New York’s Staten Island — For the majority of Staten Islanders, getting meals whenever and wherever they want has never been simpler thanks to apps for takeout and home grocery delivery.
However, it is easy to overlook that many people do not enjoy the same privilege due to the ease and on-demand nature of food acquisition.
Tens of thousands of people on Staten Island actually struggle every day to provide for their families, depending on local food pantries and government aid to put food on the table.
Furthermore, these borough inhabitants frequently resort to low-cost, processed foods at the expense of their long-term health because healthier options, like as fresh meats and veggies, are frequently more expensive.
The Staten Island Advance/SILive.com published a series of articles earlier this year titled “Health and Hunger on Staten Island,” which examined food insecurity in the borough and its impact on residents’ health. The articles also included interviews with local nonprofits and medical professionals regarding how the borough can better address this pervasive problem going forward.
BY THE DATA
Thousands of people throughout the borough are affected by food insecurity and the detrimental health effects of eating an unhealthful diet, but as is frequently the case, those who are struggling financially are disproportionately affected.
The Staten Island Advance/SILive.com examined information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2023 PLACES and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey: According to a Local Data for Better Health study, the prevalence of a number of diseases linked to poor diet is higher in places where a larger proportion of the population depends on government help to buy food.
According to the data, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are more common in Staten Island ZIP codes with the largest proportion of individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, a sign of food insecurity.
Obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure affect 36%, 13.9%, and 32.9% of individuals in the 10304 ZIP code, while a borough-high 26.1% of households receive SNAP assistance.
The rates of adults with the aforementioned health issues are 31.1%, 9.7%, and 29%, respectively, in the 10308 ZIP code, which has the lowest percentage of households receiving SNAP benefits (3.8%).
Comparing these two regions, the prevalence of adult obesity is 15.8% higher in 10304 than in 10308, while the rates of high blood pressure and diabetes are 13.4% and 43.3% higher, respectively.
The interactive map below illustrates how economically deprived communities are more likely to suffer from nutrition-related diseases, a tendency that is seen throughout the borough with few exceptions.
Food Deserts
Food insecurity on Staten Island and in the United States is largely caused by food deserts, which are geographical locations where locals have little access to fresh produce because there aren’t many conveniently located grocery shops.
The phrase refers to different areas of the borough, but especially to the North Shore, where a lack of grocery stores and low rates of car ownership cause many locals to shop at neighborhood bodegas and corner stores, which provide far less wholesome options than large supermarkets.
Food deserts and food insecurity are closely related. What a food desert is, then, is not so much a lack of food as it is a lack of fresh or nutrient-dense foods. The director of medical weight loss at Staten Island University Hospital-Northwell Health, Shiara Ortiz-Pujols, stated that ultra-processed meals are quite easy to find, particularly in communities of color and locations with lower incomes.
Residents have long complained about the lack of large grocery stores on the North Shore of the borough, with some having to take several buses to get to the closest store before carrying their groceries home on Staten Island’s meager public transit system.
There are many low-income neighborhoods along the borough’s North Shore where a sizable percentage of households reside more than half a mile from the closest supermarket and, more crucially, lack access to a car, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Access Research Atlas, formerly known as the Food Desert Locator.
This map, which comes from the USDA’s (United States Department of Agriculture) Food Access Research Atlas, depicts a number of low-income neighborhoods along the North Shore of the borough where a sizable percentage of households lack access to a car and reside more than half a mile from the closest supermarket. (Source: USDA)Thanks to USDA
There are a lot of those large supermarkets in one place. Even though a large number of people own cars, many others depend on public transportation. It’s difficult to get to the Stop & Shops and ShopRites. Many individuals need two or three busses, Ortiz-Pujols stated.
Compared to other areas of the borough, a notably greater proportion of North Shore people live in poverty and lack access to a personal automobile, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey.
While the number of households without access to a car goes from 21.8% to 26.5%, the percentage of residents living below the poverty line in ZIP codes 10301, 10302, 10303, 10304, and 10310, which include the borough’s North Shore, ranges from 12.8% to 18%.
Conversely, the South Shore’s ZIP codes, 10307, 10308, 10309, and 10312, have a range of 4.6% to 7.2% of the population living below the poverty line and 6% to 8.1% of households without access to a car.
As can be seen from the map below, the main supermarkets on Staten Island are fairly evenly distributed around the borough, however people on the North Shore have a harder time affording fresh produce and getting to and from the grocery shop.
According to experts, removing food deserts can be a challenging task since, even when locals express a clear desire for more supermarkets and the need for them is acknowledged, big grocery stores cannot be forced to open in these areas.
In reality, fast food restaurants are frequently the first to move into low-income neighborhoods when real estate becomes available, which exacerbates the already-existing public health issues.
I reside on Staten Island’s North Shore, and there was a large [empty] plaza there. I was thrilled that a large supermarket would be built there, but instead they installed a Taco Bell. “They brought this into this diverse, working-class community, and that’s just not right,” Ortiz-Pujols added.
There aren’t any large markets in the region where I live, so all you have are fast food restaurants, Taco Bells, and street corner stores, and that’s not the kind of stuff that will help you get healthier, she continued.
Due to the lack of large supermarkets in the area, many people turn to smaller, neighborhood grocers; yet, because of the high cost of produce and the locals’ limited resources, many of these establishments do not carry fresh food in order to prevent any losses.
You know, it’s almost like a Catch-22. According to Dr. Ana Mendez, chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), “you have a food desert because you don’t have fresh fruits and vegetables and the business people who are selling to the community don’t have fruits and vegetables because people can’t afford them, don’t buy them, and then the business is going to lose the money.”
ASSISTANCE FROM LOCAL ENTITY
The sheer number of Staten Island food pantries—more than 50 locations do weekly, biweekly, or appointment-based distributions, some of which generate long, serpentine lines of more than 200 families at a time—makes the borough’s increasing food needs clear.
The borough has been leading the charge to combat food insecurity thanks to the Staten Island Hunger Task Force, a partnership of several community groups that work together to help feed hungry Staten Islanders and advocate for real policies to solve the chronic issue.
According to Heather Butts, co-founder and executive director of H.E.A.L.T.H. for Youths and vice-chair of the Staten Island Hunger Task Force, the problem of food insecurity on Staten Island is mostly ignored and underfunded.
The weekly food pantry at El Centro Del Inmigrante in Port Richmond provides food for hundreds of families. (Erik Bascome/Staten Island Advance)Erik Bascome/Staten Island Advance
With its comprehensive list and interactive map that displays all food pantries currently functioning around Staten Island, along with their hours of operation, the task force is a priceless resource for people who are having difficulty providing for their families.
To locate a food pantry in their area, residents can search the borough’s dozens of locations on the Staten Island Hunger Task Force website.
Over the past year, the Advance/SILive.com spoke with various organizations that operate these crucial lifelines to hungry Staten Islanders, highlighting the invaluable work they do to keep the community fed.
According to Amelia Winter, chief program officer at the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Staten Island, the food pantry has received approximately 20,000 visits annually, or more than 1,600 visits per month, since it opened in 2007.
Situated in one of the neighborhoods most affected by hunger, the Salvation Army Stapleton Corps runs a food pantry that supplies about 700 families each month with a variety of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, high-quality meats, cereal, pasta, and canned goods, enabling locals to make wholesome, well-balanced meals they might not have been able to otherwise afford.
Through the organization’s food pantry and soup kitchen, the Salvation Army Stapleton Corps provides monthly assistance to more than 1,000 people on Staten Island. (Erik Bascome/Staten Island Advance)Erik Bascome/Staten Island Advance
And just as crucial as the large, organization-based pantries serving thousands of residents are the smaller ones supported by donations of neighbors, like the Unitarian Church of Staten Island sLittle Free Food Pantry, located at 312 Fillmore St., in New Brighton.
Inspired by the Little Free Library model, residents can visit the pantry at any time, with those who can help encouraged to drop off donations and those in need welcome to help themselves to what s been left inside.
AFFORDABLE HEALTHY EATS
Throughout the series, the Advance/SILive.com spoke with healthcare experts from local hospitals whoprovided tips on how low-income residents can craft nutritious meals while living on a tight budget.
With fresh produce prices on the rise, residents should focus on local and in-season produce, which can typically be found at a lower price due to proximity and availability.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers aSeasonal Produce Guidethat allows residents to see which fruits and vegetables are currently in-season, meaning they can be found at a lower price point.
Experts said that while fresh produce is ideal, it s not always the most feasible, as it is more expensive and spoils much more quickly than frozen alternatives.
Indeed, fresh is ideal. But if they re not able to afford fresh then frozen is awesome. It s a good alternative in some cases. Frozen can even be more appropriate than something that s fresh, said Nicole Holness, registered dietician at RUMC s Family Health Center.
And if even frozen vegetables are out of a resident s price range, canned vegetables are better than no vegetables, although they re typically much higher in sodium and should be eaten in moderation.
Holness said that meal planning before grocery shopping can also help residents eat healthier while sticking to a strict budget, as they ll know exactly what they need for the week and are less likely to purchase unnecessary, unhealthy items.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offersvarious resourcesto help residents plan healthy meals and snacks throughout the week, including theUSDA s MyPlate Plan, which calculates daily food group targets based on your age, sex, height, weight and physical activity level.
The MyPlate Plan, which focuses on eating the recommended portions of fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains, is at the center of all healthy eating initiatives at SIUH, including the Wellness on Wheels program, which teaches school-aged children, from Kindergarten through sixth grade, about healthy eating.
Experts said that educating the youth on healthy eating habits at a young age can make a huge difference in the long run, as they re more likely to stick with them later in life.
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