Walk for Good Food 2020 Blog Series: In celebration of the Walk for Good Food, Access will be posting interviews with the non-profit organizations that are receiving funding from this years Walk. Read below about why Good Food (food that is healthy, fair, affordable, and green) is important to their work. Eight organizations receive funding from the Walk, each with their own important role to play in creating a thriving food system for all. To walk with us or learn more visit accessofwestmichigan.org/walk.
AWM: Tell us a little bit about your organization: your mission and the work that you do.
SECOM: “SECOM is a Key Resource Center that gives help and hope to our neighbors by empowering families to achieve their full potential through healthy living, education and economic opportunities. SECOM serves the 49507 and 49546 zip codes here in Kent County through a variety of ways. SECOM offers nutritional classes, empowerment programming, gardening, free preschool, healthy food options in our pantry and shopping at the market stand, and much more. SECOM’s vision is helping today and building hope for tomorrow.”
AWM: Why is Good Food (fair, affordable, healthy, and accessibly) important to your work?
SECOM: “Good food is important to our work because it supports a healthy food system for everyone! A Good Food system fights the injustices and inequalities that our Neighbors face. We strive to make healthy, fair and affordable food accessible to all our Neighbors. We have a Healthy Food Policy that informs our decision making and holds us to these values. We also make healthy food accessible to Neighbors through our Food Pantry, Community Garden, healthy seasonal programming, year-round mobile Market stand and Mobile Market. Through local partnerships, SECOM’s Market produce is sourced from local farmers and sold at a reduced cost. Neighbors can make purchases with cash, EBT, Double Up Food Bucks, WIC Project Fresh, and Senior Project Fresh. The Market stand continues to boost our efforts to make healthy food available and affordable to our Neighbors. Along with our healthy food options we also implement educational programming that addresses healthy living, the food system, food justice, gardening, and cooking.”
AWM: What is your organization doing to support a Good Food System?
SECOM: “I’m excited to see all the fun ways that people participate this year. I hope more people learn about what the Walk for Good Food is and join us over the ten days. Plus, Michigan is so beautiful, I think just getting outside and committing to walking every day whether on a trail, in the woods, around the block, or wherever you go, will make us all feel refreshed and rejuvenated.”
AWM: What is one thing you’re looking forward to about this year’s Walk for Good Food?
SECOM: “Whether this is your 10th or the very 1st time participating in the Walk for Good Food, I hope that this year and with our current health state that you really understand the importance of a good food system and what that means for our community. It’s not about the walking, it’s about what we are walking for.”
AWM: Anything else important we should know?
SECOM: Please visit our website at http://www.secomministries.org/ to find out more about what we do and who we are.