Mass. congresman visits South Bronx,
learns how groups are fi ghting food
BY JASON COHEN
Traveling the country to
see how community groups
fi ght hunger on a local level,
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, cochair
of the House Hunger
Caucus, visited the South
Bronx recently.
Local nonprofi t Phipps
Neighborhoods invited Mc-
Govern, a Massachusetts
Democrat, so he could learn
about the work of the Bronx
Impact Food Access Collective
(BIPAC) and how its efforts
align with his larger national
platform on hunger and
food insecurity. On Feb. 23,
they toured Hunts Point and
visited Boogie Down Grind,
a fruit vendor to buy produce
and Chilis on Wheels, a plantbased
food distribution nonprofi
t.
BIFAC connects people to
resources for food delivery,
pantries and nutrition education.
BIFAC studied food insecurity
in the South Bronx from
2019 to 2021 and made several
recommendations, including
that New York City have
a commitment to explore new
ways to expand farmers’ markets
and other programs that
bring fresh fruits and vegetables
to underserved communities;
a commitment to pursue
federal and state action
to expand and improve SNAP
(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program) and other
food benefi ts; and a commitment
to providing expanded
supports to cooperative businesses
and workforce development
efforts, particularly
those which promote access to
fresh produce and/or sustainability
in low-income communities.
“I think that the federal
government needs to understand
that some of the most
innovative approaches to ending
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M 14 MAR. 11-17, 2022 BTR
hunger are happening at
the local level,” McGovern
told the Bronx Times, which
joined the congressman for
his tour around the South
Bronx.
The South Bronx is also
home to the Hunts Point Terminal
Market, which provides
fresh produce, meat,
fi sh, fruits and vegetables for
22 million people in 49 states.
Yet, the Hunts Point neighborhood
is described as a “food
desert,” or community with
little access to quality fresh
food. In 2013, the South Bronx
had the highest percentage of
obese adults in New York City,
at 34%.
“It is stunning that here is
the center (The Hunts Point
Food Distribution Center) of
where all of the nation’s food
goes through and yet people
have challenges here locally,”
he said.
During the congressman’s
visit, members of BIFAC and
McGovern discussed food access
issues and opportunities
in the South Bronx, why it is
important to purchase fresh
produce sourced from the
Hunts Point Terminal Market,
equitable EBT/SNAP expansion,
and other impacts
of street vending.
Allison Marino, director
of external relations at
Phipps Neighborhoods, told
the Bronx Times she appreciated
the congressman taking
time to visit the South Bronx.
She hopes McGovern, who
fi rst joined Congress in 1996,
observed the importance of
street vendors as a bridge between
communities that lack
supermarket access.
“It was really great for us
to show the chairman the opportunities
we’ve been seeing
on the ground,” Marino
said. “Refl ecting back on the
experience, it was gratifying
to be able to share our point
of view with a federal offi cial
who shares our values.”
In October 2021, McGovern
introduced a bill that
would convene a national
White House conference on
food, nutrition, hunger and
health. The legislation would
provide $2.5 million for
the conference and lay the
groundwork for the historic
event, which would be only
the second such conference
in American history.
The fi rst and only such
conference was held in 1969
under President Richard
Nixon. That conference led
to the creation and expansion
of programs such as
SNAP, the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program
for Women, Infants and Children
(WIC) and the National
School Breakfast and Lunch
Program.
When it comes to food insecurity,
McGovern has created
the McGovern-Dole
Food for Education program,
which provides nutritious
meals in a school setting to
nearly 9 million of the world’s
poorest children and introduced
a bipartisan bill in the
House to expand access to
healthy school breakfasts for
students across America.
The congressman hopes
that if President Biden approves
the hunger conference,
people from groups like
BIFAC and Phipps, which
advocates on behalf of lowincome
communities, will
be able to speak at it. Seeing
how those organizations
work together and provide
nourishment and programs
for the community is a model
for the country, he said.
“I believe food should be a
fundamental human right,”
he said. “There are a lot of
bad things happening now,
but coming here and having
this conversation with the
people, it gives me hope.”
Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern walks the South Bronx on a recent hunger tour.
Photos Adrian Childress
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern walks the South Bronx to learn about how groups are battling food insecurity.