Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, along with the leadership of the state Department of Health, announced Wednesday that four organizations would each receive up to $10,000 as part of an initial “Food Desert Elimination Grant.”
All 75 Arkansas counties have at least one food desert, meaning residents must travel more than a mile in urban areas and more than 10 miles in rural areas to get fresh, nutritious food. The grants announced Wednesday are a “good first step” to address food insecurity in Arkansas, Sanders said.
Grant recipients include Innovative Community Concepts in Pulaski County, McElroy House in Yell County and the City of Pine Bluff and the University of Arkansas Department of Agriculture in Jefferson County.
“We know that people who don’t have access to healthy food in their neighborhoods are at higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes or mental health disorders,” says Renee Mallory, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health.
In Pulaski County, Innovative Community Concepts leaders will set up a series of mobile pop-up marketplaces to test the feasibility of a mobile grocery store. The pop-ups will be located in four historically underserved areas of Little Rock identified by a city working group.
Innovative Community Concepts is not represented online.
In Yell County, the grant will fund a seed swap program. McElroy House officials will publish a local food calendar to inform the public of locations where fresh produce will be available. In partnership with a local food bank, the organization’s leaders will also build raised beds and expand on their existing models.
Jefferson County officials will conduct a study of the socioeconomic factors affecting food deserts in Pine Bluff and establish community gardens at certain locations.
The Minority Health Commission of the Ministry of Health developed the scholarshipand applications were accepted for a period ending in late 2023 and beginning of 2024.
Commission Director Kenya Eddings and Chairman Sederick Rice were on hand Wednesday to award the grants. Eddings also pointed out the negative impacts of growing up in a food desert and how childhood hunger can negatively affect school grades and cause behavioral problems.
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Access to food
Arkansas Rankings among the worst states in the country with food insecurity, with almost 19% of the state’s population struggle with hunger, according to data released by Feeding America in May.
Food insecurity in Arkansas is worsening, with the rate being the second highest in the nation
Arkansas’ food insecurity rate has steadily increased since the pandemic year of 2020, and the 2022 rate, which ranks second in the nation, was the highest in five years, according to Feeding America. Arkansas also ranked second nationally in the highest food insecurity rate among children, with nearly one in four children lacking access to healthy options.
Sanders said Wednesday that it is “no secret to anyone” that Arkansas is currently struggling with this.
“One visit to a grocery store will tell you why,” Sanders said. “It has never been more expensive to put food on the table.”
Arkansas was one of about three dozen states this year to opt for a first-in-a-generation federal food assistance program called Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT). The program provided that eligible children with $120 prepaid cards for grocery shopping during school hours.
Proponents of the Summer EBT said it would be beneficial to have another program available for families in need, as overlapping benefits could negatively impact outcomes.
Sanders also pointed to a state law passed in 2023 that expands free and reduced-price lunch programs for students in Arkansas.
