Montgomery Area Food Bank Interview

Contact Information:
Jaime Robards
521 Trade Center St.
Montgomery, al 36108
334-263-3784
Jrobards@feedingamerica.org

On November 1, 2012, Samantha Nathan and Sarah Foster conducted an interview with
Jaime Robards from the Montgomery Area Food Bank in Montgomery (MAFB), Alabama to get
a better understanding of food security issues facing Montgomery County, Alabama. The
Montgomery Area Food Bank was established in 1986 to combat hunger and poverty in South
Central Alabama. The Food Bank distributes food and products to more than 800 non-profit
agencies and serves a total of 35 counties in Alabama including Montgomery County. The
MAFBs overall mission is to serve the needy across Central & South Alabama through member
agencies by soliciting, procuring and distributing excess food, grocery and household products;
by developing and monitoring agency networks; and by cultivating community awareness and
participation. The Montgomery Area Food Bank works to distribute 77,000 pounds of products
per day. In 2011, the food bank distributed 19 million pounds of product to Montgomery County
as well as the remaining 34 counties. The MAFBs goal for 2012 is to distribute 20 million
pounds.
After conducting the interview with Jaime Robards, we have a much better understanding
of some of the food security issues facing the people of Montgomery County, Alabama.
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According to Ms. Robards, the Montgomery County 2010 census indicates 47,000 individuals
are living in poverty and approximately 1 out of every 5 people is living in poverty. Ms. Robards
stated that the poverty rate for this county is 18.9% with 29.2% of children in poverty and 11.2%
of seniors in poverty. The Montgomery County unemployment rate is 9.7% and 24% of the
workforce is considered underemployed. Therefore, roughly one-third of the workforce is out of
work or looking for better employment.
Ms. Robards thinks for those individuals living in poverty in Montgomery County food
security is a major problem. The main factor contributing to food security issues is being
unemployed or underemployed. This creates problems because people will have to choose
between paying bills (i.e. rent, gas, transportation, etc.) and buying food. Ms. Robards thinks
there needs to be a bigger focus on getting companies to move to Montgomery in order to create
more jobs as well as better jobs for those unemployed or underemployed. She also feels that
providing more education and proper training will improve the employability of those in need of
jobs thus improving both food security issues and overall quality of life
One predominant factor contributing to food insecurity is the proximity of grocery stores
to those who are living in poverty. Many people in poverty do not have their own transportation
which is a problem for those living outside of the city in rural areas. However, this is also an
issue for those living within the cities limits probably due to urban sprawl. Ms. Robards
indicated that there are some major problems with the public transportation system in
Montgomery. Therefore, most people with food security issues go to the stores closest to home
that are within walking distance. Generally those stores are gas stations or small convenience
stores which are expensive and do not have fresh food. These factors combined with the high
unemployment rate in Montgomery County play a large role in household food insecurity.

To cope with food insecurity, Ms. Robards feels that people will often sacrifice on food
quality. People will often purchase processed food (energy dense) because they get larger
amounts of product for a lower price compared to fresh foods. People feel like they are getting a
bigger bang for their buck. Ms. Robards also mentioned that those with food insecurities will
often frequent fast food restaurants because they are generally inexpensive (more food for the
dollar) and within walking distance of homes in the city. Ms. Robards stated that to fill in the
gaps within their income, people will use food stamps. However this is not without problems
because of the tier system which bases the amount of food stamps received on income. Ms.
Robards once again reiterated the fact that those with food insecurity will have to decide whether
to pay bills or purchase food.
Ms. Robards felt that accessibility, availability, and affordability of food within the
community are for the most part generally good if you are living above the poverty line.
However, one major factor affecting the affordability of food in the community is the 10% sales
tax on food in Montgomery County. Alabama is one of the few states to have a sales tax on food
and it can be a large burden for those living in poverty.
Ms. Robards also felt that the farmers markets in the city were not being utilized enough.
Farmers market can provide more affordable fresh foods by cutting out the middle man and
some are presently accepting food stamps. However, a vast majority of people do not know
where farmers markets are located and do not realize that the food can be more affordable when
compared to a large grocery store. However, transportation can again be an issue when trying to
get to a farmers market.

To cope with the food insecurity issues in the community, people in need are relying on
food banks, food pantries, churches, homeless shelters, governmental agencies, and non-profit
organizations to survive. Ms. Robards commented that during this recession quite frequently
past donors to the food bank are now the ones in need of the food bank services. Thankfully,
large companies and organizations are stepping up and donating more food and products. Local
businesses, such as bakeries, grocery stores, and restaurants, are donating food as well. This
food is usually perishable and would likely be thrown out and wasted. But since the Good
Samaritan Food Donation Act passed in 1996, it makes it easier for smaller businesses to donate
food.
Interview Questions and Answers:
Interview date: October 30, 2012
Person interviewed and organization: Alabama food bank
Conducted by: Samantha Nathan and Sarah Foster
1. Do you think that many households in the community have a problem with food security?
What is the extent of the problem?
Yes, many households in the community have a problem with food security. According to the
Montgomery county 2010 census 47,000 individuals of all ages are in poverty. The poverty rate
is 18.9% in Montgomery County with 29.2% of children in poverty and 11.2% of seniors in
poverty. The problem is widespread over the county.
2. Why do you think that household food security is a problem? (That is, how do you see the
problem manifest itself?)
Montgomery Countys unemployment rate is 9.7% with 24 % underemployed. That translates to
1/3 of the workforce being out of work or looking for better jobs. In Montgomery County 1 out
of every 5 people are living in poverty. This is a major factor in food security issues.
Another problem is that many people live in food desserts, where most grocery stores are over
2 miles away. A large majority of people in poverty cannot get to the grocery store because they
do not have access to transportation, and resort to buying food from a gas station with minimal
selection in fruits and vegetables. The public transportation system is limited in Montgomery
County which only confounds the problem of store location.

A third problem with people and food insecurity issues is having to choose between paying bills
and buying food. When they food is purchased, it usually ends up being the cheapest food which
usually translates to highly processed food. Alabama has one of the highest obesity rates which
will eventually lead to health care related expenses down the road.
3. How do people cope with the problem of food insecurity?
To cope with the problem of food insecurity people with often sacrifice food quality. They will
also use food stamps to fill in the gaps. But this is not without problems because of the tier
system.
4. What are the contributing factors?
The contributing factors are again under employment and unemployment as well as store
locations. When stores are within walking distance it is typically a gas station which is more
expensive than a grocery store, and provide less of a variety and less healthy food options.
5. Now, lets talk about the community:
At present, some of the donors have lost their jobs due to the recession and now are in need of
the food bank services. Thankfully, local organizations and companies are willing to donate
more.
6. Do you think that food is accessible, available, and affordable in the community? (Probe to
explain how it is or is not.)
For the most part yes, food is accessible, available, and affordable in the community. The
biggest factor affecting the affordability of food is the 10% tax on food. This tax is still
implemented in only two states: Alabama and Mississippi. Both states are also two of the most
obese states in America, and there could be a correlation between this and the tax.
Access to healthy food can be hard to come by if the person does not in the city or in close
proximity to a grocery store if they have limited transportation. Again availability is good if you
have transportation to get to the grocery store.
7. Are there differences in different parts of the community?
Yes there are significant differences in parts of the community as it generally is any bigger city.
8. What do you think are the biggest problems related to food security at the community level?
Why do you think these exist?
Transportation, food deserts, and funding for programs are some of the bigger problems facing
food security issues.
9. How does the community address food insecurity? What resources are in place to avoid the

problem if it doesnt exist?

To address food insecurity issues in the community there are food banks, food pantries, churches,
and homeless shelters to provide some aide. There are also governmental agencies (i.e. food
stamps) and non-profit organization geared at helping those in need.
10. What else could be done to improve the communitys problems with food insecurity?
To improve the communitys problems with food security, there need to be some effort to get
more companies to move to Montgomery to create new jobs. There also needs to be more
education and training programs to improve the likelihood of being employed or finding better
employment. This could also solve other problems in the community as well.
The strategic location of grocery stores would also be beneficial, especially for lower income
areas that have many food deserts. There are also farmers markets within walking distance of
some of these food desserts, but people are unaware of them, especially those without access to
internet and other media advertising. Finding another way to inform the community about the
farmers markets would be helpful.
11. Are there any local ordinances or other policies that affect food production, distribution, and
consumption? (e.g., zoning rules that affect supermarket development, food purchasing
regulations for local schools or institutions, policies on the use of city-owned land for
community gardens)
There is statewide ordinance that has schools can only purchase food from certain farmers. The
farmers have to have large farms that can supply whole state. This means schools cannot
purchase food from small local farmers.