Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Five mayoral candidates in Buffalo will be taking part in a community conversation Wednesday evening about food access.
"It's a really big issue in the city," said Jessica Gilbert-Overland of the Good Food Buffalo Coalition. "Over 12% of households are food insecure. 30% rely on SNAP and 54% of youth under the age of 18 live below the poverty line."
The May 14, 2022 mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue that killed 10 black people was a wake up call to the lack of access to fresh food on the city's East Side.
"We know there is a lot of racial disparities in who has food access, and who does not," said Gilbert-Overland.
In the three years since the tragedy, what has really changed?
"We saw a very rapid influx of support that died off pretty quickly. We have not seen as much change as we would like. We're looking to see more systemic changes and how our mayor is going to incorporate decisions on fair food access," Gilbert-Overland said.
But is it more of a transportation issue than a food issue?
She agreed that a lot of community members rely on public transportation and if people they're shopping miles from their home, many are often carrying heavy bags of groceries onto buses. But it's also an issue of affordability. Fresh, healthy food is often more expensive than other food options.
Rite Aid is closing 68 stores in Western New York at the close of business on Wednesday, with 13 of the stores being in the City of Buffalo. Will that impact food access even further?
"It will definitely have an impact, but we should be thinking more about stores selling fresh fruits and vegetables. That's more important than the highly processed foods that are high in salts and sugars. When those are the only foods that folks have access to, it's problematic and limiting," Gilbert-Overland explained.
The Mayoral Candidates Food Forum: A Community Conversation will be held Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Avenue. The public is invited to attend.