Food Deserts in Bulloch County Region and Possible Solutions

 By: Chase Amoroso, Jocelyn Frazier, Kaz Thomas, and Lauren Sabia

    Bulloch County community groups are building and combining resources to reduce areas where nutritious and affordable food is scarce, also known as food deserts, hoping to boost the health of low-income neighborhoods.

    Bulloch County and closely surrounding areas have identifiable food deserts, which are commonly located in low-income neighborhoods. These areas can cause health conditions such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

    According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a food desert can be identified as “an area that has either a poverty rate greater than or equal to 20% or a median family income not exceeding 80% of the median family income in urban areas”. Additionally, within city limits “at least 500 people must live more than one mile from the nearest, large grocery store”.

     Since 2019, the United States Census Bureau has identified over 41% of people in Statesboro as living in poverty. The amount of nutritious food access is as limited as income in the Bulloch County region, with just seven grocery stores selling fresh produce in a 15-mile radius. 

    One Section 8 affordable apartment complex, Statesboro Summit, has 98 units and is located close to downtown on North Main Street. These apartments are over two miles away from the nearest grocery store, Walmart Supercenter, and three miles away from ALDI. 

    The nearest place to get items other than fast food is Sunoco Gas Station, located a little over a mile from the complex. Sugary drinks and carbohydrate-loaded, empty-calorie snacks are the main products available there. 

    Groups such as the Statesboro Mainstreet Farmers Market, Eastern Heights Baptist Church, and Christian Social Ministry are taking steps to fill the gaps in South Georgia nutrition.

 

    "Our various outreach programs try very hard to reach families and individuals all over the city,” said Relinda Walker, the director of the Farmers Market. She said this includes accessibility for those on or below the poverty line.

    “ They may not be getting enough to eat, and certainly not enough of the right things because they don't have proper access,” Walker said.

    The Farmers Market takes Electronic Benefits Transfer payment and includes an incentive for added nutrition.  

    “Legitimate EBT items also get a bonus of fresh fruits and vegetables,” Walker said. “So if you spent, let's say $50 on EBT purchases, either at the market to go or at the physical market, you would get an additional $50 worth of fruits and vegetables of your choice for free.”  

    The EBT Incentive Program is currently not well known, though it is easily accessible. 

    

    “It's very tough to break through that information barrier or action barrier, so we aren't seeing as much behavioral change as we might hope for,” Walker said. “It's not a matter of if you build it they will come, it's really just not that simple”.

    Nutritional programs, such as the local Farmers Market, are advertising for awareness despite the lack of consumers. 

Photo Courtesy of Chase Amoroso

    “We have the ability to handle much more than what we are currently at, and I'm not sure why we have a problem reaching out to people,” Walker said. “We have workshops at the library, we have used the Georgia Southern campus and social media for advertising, but we just aren't reaching as many people as we could and should”.  

    Eastern Heights Baptist Church, a local religious group, participates in food donations and to-go bags for those who contact the local Christian Social Ministry and Statesboro Food Bank.

    According to Tracy Radney, the Administrative Assistant of Eastern Heights Baptist Church, during the holiday season there are “donations of turkeys and hams” to help low-income families share a good meal together as well.

    

    In the near future, there is one new Publix store coming to Statesboro, with construction projected to be completed sometime in 2022. This grocery store will be located at the corner of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Old Register Road, about four miles away from the downtown area. 

     “I think building grocery stores in poor neighborhoods is not in itself going to solve the problem of poor nutrition in that population, but we'll keep working at it," said Walker.

    Currently, Statesboro continues to suffer from food desert areas, but with the heightened awareness of community resources as well as improved education to build healthy eating habits, sustainable and beneficial nutrition is achievable for a greater percentage of South Georgia residents.

The Period Equity Movement

Vanessa Ramirez · THE PERIOD EQUITY MOVEMENT

By: Vanessa Ramirez, Jamiya Coleman, Shakeera Hayward, Taylor Reedy, and Abby Chosewood.

    The Period Equity Movement is a pioneering, multi-campus initiative led by faculty, students, and staff to promote period equity at Georgia Southern. With 1 in 10 college students experiencing period poverty, according to Forbes.com, the PEM has made it their goal to ensure that students who menstruate have the products they need to live their lives to the fullest.

A flyer and mensural products for the 
Period Equity Movement in the Russell
Union bathroom.

    Last year, the Student Health Awareness Initiative presented a speech promoting menstrual products that are environmentally friendly and safer on the body. Georgia Southern student, Gabi Wiggill, became inspired to speak about issues.

    “It never even crossed my mind that there were people actively suffering from this,” Wiggill said. “It all started with me coming into college, I took English 1101, and had to write a paper about some issue in college.”

    After doing research she learned how bad menstrual products could be for the environment and it all went from there. Most of these problems were concerning the lack of knowledge students have pertaining to a cheaper and more efficient way to care for their menstrual cycles. 

    Wiggill noticed how much women get taxed yearly when buying these products from regular stores. She knew she needed to educate others on the issue. 

    “Something needs to be done about this. We can’t just leave this because people get in real danger when they don’t know this information,” Wiggill said in regards to women discussing menstruation issues. “They get in real danger when they aren’t comfortable enough.” 

    Along with giving the audience coupon codes for environmentally friendly items, Wiggill gave the students alternatives to pads and tampons, like diva cups and menstrual panties. 

    By the end of the event, Wiggill let the crowd know her hopes of inspiring students so that this issue can receive more attention.

    “If I’m not going to do this then who is?” Wiggill asked.

    Fast forward to now, the PEM  is in full effect. Gabi Wiggill, now a member of the Student Government Association, has created a movement funded by the Office of Student Wellness and Health Promotion. 

    There are currently three projects under the PEM: The Green Period Pantry, The Disposable Period Pantry, and Period Products On-The-Go in restrooms.  

    “I find it very helpful because I know as college students a lot of us don't really have enough funds to get period products,” Georgia Southern student, Anna Weaver said. She is very fond of the movement and appreciates the initiative that Wiggill has made. 

Two Georgia Southern female students
eating chick-fil-a on campus.

    Students are able to get two, free reusable pads or a diva cup from the green period pantry. There are also free tampons and pads available in restrooms and other locations across Georgia Southern's campus.

The Carrol building's period pantry with
pads and mensural cups.

    The SGA is simply responsible for making the movement happen, alongside Wiggill, while also being a housing location for the products.

    “We didn't help fund the period pantry,” Amare Mcjolly, the Director of Alumni Relations for SGA  said. “We’re just one of the places on campus housing the products in our office for students. The library is another area on campus where students can check on products.”

    In the early stages of the movement, Wiggle had trouble finding funding for everything. After doing research she found that Georgia Southern students pay a total of $10 out of their tuition each semester towards sustainability products.

    Wiggill then applied for a grant through the sustainability fee program and was awarded $48,000 to provide students with thousands of eco-friendly menstrual products. Along with professors that wanted to help, Wiggill also applied through the Office of Inclusive Excellence where she was then awarded over $20,000.

    With this money, she was able to provide these products on all three campuses at Georgia Southern University.

    In the future, she plans to hold a PEM event in February where they will be educating students on these issues. They are excited to be able to listen to students' issues and come up with ways to improve them. 

    “We don't have anything like this on our campus,” Savannah Pritchett, a student at Albany State University said. “I would love to have a period pantry because I don't work and it’s ridiculous that women are still being taxed for products we need.”

    Georgia: STOMP is an organization built upon eliminating some of the same issues as Wiggill. There is a 4% state sales tax Georgians are charged on the medically necessary, unavoidable items they need to manage their periods with dignity.

    They are working diligently to ​​remove a tax that is borne primarily by women, who are already economically disadvantaged in our state.

    To find out more information on how to join their movement, you can contact them at georgiaSTOMP@gmail.com or visit their website at https://georgiastomp.com.

Fighting Food Insecurity with GSU's Essential Food Pantry

 By Justin Helms, Liz Lavender, Alexa Ovington, and Devon Williams

Frances Lavender · Students Helping Students: how and why to get involved with Eagle Essentials

In Bulloch County, one in three individuals do not have enough to eat. At Georgia Southern University, one in six students do not have enough to eat.

The Eagle Essentials Food Pantry located in the Williams Center at Georgia Southern University, has spent roughly the past year and a half in efforts to minimize the number of students in need. 

“Right before the pandemic hit, a committee was formed to get things off the ground and parking worked with us to start the initial food drive that we did, which brought in a ton of food,” said Casey Weaver, the Assistant Dean of Student Care and Well-Being.

Weaver estimates that the pantry has enough to feed 200 to 300 students comfortably in an instant, but they are trying to expand their resources from the bare minimum to include specialty items. 

The pantry has plenty of canned foods

There are plenty of canned vegetables, canned meats, and pastas. They have also expanded to include personal hygiene products, feminine products, and school supplies. 

“There is a list of top items that we are looking for, but we will accept anything,” said Weaver.

There are five rooms for the pantry. Four of them are dedicated to canned foods and drinks such as bottled water. The last room, the ‘hygiene closet’, contains a variety of hygiene products including shower essentials and feminine care. 

The "hygiene closet" of the pantry

The food pantry thrives on the volunteer work of other students. There are around 25 students who staff the food pantry for community service hours. The Leadership and Community Engagement Office also brings eight students in per week, which adds an additional 30 students to assist the pantry regularly. 

There are also students who assist the food pantry in their on-campus classes. 

“The Eagle Essential Food Pantry is my client for my non-profit class this semester, and the reason that we are helping them out is because many students are not aware of the resources on campus that are available for them,” said Caroline Brass, Georgia Southern University student. 

Brass enjoys assisting the food pantry, because she knows that she is “serving the student body as well, and hopefully expanding the reach of the food pantry”.

Professors at the university who are supplying their students to help improve the outreach of the pantry, have encouraged how important it is for the food pantry to be students helping students. 

“We decided it would be helpful if students understood what it was like to give back to the university,” said Dr. Hayley Higgs, a Georgia Southern University professor. Higgs and her students have dedicated their class time to plan food drives and advocate for the easy accessibility and the benefits of the pantry. By educating her own students on how to help support their fellow classmates, resources have remained stocked, and more students have become aware of the pantry.

“What we did this semester is we took the nonprofit side of the food pantry and we looked at fundraising, grant writing, volunteerism and how we can beneficially help students, faculty, and staff who are having a hard time,” said Higgs. 

Higgs also mentioned that as a professor, she cannot expect students to perform well if their basic needs are not being met, and this also encourages the drive to lend a helping hand to advertising and raising awareness for the pantry. 

While the pantry is a successful resource to those who utilize it, many students on campus are still unaware of these accommodations. 

“The eagle essential food pantry is my client for my non-profit class this semester, and the reason that we are helping them out is because many students are not aware of the resources on campus that are available for them,” said Brass.

“I wasn’t aware of the food pantry on campus, but I think it is very useful for people who know about it if they do need the food, they can utilize it to their advantage, and if you don’t personally need the food, you can promote it and help other folks know it's available,” said Noah Lampkin, a student at Georgia Southern University who had no knowledge of Eagle Essentials. 

Lampkin continued by expressing he was grateful the university had made efforts to assist students who could be in need on campus. Stating how a large university should be aware of students who are struggling daily just to get by. 

“I think the students who do know about it, should make sure they are making it aware to those they notice are in need,” said Lampkin. 

Noah Lampkin

Students who are looking for the assistance of Eagle Essentials, can quickly receive the assistance of the food pantry. Graciously, no proof of need is required for students to use the pantry. The Dean of Students is aware that students might be uncomfortable having to reach out for help and has made it simple through their website. 

“If students need to access it all they need to do is go to the dean of students website and at the very top of it, it says ‘food insecurity.’ If they go to that page, it will talk all about what resources we have for food insecurity and there is an intake form on the page, and once they complete that, they will receive an email from us on how to access the food pantry and everything they need to do. So, the first step is just completing the intake form,” Weaver said.

Eagle Essentials has continued to try to make the pantry feel as casual as possible for students. They have set up the pantry rooms to where they have a “grocery store feel”. They also have applied for Marketing Grants and are currently on a zero-base budget. One of the uses of this grant would be to hopefully continue to make the pantry feel like a shopping experience to let students keep their sense of independence in their early adulthood. 

More cans and snack foods

The Williams Center will also be receiving renovations in the upcoming semesters. This will thankfully allow for an expansion of the Eagle Essentials Food Pantry, making the pantry have the opportunity to hold even more supplies for students, and hopefully expand their inventory as well. 

The pantry continues to encourage students helping fellow students, and they encourage volunteers to get involved in their on-campus community. If students have the availability to lend a helping hand, assistance is always appreciated at the pantry. Volunteers can easily email the dean of students and ask to speak with Casey Weaver. He will set up a quick thirty-minute training session to explain the confidentiality of volunteers. Once that has been completed, students can sign up for two hour shifts to stock the pantry, help check expiration dates, and support their peers in need. 

Wellbeing Options Statesboro has to Offer

jordanhauser · RAC Audio Interviewing Chris Longazel

Interactive Map of Statesboro Wellness Centers

By: Jordan Hauser and Eden Hodges

    Wellbeing is a hot topic at this time of year. Students are stressing over finals, individuals in the workforce are getting ready for the new year, and the stress of the holidays is coming in at full force.

 

    There are five aspects when it comes to working on your wellbeing and creating a healthy wellness program for yourself. Wellness encompasses physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and the intellectual aspects of one’s health. Statesboro has over 15 wellness center gyms including the gym on the Georgia Southern University campus.

 

    GSU has a variety of options to help students and staff succeed by calming their stress. GSU offers the Recreation Activity Center and counseling center. The RAC holds many amenities including workout equipment and yoga and meditation classes. While the counseling center works more on one on one therapy sessions as well as group counseling.

 

    “Working at the RAC I see many students come in to use the RAC as a stress reliever, during finals week you will catch many crowds at any time of the day coming to work off the stress of finals,” RAC Facility Assistant Kennedy Finch said.

 

    GSU also has an online wellness hub where students can easily access to see all the opportunities, they have to attend wellness events and get in contact with counselors. The counseling center offers weekly group sessions for students to attend if they prefer group settings and gives them a chance to meet people as well.

 

    “Being a supervisor and a gym rat, I spend about 80 percent of my time at the RAC. I enjoy working somewhere that I also am passionate about going myself,” RAC Facility Supervisor Chris Longazel said.

 

    Every semester GSU holds a huge wellness event on campus during finals week. Wellness week is a week-long event that includes activities each day such as snacks, massages and playing with therapy dogs. 

 

    “I am also a student that also works, finals week can be the most stressful time, campus needs to remember us students are trying to manage a school, work, and a social calendar,” Finch said.

 

    There are many opportunities around campus, from individual wellness sessions such as counseling or group opportunities like attending a yoga class. With all the options at these students’ fingertips it holds the question of how much are these students utilizing these.

 

    I do not attend any of the final’s wellness week. I just don't have time,” Finch said. 

                                                         Georgia Southern University RAC