In new book, Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries, Katie Martin delivers holistic solutions to address the root causes of hunger.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 9, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- COVID-19 has exacerbated food insecurity and laid bare systemic inequalities that contribute to hunger. Even before COVID-19, hunger was a chronic public health concern, with over 37 million American households struggling to get enough food. But this is a preventable problem. Pervasive food insecurity is not the result of a lack of food: it is a matter of access and power.

"Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger" (Publication Date: March 9, 2021), offers an inspiring new paradigm for tackling hunger. In it, Katie Martin, Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions, draws on over 25 years of research and experience to demonstrate that handing out food is not enough: instead, we need holistic solutions to address the root causes of hunger.

The book opens with a new vision of food pantries as empowering community hubs where clients receive more than food. With actionable strategies in every chapter, Martin charts a roadmap for designing food banks and pantries that are not just transactional, but transformational. Short-term strategies focus on creating a more dignified experience for clients, such as letting clients choose their own food or redesigning waiting rooms with better seating and a designated greeter. Long-term strategies include increasing the supply of nutritious food, offering job training, and connecting clients to other social services. Big picture strategies involve joining the fight for livable wages and a stronger social safety net.

Throughout, Martin shares inspiring stories of food banks and pantries that have implemented transformational changes. Freshplace, a model food pantry in Hartford, Connecticut, is designed like a grocery store where members shop for their own food. It also offers case management services to connect members to community resources such as utility assistance and job training. At the Kelly Center for Hunger Relief in El Paso, Texas, some graduates of the Fresh Start program volunteer at the pantry, a key method for recruiting new clients and reducing stigma.

These are not just feel-good stories. They are evidence-based practices backed by science. At Freshplace and the Fresh Start program, members experienced less food insecurity, ate more fruits and vegetables, and reported significant improvements in self-sufficiency compared to clients at traditional food pantries.

Nancy E. Roman, CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and former CEO of Capital Area Food Bank, has said, "Katie Martin argues persuasively that it is time to shift from short term food transactions to systems change. Her vision so resonates with all I’ve learned through my own hunger work at the United Nations, the Capital Area Food Bank, and now at PHA. Food equity is health equity. We can and must do better."

Across the country, food banks and pantries are hungry for solutions to food insecurity that emphasize health, social justice, community, and person-centered design. "Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries" provides a wealth of proven ideas to make charitable food organizations more empowering and effective. It is a must-read for anyone working or volunteering at a food bank or food pantry, or who is concerned about food insecurity and social justice.

Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles in print and some 30 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org.
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Jaime Jennings
Island Press
press@islandpress.org

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