Food Access in East Portland: Miles Away from Grocery Stores
Not everyone in the city has the same access to healthy groceries, even though Portland is known for its farmers markets and local food scene. Residents in East Portland are traveling miles to local a full grocery store. The issue at hand is described as a food desert, it affects many neighborhoods throughout the United States.
A food desert is a neighborhood that has limited access to affordable food, most importantly fresh fruits and vegetables. The areas that lack full grocery stores are having to rely on fast food restaurant's and small convenience store to feed the community. For the residents of these neighborhoods, groceries are not the easiest to obtain, especially without a vehicle or public transportation.
East Portland stands out as one of the visible areas for this in the city. While other parts of Portland have larger grocery stores and accessibility to different grocery stores, there are the areas in East Portland where it may take a resident an hour bus ride to get healthy groceries for their family. Obtaining groceries is now made much difficult to those who have busy schedules, limited income, or no form of transportation.
Communities can commonly see serious effects from food deserts. With the lack of fresh food accessible to these neighborhoods, fast food and packaged food will become the more reliable form of food that can be found for cheaper. Over time, the communities tend to see a rise on health problems, while also adding financial stress for families who could barley afford healthy groceries and having to pay insane prices at the convenience stores.
Despite setbacks, organizations throughout Portland are helping to improve food accessibility in East Portland. Community gardens, food banks, and local nonprofits are helping to provide health foods for those who need it most. Those who do help tend to have pop-up farmer markets in these neighborhoods to allow access to healthier options to everyone.
No matter where someone lives, they should be allowed access to healthy and affordable food. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed in East Portland. Even thought Portland has a great food scene and food culture, the city still needs to make sure all communities are allowed access to similar things to take a step forward towards a healthier and more equitable city.
To learn more about organizations that are trying to help those in need in East Portland, follow the links below!
Comments
Post a Comment