In September, the state’s first Food Desert Summit to Explore Community Solutions was held in Little Rock. Speakers from neighboring states came to share solutions to hunger they had forged in their own communities. These included mobile grocery stores that serve rural areas; affordable financing for new grocery stores in food scarce urban areas; supply solutions provided by an existing grocery chain for a small inner-city market; an online ordering and distribution system for rural communities; and much more.
The summit was organized by Kathy Webb, Little Rock’s vice mayor, and director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. For more than a year, she worked to communicate with the speakers and plan an event that hosted several hundred community leaders from around the state.
The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (AHRA) is an organization that supports the 65 food banks in Arkansas with large-order buying power, but it does so much more. It employs a full-time farmer who grows fresh foods for distribution and directs the building of community gardens. Employees work with state legislators to get food program bills passed and made into law. The organization also supports an active nutrition and cooking training program.
AHRA is working on every level to combat food scarcity. It is organizations like this that makes Arkansas really amazing! There are numerous ways to get involved! Visit the AHRA website to learn more.