Hometown Health confronting continuing food security issues

Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
While food security brings to mind, "there are starving children in China," the expression we heard our parents tell us as children when we refused to clean our plates at the dining table, lack of food security exists in what we also perceive as one of the most food-abundant countries in the world. And as it turns out food insecurity exists in Newton County as well as others in Arkansas.
"Community Leadership, Food Security, and Capability in Arkansas" is the title of Dr. Jack Boles' dissertation and theses towards his earning last year a doctorate degree in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies from the University of Central Arkansas. The former Newton County Agent for the University of Arkansas Extension Service, studied Newton County and others on the matter of food security and brought his findings to the Newton County Hometown Health Initiative meeting last Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Jasper Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. The coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for all residents in the county is looking for ways to expand opportunities for food availability and access in the county.
Accompanied by his wife, Lisa Patterson Boles, Dr. Boles outlined his studies' findings, concluding that community leaders often perceive and address food insecurity in traditional resource-oriented ways through compensation, entitlement and accommodation. Community leaders with a capability approach attitude could have a fuller perspective in addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
Newton County Hometown Health has taken on the issue of food insecurity in the past. Its efforts led to the creation of the Newton County Master Gardeners, the Jasper Community Garden and the Jasper Farmers Market. Recently, other markets have popped up in Ponca and Western Grove.
More needs to be done, the coalition believes.
Boles insists food security can't be achieved by "handing out coupons to Burger King®."
He outlined the main reasons for food insecurity.
Number one on his list is lack of transportation. "It has a snowball effect" he says.

Other reasons include, absolute poverty, lack of access to the same services larger communities have, the wealth gap between those who have and those who have not, parental attitudes, lack of knowledge or life skills, lack of services and jobs, drug abuse and lack of choice.
Boles is thankful schools are addressing the problem through their daily meal programs, many of which sends home food to students' families.
It's not about not having food, it's about its availability, he said.
In Stuttgart, in certain years, silos are filled with rice and corn and the surplus is stored under plastic in parking lots. But the neighborhoods surrounding those parking lots have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state.
Boles' presentation touched on community leadership attitudes. Most importantly, money doesn't fix everything. Community involvement and collaboration are key as well as listening, being nonjudgmental and being helpful in the process of solving problems.
He also talked about community leadership themes including awareness, open mindedness and inclusive collaboration.
There is a stigma associated with food insecurity. Boles found there are different ways individuals define dignity. There are those who feel they must be self sufficient in meeting their families' needs. There are those who will do whatever they need to do to provide for their family. Then, there are those who know their place in the community and meet those responsibilities in order to provide for their family's needs.
Problems are never solved. You simply change them. You have to constantly be adjusting.