Food deserts and food insecure areas are more prevalent than ever, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for an increasing number or families to purchase food or eat in general.
“Before the pandemic, we know over 150k struggled with food insecurity in Pinellas County. We know those numbers have nearly doubled,” Feeding Tampa Bay Chief Programs Officer Matt Spence told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
St. Petersburg City Council says it’s proactively fighting the issue.
St. Petersburg City Council created a Food Policy Council (FPC) to help fight food insecurity. The FPC will work independently from the city council. Along with food insecurity, the FPC will address food deserts like South St. Pete that don’t have adequate access to fresh and nutritious foods. Several focus groups and community members made it a point to make sure the council focused on food insecurity.
“The St. Petersburg Food Policy Council was the number one boldest idea of aspiration and inspiration for our community,” Julie Rocco, senior community engagement advocate for research and evaluation for Foundation of a Healthy St. Petersburg, told Bay News 9.
St. Petersburg Councilmember Gina Driscoll, told the news station that she was inspired by food policy councils formed in other U.S. cities.
“[I] did some research and found that it really has been effective to bring people with different backgrounds regarding food together to work on the different issues related to food security and urban agriculture,” Driscoll said.
UPDATED: 12/4/20 2 p.m. Updated Matt Spence's title and to show that the FPC does not work under the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg (the foundation's role is to facilitate and resource)
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This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2021.