Pioneering Culturally Responsive Nutrition

As the Food Strategy Researcher at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC), Alex Freewalt is creating a new culturally responsive food sourcing strategy. By visiting about 100 food pantries and produce markets in MOFC’s 20-county footprint, Alex is assessing community needs that are currently under-addressed. Initially, he met with pantry directors and dedicated volunteers to learn about day-to-day operations, inventory procedures, service volume, and challenges faced. Following this phase, he then conducted 50 recorded interviews with partner agencies, engaging them about their health opinions, challenges, and the assets they observe in the communities they serve. Coding and analyzing the results of these interviews, Alex found that although most pantries value providing healthy options for their communities, they are often limited due to lack of budget and low storage capacity.

In addition to these interviews, Alex has also developed a food sourcing survey for directors at MOFC partner pantries. Based on survey results, it was clear that most pantry partners get 90%-100% of their food through MOFC. In light of this information, Alex has concluded that MOFC has a special responsibility to enact change, selecting and buying healthier and more culturally responsive food options. Currently, he is developing a customer food survey to learn from community members what food items they would like to see in pantries. Although he is still refining the survey to maximize user friendliness, he hopes to ultimately gather 1500 responses and gain a stronger understanding of customer interests.

For Alex, one of the most rewarding aspects of service has been talking with workers serving their communities on the grassroots level and communicating key insights to the MOFC team.

“The biggest example is when I was visiting a lot of the pantries in our most far eastern counties and was frequently being told that they really would like to see soup as a choice in MOFC’s inventory,” says Alex. “I told the team, soup was bought, and the pantries bought all of it in 3 days.”

Alex also recalls a time during his service when he had the opportunity to talk with staff at a Knox County organization called Food for the Hungry.

“While we were talking about the challenges faced by many of the pantries in terms of storing fresh produce, I mentioned that I saw a pantry make a garage into a USDA approved cooler using two air conditioners and a machine called a ‘Cool Bot,’” he says. “I was able to connect the people from Food for the Hungry to the pantry director that did this, and Food for the Hungry has begun to work on prototypes for it.”

Seeing the difference his efforts have made, Alex has become convinced that communication is a powerful tool.

“Being able to communicate what I have seen and heard to people who have the budget and agency to change what is available to those who need it has been the most fulfilling accomplishment of my VISTA year so far,” he says.

Through his service, Alex is grateful to have made a lasting contribution. By recording his survey findings, he knows that MOFC will be able to revisit this information in years to come as the organization works to increase its supply of healthy and culturally-responsive food options. As a result of his AmeriCorps experience, Alex now hopes to pursue a career in the social services sector.

“I would definitely recommend national service to others,” he says. “This is a great opportunity to connect with people who have boots on the ground in the fight against poverty. It has been extremely fulfilling and fun.”

Thanks for your service, Alex!