HCI:HE HEALTH IN ACTION October 2020

LEADERSHIP WEBINARRegister HERE towatch a live webinarfrom Plexus Leadershipon Feb. 27 onpreventing leadershipderailment and risks.

LEARNINGRESOURCES

1 LearningresourcesMutual Aid Table

3Crawford CountyArma NutritionCouncil story

VIRTUAL TRAININGFOR COMMUNITY

ORGANIZERS

Midwest Academy has coretrainings available onorganizing for justice andsupervising organizersthrough the end of the year.Also check out their optionsfor experienced organizerson leadership development,effective coalitions, andorganizing for the long haul.Click HERE for more.

HCI HEALTH IN MOREPOLICIES VIDEOSAVAILABLE NOW

Mutual Aid ResourcesThe topic of learning for the month of August was mutual aid. Inbrief, mutual aid involves community networks that ensure thatindividuals have all their basic needs. Refer to this resource table tolearn more.

The Healthy CommunitiesInitiative AmeriCorps VISTA,Holly Harpel, gathered localHCI county data and data onthe state of Kansas relatedto food insecurity, mentalhealth infrastructure, andaffordable housing issues.She pulled together researchon policy recommendationson each of those topics.Watch the three recordedpresentations HERE andshare them with yourgroups!

2 Finney Countystory

Stitcher Podcast byRebel Sidney Black onthe differences betweenmutual aid and charity

Mutual Aid Hub mapwith contacts of mutualaid initiatives throughoutthe country, includingKansas could reach outto speakers here

Andrew Elliotandrew85@gmail.comManhattan, KS

Rapid-response teambuilt out of Rogers Park,Chicago, compiling avariety of communityresources

Christina Gentrycgentry@ldchealth.orgLawrence, KS

Mariel Ferreiromferreiro60@gmail.comLawrence, KS

Kim Weaverkimweaverscott@gmail.comWyandotte County

Dustin Haredustinhare@gmail.comWyandotte County

Extensive list of resources on starting a Mutual Aid Network from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

Pod Mapping for Mutual Aid printable worksheet linked here, network of alliances and protection from harm

Blog that outlines the difference between mutuality with mutual aid and hierarchy leadership

AARP's comprehensive guide to starting a mutual aid group with various templates at the bottom

List of Mutual Aid Apps and Helpful Tech compiled by Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/advancing-health-equity-and-racial-justice-in-childrens-behavioral-health-registration-81750673465?aff=erelexpmlthttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/webinar-leadership-derailers-risks-tackling-them-before-its-too-late-tickets-84906249879http://www.midwestacademy.com/training/?link_id=0&can_id=d1c9e70e754b844249aac8a59467b659&source=email-midwest-academy-online-summer-dates-are-live&email_referrer=email_864675___subject_1173690&email_subject=join-midwest-academy-this-fall-new-dates-and-new-trainingshttp://www.midwestacademy.com/training/?link_id=0&can_id=d1c9e70e754b844249aac8a59467b659&source=email-midwest-academy-online-summer-dates-are-live&email_referrer=email_864675___subject_1173690&email_subject=join-midwest-academy-this-fall-new-dates-and-new-trainingshttp://www.midwestacademy.com/training/?link_id=0&can_id=d1c9e70e754b844249aac8a59467b659&source=email-midwest-academy-online-summer-dates-are-live&email_referrer=email_864675___subject_1173690&email_subject=join-midwest-academy-this-fall-new-dates-and-new-trainingshttp://www.midwestacademy.com/training/?link_id=0&can_id=d1c9e70e754b844249aac8a59467b659&source=email-midwest-academy-online-summer-dates-are-live&email_referrer=email_864675___subject_1173690&email_subject=join-midwest-academy-this-fall-new-dates-and-new-trainingshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkUu8Q8gmfvsKsasdqabbyghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkUu8Q8gmfvsKsasdqabbyghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkUu8Q8gmfvsKsasdqabbyghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkUu8Q8gmfvsKsasdqabbyghttps://www.stitcher.com/podcast/rebel-steps/e/55103630?autoplay=truehttps://www.mutualaidhub.org/http://www.deanspade.net/2019/09/25/leadership-qualities-that-support-mutuality-and-collaboration/https://rpcrt.org/?fbclid=IwAR26GeTSAf70XRSzE9A6jlivSu87ndQhMSP7K-67yK1Vk8qMCR31Iq_57w8https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-QfMn1DE6ymhKZMpXN1LQvD6Sy_HSnnCK6gTO7ZLFrE/edit?fbclid=IwAR016x-_ySNyNIJ3m8LpSu-yPVdn7BSqhF1aoNzELJnWMcXS1Rw_xcmO7bIhttps://aarpcommunityconnections.org/start-group/https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/mutual-aid/https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/apps-tech/

Due to COVID-19, many residents in Garden City are without jobs and many employers are in a hiring freeze. Accordingto Finney County community liaison, Andrea Gallegos, theemployment situation is even more precarious for undocumentedresidents.

In response to this crisis, efforts in Garden City are focused on securing food for the community to help the many familiesmanaging reduced or non-existent income streams. Gallegos saidthere are free summer meals available in the community throughoutthe week except on Fridays; therefore, they have aimed to fill thegap in order to provide food for families to get them through theweekend.

Gallegos became an HCI:HE Community Liaison in October 2019 and is employed by Genesis Family Health center. She wasable to connect with Madelyn Martinez-Valdes, lead pastor of TheCommunity, Inc. Church to see how they could sustain surroundingneighborhoods together. Through this partnership, Gallegos appliedfor an HCI CEI mini grant of $18,908 and was able to direct some ofthis funding to support the food distributions being held by TheCommunity Church. The grant money allows greater distributionand delivery and funded food storage. Around 100 to 115 families(400-500 individuals) are served at the biweekly food distributions.

In addition to supporting this effort, the grant money will partially cover telehealth visits for patients who lack access totechnology; it will also cover virtual visits for immigration servicesfor undocumented residents.

“The progress that is being made is very comforting, because it means many residents are beginning to recognize andget comfortable with the folks at the community church as morethan just a faith-based church. They are seeing how they aregenuine about being based in their community, as they areresponding to the needs of their neighbors during this crisis,”Gallegos said.

Pastor Martinez-Valdez reiterated how the church community’s active involvement has earned this reputation andallows them to take on more efforts to support the surroundingneighborhoods. She said, “It is the heart of the congregation. Theyunderstand that God has been generous with us and we need to begenerous with others. The food distribution program, for example,shows that there’s no age limit to being a helper. From kids tosenior citizens, all have helped package and distribute food.”

Coming into the HCI grant in year 3, Gallegos had to adapt to the work and reestablish momentum. She and Martinez-Valdezsay that they have found support in building up momentum againthrough relationships with other agencies and businesses.Martinez-Valdez added, “This is not what we alone are doing. It isthe many partnerships that I truly believe God orchestrated, withothers such as Genesis Family Health, WSU CommunityEngagement Institute & Kansas Health Foundation, LiveWell FinneyCounty Health Coalition, Farm Bureau, Tyson Foods, CornerstoneChurch, and so many more. Bottom line: it takes a team if it is goingto be sustainable.”

LiveWell Finney County promotes their efforts in thecommunity by notifying the team of available grants, as well ashelping deliver goods directly to homes. To support the community,Tyson Foods donated thousands of pounds of chicken to distributein Garden City neighborhoods. Tyson also gave them a grant to buyfood storage. The director of the local United Way is also a FinneyCounty commissioner and has been a hands-on partner.Cornerstone Church also donated food, as well as cleaningsupplies, toiletries, and sanitizer.

As for sustaining efforts like these that aim to promote equitable food access during crisis, Gallegos believes Garden CityCommunity Church (also known as La Communidad to Spanish-speaking parishioners) has the potential and vision to berecognized as a community center for the surroundingneighborhood. Gallegos said, “There are many volunteers that arewilling to take on the work long-term and continue to build capacityfor future planning of programs.”

The Community Church has been proactive about reviewing data on what people in the area need and have determined whattheir four main goals will be as the church’s presence grows in thecoming years. Those four service areas will be citizenship classes,family resources, technology access, and broader immigrationservices (in partnership with Immigration Connection, Inc., which isrecognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)). The churchis already awaiting equipment to install a Telemed station and anonline station in the church so that folks can fill out workapplications, insurance forms, etc.

Martinez-Valdez said, “I am extremely proud of this congregation. It is encouraging to see congregants who love God inword and in deed. God has also equipped each one of us withdifferent gifts and talents and so as a team, the job gets done betterand is more enjoyable.”

Reflecting on her time as the Community Liaison in Finney County, Gallegos said, “I have learned much about the community.This community may have been left out of the loop for a long time.They just needed someone to step up and teach them aboutresources available to them, someone to show them that theirefforts are not in vain, that people actually benefit from the work.Show them that they matter, and they are loved. They start to trustagain and want to be a part of something big. This is BIG.”

Finney County Finds Faithin Community

The topic of food insecurity is a sensitive one for Arma City Library director, and president of the Arma Nutrition Council, Brenda Banks. It’s also a source of motivation.

Her father, whose childhood spanned the late 20s and early 30s, had to take care of his very sick mother who wasn’t able towork or afford food. Sometimes he would even have to fish for theirmeals. Banks says, “[Food insecurity] is very personal to me. Myfather made the commitment to himself that, if he ever had anychildren, he would make sure they never went hungry; and wedidn’t. We were fortunate that we ended up living on a farm withlivestock and had a big garden. Now, whenever I see a child or aperson who needs food, I see my father, that little boy in frayedoveralls, having to provide for his sick mother and always struggling to find food until he entered the Navy.”

Banks mirrors her father’s commitment to children and families through the work she and the Arma Nutrition Council havebeen doing in Crawford County to address severe food insecurity.The superintendent of the local schools reported to Banks that 75percent of their students qualify for free and reduced lunch, andabout 43 percent of Arma’s population of 1,481 live under thefederal poverty line. Banks spearheaded a summer lunch programthat, for the past 5 years, has served about 100 kids per day out ofthe Arma City Library through a partnership with the USDA.

Another local group facing serious barriers to healthy food is the older disabled population. There are about 97 designated disabled apartment units in the city whose residents do not have access to transportation to the nearest grocer, ten miles away. Their only option is to cross a busy highway to get to the Dollar General. This is the only option for many others in Arma too. Vice president of the Arma Nutrition Council, Susan Robinson, says, “We haven’t had a grocery store around for about 5 years. There’s lots of people who live on disability and Social Security [paychecks]. A lot of us don’t drive and you have to go about 15 miles to get any groceries as the ‘dollar store’ does not have produce.”

The members of the Arma Nutrition Council and other residents brought all of this personal insight and experience to thetable two years ago when Community Liaison, Matt O’Malley,started hosting community conversations at the Arma City Library,known locally as “the living room of the community.” Over a span oftwo months, four community conversations were held and, by thefourth one, the meeting space was overflowing with about 55people in attendance. O’Malley said, “We automatically hadlegitimacy because the Library invited us. That was so important toour work because we had to understand that was the trusted placein the community. People began feeling inspired to emerge asleaders.”

In the two years since, those residents have operated together as the Arma Nutrition Council, which has about 40 officialmembers and a Board of four resident leaders. Robert Snare,treasurer of the Council, said, “Being on the team presentedsomething that was entirely new to the community. We didn’t findresistance to change in leadership. It was a natural fit for us to getinvolved because I’m a businessperson by profession and my wifehas been a supervisor as a nurse back in Johnson County.”

Together, the Arma Nutrition Council has achieved much for the food system of Arma. Initially, the Council collaborated with thecrowd-funding nonprofit ioby toward a goal of raising $3,000 thatwould be matched by both a community foundation and the KansasHealth Foundation. Their plan was to set up a community gardenand a pantry in the Library in order to increase access to produce inArma. They also initiated a companion fund-raising strategy, askingeach person for $2. Council secretary, Sherry Snare, reached out tothe school and local banks, successfully securing donations there,too. People from around town, many of whom have limited income,also brought their crumpled $2 bills to Banks at the Library. Within amere 24 days, their fund-raising goal was met! Susan Robinson, waselated. “I’m just proud of everyone that’s contributed in some way. Itdoesn’t have to be the physical work. Arma’s been a close-knitcommunity for so long but, when I first arrived here about 48 yearsago, I was an outsider back then. It’s all changed!”

In July, 2019, the Council members began planting the garden and purchased a refrigerator, storage racks, and bins to beginstocking the Library pantry with produce. With the help of donatedseeds and the funding they had secured, the garden is nowproducing enough to fill monthly food boxes for 45 families, on top ofthe produce that is readily available at the pantry for anyone.Additionally, the Salvation Army has reached out to the Council andhas been supplementing the produce with other commodities.

Another valuable partnership for the Council has been with the city government of Arma. It agreed to pay for the water used inthe garden and will soon raise awareness of the pantry program witha notice printed on residents’ monthly electric bills. Sherry Snare hascontinued communicating with the school about eventuallyimplementing a pantry in the high school, a project currently on holddue to the Covid-19 crisis.

Covid-19 has also prevented the Council from meeting regularly over the past several months, delaying the planned start ofgardening classes and the recruitment of additional volunteers tomaintain the garden. However, the officers all echo a commonoptimism for the year ahead and those to come. Matt O’Malley says,“The members of the Council inspire me because they care. It’s theirbiggest strength. It’s wild to think these were people that first cametogether almost two years ago, and they’re excited to be change-makers every single month. After every meeting, I leave happier thanwhen I arrived!” Robert Snare reports that, in the coming months,they will be responding to community members’ nutrition interests byplanting more tomatoes, corn, zucchini, broccoli, and potatoes. Theyhave also grown lettuce, carrots, peas, and radishes.

When the officers look back at their efforts and at how the garden has grown, they feel a sense of pride. Sherry Snare says,“It’s just kind of exciting! I showed the garden to a friend from Floridawhen she was here and she told me, too, ‘You helped start it, and I’mso proud of you!’” Brenda Banks says, “I will be eternally grateful tohave this opportunity in my life. It really makes you feel that you wantto live beyond your life. It’s really a gift to me.”

Arma Nutrition CouncilHarvests Healthy Optionsfor Neighbors