Melody, who is in her 40s, lives alone in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the West Side. With only two grocery stores in a 5-mile radius, Melody says it’s hard to find fresh produce.
“Even if you do find it, it’s not always fresh,” Melody said.
Then there’s the safety factor.
Melody, who declined to give her last name for safety reasons. doesn’t always feel safe coming out of her house.
“In certain areas, there’s crime and predators. They stand alone and watch you. They know your schedule,” Melody said. “You don’t even know they are watching you.”
That’s one of the reasons why Melody is grateful to Austin Harvest for delivering a 25-pound box of fresh produce to her house on Tuesday.
“Giving us this food, allows us to stay inside the house,” Melody said. It’s like a gift.”
Austin Harvest is a student-led produce market operated by By The Hand Club For Kids. It operates on the site of a former liquor store on Laramie Avenue.
Austin Harvest began in 2020 as a student-led pop up to foster positive community change.
Many of the students involved boxed up the produce on Tuesday for delivery to 36 seniors and home-bound residents in the Austin area.
The food delivery program is made possible through a partnership with Oak Park-based Beyond Hunger.
“The need in Austin, as in all the communities we serve, is very high,” says Tamiko Saami, home-delivery procurement coordinator with Beyond Hunger. Austin is a particular one because it is a food desert,” Saami said. “People just don’t have access to fresh produce, and so this has become our priority.”
In Austin, recipients receive fresh produce with a box of groceries every month. Then, two weeks later, they receive another box of fresh produce complete with apples, oranges, bananas, along with pineapple, honeydew melons, celery, lettuce, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
“They get a box with their regular shelf-stable groceries. There is fresh produce in that, and then two weeks later, your shelf-stable items may still be fine, but we come in with another delivery of fresh produce,” Saami said. “That’s to help that stretch a little bit further, but also to bring fresh produce to them.”
Saami knows the deliveries are making a difference in the lives of many Austin residents.
“We did a delivery to a woman who let us know that she had lost 65 pounds since joining our program, and she attributed that to the fresh produce that we deliver,” Saami said.
Keith Tankson is one of the Chicago Public Schools and local college students who helped fill and deliver the boxes. A resident of Austin, Tankson, 19, knows how great the need is in his neighborhood.
“I’m glad to be doing something like this for my community. This has been a necessity. This shouldn’t be a necessity in our community. … We wanted to make sure that we’re providing for our community. Also, as a youth, we don’t have the best light in the youth in Austin, and I want to change that perspective and rewrite the narrative here.”
Tankson, who attends Wilbur Wright Community College, said he too has experienced not having enough fresh produce in his own home while growing up.
“A lot of people in the Austin neighborhood don’t have a vehicle because we have public transportation to get back and forth. But on a hot summer day like this, most of your stuff will probably spoil. So having this is a convenience and not having to go across town.”
Michael Puente is a reporter and weekend anchor with WBEZ. Reach him at mpuente@wbez.org.