Carl Lewis, owner of Carl’s Cafe in Rankin, inspects “Grapina,” a grape plant growing on the side of his store. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)
From cars to coupons, four individuals living in food insecure communities of Pittsburgh region explain the impact of COVID-19 on their efforts to provide fresh food
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Before the pandemic, more than one in five Pittsburgh residents were food insecure. That means social and economic conditions limit their consistent access to food. After the pandemic hit, residents lost jobs and distribution methods like school lunches were disrupted. While residents from all communities seek aid from food banks and pantries, food insecurity disproportionately impacts low-income communities of color.
Four individuals living in food-insecure communities in the Pittsburgh region explained how the pandemic impacted food security and how they’ve been working to provide their communities with fresh, healthy food.
‘The tale of two COVIDs’
Carl Lewis owns Carl’s Cafe, a corner store in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Rankin. Most of his customers live behind the store and many like to walk around the corner to buy pantry staples and produce.
Lewis prides himself in serving the community by stocking fresh produce along with typical fare like chips, candy and sodas. He’s growing some of his own food, like potatoes, radishes and greens at the store, and he’s also begun to offer classes on gardening in small spaces.
With his dog Paris tagging along, Carl Lewis, owner of Carl’s Cafe in Rankin, shows a planter of Early Girl tomatoes outside his store. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)
“I try to be the solutions guy because not only is my business here, but I live here.”
At the onset of the pandemic, many people depended on food pantries, and Lewis had trouble stocking his store due to supply shortages.
Lewis started working with The Food Trust to sell fresh produce in 2018 and remembers when kids would come in wanting apples and oranges. During the lockdown, he saw more customers purchasing comfort food and stopped stocking some healthy options because no one was buying them.
But when benefits kicked in, like a 15% increase to Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) payments in January, he felt like food access challenges decreased significantly.
“It’s almost like ‘The tale of two COVIDs,’” Lewis said, referencing the increase in benefits.
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https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-food-security-produce-neighborhood-deliveries-covid/