Growing Change in Our Local Communities

How often do you question where your next meal will come from? Will it be nutritious? Will the food you eat be culturally relevant to you and sustainably and locally sourced? Not everyone in the Greenville community has the luxury of being within walking distance of the nearest supermarket. In fact, nearly 80,000 residents of Greenville County live over a mile from the nearest supermarket without vehicle access.

To relieve the burden on communities where food is inaccessible, organizations like Sustaining Way come in. Sustaining Way is a non-profit that uses education, collaboration and advocacy to create sustainable, caring and equitable communities for current and future generations, specifically regarding food insecurity. Sustaining Way mainly operates out of a community garden known as “Annie’s House” in the Nicholtown community. The produce grown at Annie’s House is distributed to the community in Nicholtown every week at no cost to the residents.

My name is Hannah Rowan and I’m a senior at Furman University studying Sustainability Science and Data Analytics. This summer, I’m working as the Agriculture Fellow at Sustaining Way. I’ve always been curious about the functions of food systems and how they can be improved for people and the environment. The issues regarding sustainable food production and consumption seemed too vast and complex to be improved on a small scale. Now having worked for a non-profit in the Greenville community, I can see that’s not the case.

Sustainability solutions rely on localized understanding of the problem at hand. There can’t be one blanket solution to a wide issue. The people of the Nicholtown community have different needs from folks living in another community just a few miles away. When a non-profit can get into a community, bring the residents in to participate in the solution, and get feedback from the people the problem is directly affecting, that’s when real change can be made.

My job as the Agriculture Fellow is to work alongside volunteers to plant, maintain, and harvest in the garden and to lead them to understand how to grow food right here in their community. I also help with distributing the food we grow in the garden every week directly to the residents of Nicholtown. Working with the community has not only deepened my knowledge of sustainable food systems and solutions but has also strengthened my interpersonal relationships and leadership skills. Sustainability relies on strength in our communities and advocating for our neighbors.

Taking on this fellowship this summer has made me realize how much impactful work can be done on a small scale. Most people want to see their community thrive and are looking for ways to come together and make it happen. I would encourage everyone to look for organizations like Sustaining Way in their own communities for regular volunteer work or even just occasional participation in their community. Even small actions, when done collectively, can build up to lasting change.

 

Sustaining Way’s website: https://sustainingway.org/