Hanley Sustainability Institute
Addressing food insecurity in Dayton one meal at a time
By Lia Schmidt
In 2022, approximately 14% of households in Montgomery County and one in four children in Dayton were food insecure. This issue is especially prominent in West Dayton, where residents have had limited access to grocery stores. In Dayton, food deserts exist largely as a result of redlining and disinvestment in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Grocery stores, like Kroger and ALDI, have shut down in West Dayton while keeping their stores open in predominantly white parts of town. The inaccessibility of high quality food and groceries is a compounding problem that amplifies historical disenfranchisement.
Dayton’s food bank has over 100 member food pantries, kitchens and shelters in Montgomery, Greene and Preble counties. Prior to the pandemic, families in Dayton visited food pantries an average of two times a week. In 2023, families were visiting food pantries five or six times in a week, on average, with a significant increase in the number of families using food pantry resources for the first time.
Nearly 30% of food bank patrons are under the age of 17 and 20% are over 60. High food costs have largely contributed to the increase in food pantry attendance, but the costs have even had negative impacts on the supply offered by the food bank. Foodbank Inc., reported spending 33% more on food in the Dayton area than they had only a few years ago. Every dollar donated to the Dayton food bank provides four meals to those in need.
In recent years, there have been many efforts to combat food insecurity in the Dayton area. One of the most prominent undertakings was the development of the Gem City Market.
Gem City Market opened in May 2021 to fill the gap in West Dayton, where 40,000 residents lived without access to a full-service grocery store. It contains a juice bar, mini clinic, community room and teaching kitchen in addition to groceries. What makes Gem City Market different from other grocery stores is that it is a part of Co-op Dayton, meaning it is owned by the community and workers who support it.
Customers can purchase an optional membership to become a member-owner for $100. It's $10 for those who self-identify as low-income. Those who purchase a membership gain the ability to vote on issues at annual Member Meetings or run for a position on the board of directors. The co-op model aims to provide opportunities for marginalized members of the community, create long-lasting jobs and strengthen community ties by supporting the people who form it. Become a Gem City Market member.
On the University of Dayton campus, The Brook Center for Empowerment and Wellbeing offers resources for students who are struggling to provide food for themselves. The Food4Flyers food pantry, located in The Brook Center at Art Street, carries a wide variety of items. Food products offered in the Food4Flyers pantry include single-serve meals, rice, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, snack items, cooking oil, seasonings and many others. In addition to food items, the pantry also provides personal hygiene and menstrual products for those in need. Any student is welcome to visit the Food4Flyers pantry during operating hours. Over the summer, the pantry is open 9-11 a.m. on Tuesdays and 2-4 p.m. on Fridays.
To make access to this food pantry a more impactful resource, The Brook Center also assists students in using the food for cooking and making meals. Flyer Eats is a short, student-made recipe book with quick and simple recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. It also contains information about how to read a food label, tips for meal prepping, budgeting when shopping for food, building a balanced meal and food safety. Food4Flyers food pantry also accepts monetary donations.
The Hanley Sustainability Institute's undergraduate summer fellows had the opportunity to visit Gem City Market and the Food4Flyers food pantry. While looking through the food pantry, they discussed the multitude of obstacles students may face when it comes to accessing food. Many students cannot afford to purchase fresh food on a regular basis, and those who can afford it may not have the resources or knowledge to properly prepare it. Gem City Market fills a different niche from the food pantry, but the atmosphere is equally as positive and welcoming. While Gem City Market offers some unique products – particularly those from the juice bar – it plays the same role as any other full-service grocery store. Visiting the market and the food pantry provided a deeper understanding of two methods of combating food insecurity. Both of these locations serve and support their communities in similar ways, and their communities support them in return.