When was the last time you were hungry, and reached for an apple? When you looked into the fridge and had a multitude of options? When you complained to a friend about how starving you were, when at home your pantry had items on every shelf? Many people in this world, this nation, this state, and even my home city, don’t have these luxuries. For them, hunger can be an everlasting pain. I have been fortunate enough to never experience true hunger in my life, but in my service experiences I have seen how it affects not only individual people but entire communities. I believe that everyone deserves access to food, and not only to food, but to good food. This is why I invest my time at Healthy World Café in York, Pennsylvania.
In the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Poole, Mundorf, Englar, and Rose state that “increasing access to healthy foods is one of many strategies that have been recommended by national authorities as a way to improve nutritional outcomes.” This is exactly what Healthy World Café aims to do: provide access to healthy food to all members of the community. Healthy World Café is a nonprofit organization which functions as a farm-to-table restaurant nestled in the heart of downtown York, PA. Its catch? There are no set prices for menu items. Someone can either pay what he or she can, or volunteer for an hour in exchange for a meal. The restaurant opens its doors to everyone, which is why its slogan reads, “Where friends come to meet, and everyone eats.”
I started volunteering at Healthy World Café last summer. Immediately I was drawn in to the warmhearted, compassionate people who dedicate their time to keep the café running. It was originally based out of church, and served one meal per month. My mother was heavily involved in the organization, so every month when the meal rolled around I found myself by her side in the kitchen, chopping vegetables, or serving fresh chapati to hungry customers. Healthy World Café now has its own storefront, and the food is out of this world. I relish the evenings when my family gets to take leftovers home. Liza Naylor, the café manager, makes fresh, nutritious meals from ingredients grown by local farmers. This week’s menu includes…
-Asparagus and Spring Vegetable Strata
-Banh-Mi Hummus on Homemade Focaccia
-Dal with Brown Rice, Sautéed Greens, Curried Pickled Vegetables
-Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry Soup
-Citrus Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Wheatberries
…and many other mouthwatering dishes which leave you desperate for a second helping.
By now, I’m sure that you’re trying to find the next bus to York (if you are as much of a “foodie” as I am). I would love to continue my rave about how delectable the food is, but surprisingly, the food is not the main reason why I continue to go back. After I returned to school in the fall and continued to pursue my B.S. in Nutritional Sciences, I began to learn about the cycle of poverty and hunger. I knew that hunger existed, but I had no idea it existed on such a huge scale. I read Growing Up Empty: How Federal Policies Are Starving America’s Children by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel, and my perspective on Healthy World Café shifted. I began to realize how important small initiatives like Healthy World Café are in communities where people may go days without any access to fresh food. I discovered that York City is home to a food desert, classified by the 2008 Farm Bill as “an area in the United States with limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower‐ income neighborhoods and communities.” Although Healthy World Café is small, the dreams and goals of the people who work there are insurmountable.
One of my favorite quotes is, “Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” I am so incredibly proud to spend the time outside my studies giving back to the community that has helped me to grow and to dream. Healthy World Café is not the solution to ending world hunger, but it is a small step toward a brighter future. A future when people never know the hollow ache of true hunger. A future when we can support each other as a community “where friends come to meet, and everyone eats.”
Poole MK, Mundorf AR, Englar NK, Rose D. From nutrition to public policy: Improving healthy food access by enhancing farm-to-table legislation in Louisiana. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015;14:1874-7.
http://healthyworldcafe.blogspot.com/
apps.ams.usda.gov/fooddeserts/faqlocatortool2-pgr.pdf
