Ypsilanti, a small city of approximately 22,400 residents, is also considered a more ethnically diverse community than many other Washtenaw County communities. It is also a city with more low-income residents than other Washtenaw County cities, such as neighboring Ann Arbor. While the county median income is $62,513, in Ypsilanti the median income is $34,401. On the South side of the city, which is made up of predominantly African-American neighborhoods, the median income is $17,866. Overall, more than 25% of residents in Ypsilanti are below the poverty level.

The community’s food insecurity is compounded by the absence of a supermarket within the city, lack of transportation by low-income individuals to healthy food sources, and the declining auto industry (final plant pending closure), which limits employment opportunities.

In the summer of 2005, the Ypsilanti Health Coalition decided to assess the amount of healthy food available in Ypsilanti’s food stores. The committee worked with a group of Eastern Michigan University students to visit 37 food stores within the Ypsilanti city limits and observe the type of foods available at each location. Food stores were defined as any store that sells food (excluding restaurants) such as grocery stores, ethnic or specialty markets, convenience stores, corner stores, as well as gas stations and pharmacies that sell food.

The vast majority of food stores in Ypsilanti (27 of 37) were convenience stores selling primarily alcohol or snack food. Of the six “grocery” stores, only one--Value Foods--was a full-service supermarket. It is located on the other side of I-94 away from the rest of the city. Three specialty markets were available for those seeking Arab, Asian, and African foods. A small amount of fresh produce was available at these locations. The Ypsilanti Food Co-op stocked a variety of healthy foods and is convenient for walking and biking for the nearby neighborhoods on the northeast side of the city. However, the Co-op’s higher prices make it inaccessible for many Ypsilanti residents.

The remaining 31 food stores—including party/convenience stores, gas stations that sell food, and pharmacies selling food—did not stock enough fresh produce, low fat dairy, and other healthy foods to make healthy meals. Some store owners appeared to be “making an effort” by offering a bowl of fresh fruit for sale at the checkout counter, or stocking several different kinds of canned vegetables. However, these foods were not usually promoted within stores as healthier options, or offered at “sale” prices. Frequently, fresh items were of lesser quality. A local resident explained, “There is never fresh milk in this neighborhood. You buy it from the corner store and it goes bad the next day.” Thus, several neighborhoods did not have a healthy food store within the half-mile distance that is convenient for walking or biking to a store.

Such limited food access is not isolated to Ypsilanti. The increased prevalence of urban and suburban areas abandoned by food stores seeking better markets is affecting residents across the country. These urban and suburban zones, labeled “food deserts,” are forcing local residents to rely on convenience stores for basic food needs or take the extra time, money and effort to leave their neighborhoods to buy healthy foods.

Hunger and food insecurity in these communities, caused by a lack of economic resources, unemployment, too little time to buy or prepare foods, and cuts in social service funding among other social factors, is exacerbated by the continued trend of food desertification of neighborhoods. Some have dubbed this trend as “food redlining.” As stores move out of “economically depressed” areas, new stores refuse to move in, claiming there are not enough profits to be made. But the data simply shows otherwise.

In a national study done by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, data showed that inner cities have an annual buying power of over 85 billion dollars. Community food projects continue to find that population numbers in low income communities are well within the sizes necessary to support local grocery stores. Many believe that economic and racial discrimination act as motivating factors for supermarkets moving out of these areas just as banks have used redlining to discriminate against communities of color or low-income communities in mortgage banking.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps prevent serious health issues such as type II diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Lack of accessibility can have a real impact on people’s diets and so their long-term health.

According to the 2005 Health Improvement Plan (HIP) survey, produced by Washtenaw County Public Health, Ypsilanti residents eat fewer servings of fruits and vegetables per day compared to their county county-parts. In the county overall, over 25% of residents ate five or more fruits or vegetables a day. In Ypsilanti only 12% of residents ate the same diet. As a local resident said, “It is difficult to find fruits, vegetables, yogurts, if you are a vegetarian. You can’t really get those things at a gas station, except bananas sometimes.”

In mid-2006, the Ypsilanti Healthy Food Access Initiative (YHFAI) was developed to respond to the dramatic results of the nutrition environmental assessment conducted by the Ypsilanti Health Coalition. The YHFAI is a collaborative effort between local government, nonprofit organizations and residents that has come together to improve access to healthy food in Ypsilanti.

During the past ten months, the YHFAI hosted six focus groups, speaking with almost 80 city residents about their views related to food access and healthy eating in their area. Many participants reported shopping outside of their neighborhood to find affordable and quality foods. Some reported driving to Ann Arbor and even as far away as Canton, Taylor and Detroit to find affordable fresh food. Many of the participants noted that there is a lack of fresh meat and seafood in Ypsilanti.

Residents talked about the time and financial problems that arise from having to travel farther to find healthy foods, but they also discussed the personal hurt that results from this local food desert. “It hurts mentally to know that you can’t provide what you want to provide. It hurts me when I can’t provide my daughter what she needs, like I had rice with butter on it one night.” Older residents discussed how they remember the days of a local meat market and downtown grocer.

The YHFAI is working with other community members to find solutions to Ypsilanti’s food access problems. While recognizing that food access cannot be addressed without confronting our social systems that ignore or create poverty, YHFAI tries to create workable solutions for local residents.

In addition to conducting the community focus group sessions, the YHFAI contracted MapInfo -a locally-based market research firm- to evaluate the potential for a grocer or similar food-related operator to serve lower-income residents in the city. MapInfo concluded that the “primary trade area” of the south side of Ypsilanti is too small to attract a large grocer, but may support a small grocer, changes to existing convenience stores, or a mobile market. The YHFAI Steering Committee recently decided to recommend recruiting a small grocery store to a downtown location; this recommendation will be shared with the community in a series of feedback sessions this winter. In the meantime, the YHFAI partners are working to encourage current stores to carry healthy foods and to develop incentives for grocers to open stores within the city limits.

One promising new addition to the Ypsilanti food scene began last summer: a new farmers market located in downtown Ypsilanti, just off Michigan Avenue. Over 20 vendors offered locally grown produce, prepared foods, and crafts to an enthusiastic group of shoppers from all over the city. Residents of Towne Center, a low-income senior high-rise directly across from the market, were especially happy about the weekly market. The new farmers market was so successful, with over 2,500 customer visits in a relatively short season, that lead agency Growing Hope agreed to provide organizational leadership to the market for at least one more season.

Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit organization that seeks to “educate, inspire, and empower through gardening,” has also headed up the community effort to increase the number of community gardens in Ypsilanti. There are over 15 community gardens in Ypsilanti located near schools, neighborhoods, or community organizations. Community gardens can contribute a significant amount of additional produce to people’s diets.

Also improving diets in Ypsilanti is Body & Soul, a nation-wide campaign working locally in Washtenaw County. It actively engages residents in the conversation about the need for healthy foods.
Body & Soul: A Celebration of Healthy Eating & Living, is a health and wellness program tailored for African-American churches, empowering congregations to engage in healthy eating. The church provides a critical social network within the African-American community, providing guidance to enhance one’s spiritual health, and increasingly tending to the physical health of its members as well. Body & Soul is clear example of how this trend is taking shape in Michigan.

Promoted and disseminated nationally, the program is reaching out to churches across Michigan. Locally, partners including the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of Michigan Health System Program for Multicultural Health and the American Cancer Society, are working with church leaders to provide educational materials and information on local resources encouraging members to eat more fruits and vegetables and to be more active. Currently, eight churches participate in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area.

Issues surrounding a community’s access to healthy food are complex—no one single initiative or campaign will completely solve the challenges faced by residents in Ypsilanti. However, the efforts of the YHFAI, Growing Hope, and Body & Soul combined with other efforts to address the root causes of poverty and inequality in our communities are affecting change in Ypsilanti. These efforts are attempting to address the issue at all levels—individual, community and via social policy—with the common thread of raising awareness and building community capacity to catalyze change.

For more information about the Ypsilanti Healthy Food Access Initiative, contact Jenna Bacolor at bacolorj@ewashtenaw.org
For more information about Growing Hope, contact Michelle Glowa at michelle@growinghope.net or check us out online at www.growinghope.net
For more information about Body & Soul activities locally, call (734) 647-5780. Information is also available online at www.bodyandsoul.nih.gov