Board's Report
New Pioneer Food Co-op Board of Directors
This year, as in the past two years, New Pioneer will donate 10% of sales during the weekend preceding Thanksgiving (November 20–21) to the United Way of Johnson County. In order to make you aware of the needs in our area, we would like to share the following information, drawn from the United Way’s 2010 Community Assessment and “The Cost of Living in Iowa,” an informative study published in 2010 by the Iowa Policy Project (IPP).*
It will probably come as no surprise during the current recession that poverty is increasing in Iowa, including Johnson County. Though unemployment is low here compared to national and state averages, the cost of living in Johnson County is higher (especially housing), and the median wage is lower. Families with dependent children and the elderly have felt the greatest impact:
• In Johnson County, more than 6% of seniors now live in poverty. While that is lower than the state average, the rate of increase in poverty for Johnson County seniors is more than 10 times the statewide average (up 63% in Johnson County compared to 5% statewide).
• Between 2000 and 2008, the poverty rate for children in Johnson County increased by 40%.
• In 2009–2010, more than 30% of children in the Iowa City Community School District qualified for free or reduced lunch, up from 18% in 2000.
Single wage-earner families, which comprise 37% of families with children in Johnson County, are the most cost burdened. To meet basic needs, a single person in Johnson County must earn a minimum hourly wage of $12.39. Add just one child and the supporting hourly wage jumps to $18.26. This is in a county where half of all workers earn $15.18 per hour or less.
Currently 4,735 households (9,443 recipients) in our county participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. However, because federal poverty guidelines do not account for the cost of childcare or regional differences in the cost of living, many families who struggle financially may not qualify for food assistance. (The Senate is now considering cutting the SNAP program by more than $12 billion to pay for other priorities.) Because food is one of the only areas in a household budget where corners can be cut, poor families often go without or substitute cheap calories for nutrition.
As Co-op members, we have joined together around a shared value—the importance of wholesome, safe, and nutritious food—but access to healthy food is a privilege not afforded to all in our community. The Thanksgiving benefit at New Pi is just one of the many ways we are working to assist those in need. With over 22,000 members, our Co-op has the growing capacity to make a real impact in our community. We hope members will continue to work with us to ensure that healthy food is not beyond the reach of Johnson County residents by advocating for healthy school lunches, expanding community gardens, donating dividend checks to local causes, and more. Together, we can make a difference.
* The 2010 Community Assessment is available on the United Way website at www.unitedwayjc.org. Read “The Cost of Living in Iowa” under Special Topics at www.iowapolicyproject.org.
United Way
United Way affiliates fill in the gaps in many ways—from housing to mental health and medical services, to youth mentoring and childcare, to financial and food assistance. Here is what three United Way organizations are doing to meet food needs in Johnson County:
• The Crisis Center Food Bank currently provides 3,000 food bags per month.
• The Free Lunch Program is serving 34,000 noon meals annually.
• Last year, Table to Table rescued 831,439 pounds of food from groceries, restaurants, and other food vendors to provide more than the equivalent of 625,000 meals to those in need.