Live United: Report providing data on people in need of food assistance
Released on Friday, July 5, 2024 at 8:45 p.m.
“Live United” by Erin Haag
Most of the time, I write late at night or early in the morning, when I have some quiet time alone to gather the thoughts that have been swirling around in my head. But not today. Today, I write from the south shore of Lake Superior, while my family chats around me. Little ones are making s’mores, young ones are playing games, my uncle is dozing in his chair, and occasionally, fireworks explode into the sky in celebration of the holiday.
Erin Haag
Last weekend, my daughter played in a softball tournament. It was a beautiful day with blue skies, the first time we’d seen it in a while. I stood on the other side, trying to get a photo of the team batting. As I was framing the photo, I noticed an American flag flying behind the dugout. Both days are considered American traditions. Glow stick jewelry, homemade t-shirts that read “Red White & Blue Cousin Crew.” We cheered on the softball game, ate hot dogs, and smelled sweat and sunscreen.
Last week, I overheard someone ask another person what they do on a holiday. The person shrugged and said, “Work. Just a day.” It’s my choice to write this article on a holiday, but it’s my choice. And I recognize that I’m lucky to have that choice. Last week, there were items in my pantry that I knew I would use to celebrate various family events this week. Watermelon and ice cream treats, because for many of us, traditional American summer events are impossible because of the money involved. Money for treats like food, glow sticks, and s’mores. Even if you have money, sometimes you can’t take a day off work because you can’t afford to take a day off.
United Way is a very local organization, focused on a specific “neighborhood.” But we stay connected and strive to develop projects that serve the entire state. 2-1-1 is a great example of how centralization can serve the entire network and allow individual United Ways to have a greater impact in their communities. One of these projects has been in the works for the past two years and is now nearing completion. It’s called United for ALICE. United for ALICE requires the participation of every United Way in Minnesota.
ALICE is an acronym for people with limited assets, limited income, and employment. We all know ALICE. ALICE are our neighbors, coworkers, teachers, childcare workers, nonprofit workers who work but are struggling to make ends meet. Often, ALICE mobilize their communities and give back in many ways, but they think there are others out there who are worse off than them, and are too proud to ask for help. They may be able to go to a softball game or invite their family over for a 4th of July barbecue, but they make tough financial choices to get there. They get by, but they can’t save or get ahead, and when disaster strikes, they fall below the poverty line.
This is a story we’ve told often over the past few years as we’ve focused on food insecurity. In case you didn’t know, we had the data – the numbers. A compelling story: 9.5% of people living in Freeborn County are food insecure, and this number came from data collected before food prices increased. Now is the time to cast our net wider and find out what other gaps exist in our community. At its core, ALICE is a storytelling project driven by data. It does three main things: it produces reports, it leads learning communities, and it creates concrete calls to action.
Even today, many people struggle to define what the needs of their community are. There was no question that people needed food assistance, but it wasn’t until the co-design process began that people really understood what it would take to improve the system. People didn’t realize that a significant percentage of people who needed food assistance were not eligible for it. Today, that number is 18%. 18% of food insecure households in Freeborn County are not eligible for SNAP benefits. That’s the work that United Way Welcome Pantry, Salvation Army, Alden Food Pantry, and Ecumenical Food Pantry do every day. We’re working to serve not just that 18% but the other 82%. We’re filling that gap.
ALICE will provide reports to help assess additional gaps. The reports will be statewide, but will also drill down to the county level and have ALICE in FOCUS reports to help understand the specific needs of certain populations, such as veterans. These reports will guide our work and the work of others across the state, including state legislators. The first reports will be released during July, with a statewide rollout in September at the state capital. We are working to inform our community of the results of the ALICE report and what it means across the state and in Freeborn County. These results will then drive United Way’s work, ensuring that our work at the local level is data-driven and creates meaningful change that helps our communities thrive. Stay tuned for more information to be released in the coming months. As always, if you would like to discuss further, we welcome you to join the conversation or join our volunteer crew. Call us at 507-373-8670.
Erin Haag is executive director of the Freeborn County United Way.
