Since 1983, Jubilee Women's Center has provided safe and affordable community housing and support services to help women transition out of homelessness and into independent living. During their journey to self-sufficiency our women have had to overcome dozens of barriers, one of which is lack of food security. Food insecurity and hunger stem from poverty and a lack of reliable income sources, making the homeless population the most vulnerable. In an effort to raise awareness about this disparity, this year’s project would consist of two components. The first is to have one group of volunteers prepare and cook a healthy meal for our 30 residents. Prepared meals extend our residents’ budgets and provide proteins, fresh fruit and vegetables they may not otherwise be able to afford. The second is having a group of volunteers work on clearing out our P-Patch. This particular space is used by some of our current residents to grow their own fruits and vegetables, with the change of seasons, the space can be revitalized, preparing it for planting in the spring and putting in place a system where residents and volunteers can manage and maintain the growing of food for the Jubilee community together. With a viable piece of land, our residents will be able to explore the benefits of community gardening such as its therapeutic qualities and its ability to be a source of healing and foster community and self-sufficiency.
We will begin with a breakout session discussing some of the barriers to people accessing healthy and nutritious food, which is a basic human right. We will also talk about how lack of access to good quality food disproportionately impacts low income and marginalized communities. Lastly, we will look at the correlation between nutrition and mental health.
