. Threatened SNAP at the first time. So I convened all of the food-based organizations in the city in City Hall We had a discussion for about two hours as a result of that. We stood up Almost like free food in every ward of the city pass food out gave money out opportunities out for folks to get access to food When that scare went away, the organization said, we need to do this permanently. Right. Like this, we have to figure out how to make this a permanent thing. So we got to work at it. We're in this neighborhood where you told me you were a teacher for many years. Yeah, yeah. And you see what the kids today are dealing with here. What do you think are some of the pressures? Is the food thing a really big deal? Yeah. I mean, because employment is a big deal. Housing is a big deal. All of these are costs. And as these costs... Growing as it becomes more difficult for you to get a job that pays at that level. I mean food is really something that you need This is a necessity. It's not a luxury And so at the end of the day if food costs are high That means you have to take away from one thing to give to another to choose between the rent or the food That you purchase or your children being able to feed your children, right? All of that stuff Is very very important and folks don't really understand how serious that is. You're talking about You know, the amount of money people make, the average income in the city of Newark is upwards of about $40,000 to $44,000, up from like $36,000. So, I mean, to be able to get affordable housing, you know, purchase food that is quality, you know what I mean, buy clothes, all the things that you need, I mean, your paychecks get smaller and smaller. We've got these five community grocery stores open up. We can do this more. We can do this in other areas of life. Are you seeing that? Yeah. And so people become optimistic about this. And so the reality is we need more than five. Right. We need 10, 15, and we need the groceries so they're bigger. So we have to obviously get more funding, get more folks involved, market it so people will participate. You know, because there's always a stigma. I don't want to go to the community thing. I'm going to Pathmark or ShopRite, you know. But we have to let people know that this is their grocery store. And the food here is quality. In fact, you know, you can get some of the same quality from here that you get from ShopRite. And these people in here are committed to you and love you. It's not about, it's not a business model for them. You know, it's more about making sure that you're able to make it through the week. The community grocery store is powered by St. James Social Service Corporation. And we're really excited to be here providing the service to the community. What kind of a reaction have you gotten from the community to this? Because it's only been open a short time. Yes, a little bit over the month. The community is overjoyed. They're happy to have a community grocery store that acknowledges what's happening in today's world, acknowledges the fact that groceries are just way too high. The food here, of course, is cheaper than the local bodega and sometimes even cheaper than Stop and Shop or ShopRite. And then, what are people saying to you when they're coming here? When they purchase something, it doesn't matter how small the purchase is, that they get to leave here with something for free. And how important is it to you and to your team here? To make people feel welcome, like there's no shame in coming here. Absolutely, there's no shame. Initially, the community thought that we were a pantry. Not to say that there's anything wrong with a pantry, but the fact that they are able to pay for something, no matter how small the fee is, they can come here with dignity, shop for the items that they want, and again, still leave here with a little bit more. They're very happy about the support. You're getting, like, seniors, you're getting, like, family, parents, you're getting kids. All of the above. So we're seeing families, we're seeing seniors, we're seeing children. Even after school, I come outside around 3.30, hand out bananas, apples, and oranges to the kids as an afternoon snack to kind of try to reel them in and bring their parents in and introduce them to the new store. As you can see here, I have snacks here, free take, too, so the kids love the opportunity to come and take a little afternoon snack. Welcome back to this special episode of Street Soldiers Feeding Newark. We are on location in New Jersey. Now we're going to find out from a city councilman who's had his roots in hip-hop and his heart always with the community about a special kind of food pantry. Councilman, this program is helping Over 1,000 people a week. Yes. How important is this to you as a mission? Well, it's important because, you know, accessibility to the food is very important. And giving them a place where they can feel like they have dignity. In receiving the food, you know, access and good food, that's one of the most important things to have. And we do that in this neighborhood. And it's important to me because this is the neighborhood I actually grew up in, along with Redman and, you know, Rod Digger and Tretch on the East Orange side. So to be in my neighborhood under my leadership as councilman is super important. And to partner with a company like UCC and Craig Maynard. It's just an amazing thing to be able to have this accessibility for the people of this community. And then let's get Craig in here. Maybe he can show us around. Can we take a look at what you've got on some of the shelves here? Yeah, sure. Let me take you guys through it. Okay. We're going to do it as if we're clients. And this is not set up either, Lisa. Like, they really do keep the shelves stocked. The staff really works hard from UCC, volunteers, and people that are on the staff. I really want people... People to understand that this is a choice pantry, right? You get to make a choice instead of getting the bags that you usually get from pantries. This is a pantry that you can come to and actually pick the things you need because we don't know what you're allergic to. We don't know what kind of ailments you have. There was a report that came out in 2022 that said that the South Ward and the West Ward were high on the top 50 list. Food insecurity as a food desert. So literally from south to west you have a food insecurity that this market Actually attacks that that issue the need Do you feel do you sense it growing like already this year because just because I mean prices have really gone dramatically They have sky up. Yeah, we've seen at least 30 percent more people now than this time last year, which was still high And then also there is a you know an increase of those who are not documented seeking these types of resources and so what we're hoping to do is to open our doors more full-time right now we're three days a week and hopefully we'll be able to open the doors more for those folks so that people can come in get what they need and go home how important to you and to your team here is the whole dignity concept of it yeah so i i always tell people that i was once one of the clients And so I remember the struggle that my mother had getting food and so we've had some experiences where folks had open arms, gave us a hug, gave food and then there were the the harder experiences. I don't want us to be that. I want us to make sure that we remain a community agency that's here for the people and people need to be comfortable coming to us if we want to help them. What can you do though as as Craig said that the the need and as you know you pointed out too. The need is growing, and this winter could be even tougher than in the past. What can you do? What can people do? Well, they can go to the UCC website, right? They can find out. When they will be open, and they are open three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can come volunteer, or if you're in need, you can also alert people, make people aware of what's going on in their community. Because I believe some people don't even know what's happening in their community. They're unaware. So we want to make them aware of what's happening right in their community, and it's part of the mayor's administration to make sure that we make food accessible to any and everybody. Thanks for joining us for this special episode of Street Soldiers Feeding Newark on location in New Jersey. You can watch it again and share it on our Fox 5NY YouTube page and the free Fox Local app. Remember, use your mind, it's your best weapon. I'm Lisa Evers, let's push for peace, love, and food for all