Rev. Meredith Jackson – Hunger Program Director
Choice is a powerful thing. Being able to choose what you do, choose who you are in community with, and choose how you will spend your life gives people a deeper sense of humanity and respect.
It’s no different with the ability to choose your food. If you primarily shop for food in a grocery store or farmer’s market, then choosing your food may be your default. We don’t even think about it when it is our norm. But for those who aren’t able to afford to buy their food in stores, choices are few. People are restricted based on budget, availability, program requirements, and access.
For this reason, Isaiah 58 Ministries is continuing to explore how we can expand our client choice. In October, we moved our food pantry to a choice model. Now, every client works with a volunteer to fill out a shopping list specifying the food items that they would like to receive. This list is generated from the food that is available that day. Their bag is then custom packed, and the client chooses additional hygiene and special food items to add to their bag.
Through this client choice food pantry, we hope to give each person food they can use and food they want. This helps eliminate waste and, in the end, hopefully increase client satisfaction.
We also moved our Christmas food distribution to an entirely client choice model. The food that was available was placed on tables where clients could take a set amount from each station. This allowed them to choose the vegetables, soup, baking items, and more for their holiday table.
We look forward to finding more ways to provide our clients with choices that honor their dignity and humanity. We believe that most of the time people know what works best for them, and by working with people to find food that meets their needs, we are better serving our clients and our wider community.