Feeding Futures: Exploring Food Justice from Farm to Table
Portland, OR
Photo: Portland.gov
Too far from a grocery store to make a healthier choice for dinner, or too close to unsteady employment to afford putting food on the table, food injustice is an everyday reality for many. Food connects us to our culture, and provides us with the nutrients we need to grow. Yet, the United Nations reports that over 2 billion people around the globe face food insecurity, lacking consistent access to the nutrition and community food brings.
Feeding Futures works to respond to this crisis by investigating challenges to food sovereignty in Portland, an agricultural hub facing food inequities that we can help address. During this service-learning experience, we will follow our food from production in local farms and urban gardens, to distribution via the food banks and farmers markets providing produce to families in need. We will explore how educating youth about nutrition and equipping them with the resources to maintain healthy eating habits despite socioeconomic disadvantages can shape human health behaviors and outcomes for the better—and how poor policymaking and structural barriers can shape them for the worse.
Join us on our journey to uncover where the farm to table pipeline leaks directly from the community voices sparking change. What will it take to feed our future in a sustainable, culturally-responsive way?
Meet the co-leads:
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Jedesa Alatorre
Hello beautiful people! I’m Jedesa, a sophomore from Los Angeles. I’m studying Human Biology and Urban Studies on a pre-med track, and am super interested in the intersection between environment and health. Growing up in a car-centric community, I’ve witnessed firsthand how designing spaces around vehicles negatively shifts the types of foods available for consumption. As such, I can’t wait to uncover the inequalities in our food systems and bring food justice to life this spring break with ASB! In my free time, I love thrifting, cafe-hopping, and getting hype at a Dodger game.
Sofia Rodriguez
Hello! I’m Sofia, a sophomore majoring in Human Biology with an interest in women and children’s health. I have always loved cooking because it’s a way to learn new traditions and spend time with family, but I have also seen how food has the power to change physical and community wellbeing. Coming from Los Angeles, I know the toll food access inequality takes on immigrant and low-income communities, and I’ve been interested in researching how nutrition can be a long-term determiner of health. My passion for food sovereignty and justice led me to creating this ASB program with my amazing co-lead, Jedesa, and I’m excited to learn more about Portland’s food systems through service with all of you!