ROGERS -- Community groups had one message during the Hunger Fair on Monday night at the First United Methodist Church: hunger exists in Northwest Arkansas.
"There is a large income gap," said Robert Gearhart, special events coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank.
AT A GLANCE
What Are The Lewis Lectures?
The Lewis Lectures are held on a biannual rotation at First United Methodist Church. John Lewis, who owned Lewis Drugstore in downtown Rogers, left the church with a gift and a request to inspire others. He was once inspired by a church lecture and wanted the same experience for others, said daughter Valerie Lewis.
Historically the lectures have been from visiting ministers. The series began in 1993 with Methodist minister Charles Allen.
John Lewis had been known to give away medicine to those in need, said widow Jo Lewis. He would have approved of series, they said.
Many Rogers residents need to know about the hungry living among us, Jo Lewis said. Valerie Lewis said she hopes the community becomes more involved in helping the needy.
Source: Staff Report
Northwest Arkansas has its share of executives, but it also has the line workers who live paycheck to paycheck and have to decide if they will pay bills or have food, Gearhart said.
Nationwide statistics indicate one in seven people struggles with food insecurity, Gearhart said. In Arkansas it's one in five, he said. In the four Northwest Arkansas counties the food bank serves, one in four people will worry about where they'll get their next meal.
There are no golden streets in Northwest Arkansas, said Jason Carter, assistant child nutrition director for Rogers Public Schools. Parents who apply for free and reduced-price meals through the Rogers School District may be single parents working two jobs but just getting by, Carter said. He often hears from families brought to the area for a temporary job, the job ends and the bills are still there.
It's a common misconception that the northwest corner of the state has a corner on the wealth, said Mary Lynn Reese, chairwoman of the Lewis Lectures at First United Methodist Church.
The lecture series is typically an inspirational speaker, but this year the committee chose a theme.
Sunday sessions reviewed hunger in Northwest Arkansas and attendees had a lunch prepared as if they were at a Samaritan Community Center cafe.
Monday included a Hunger Fair and panelists discussed the issue.
Although she helped pick the theme, planning the event and sitting through the sessions heightened her awareness of the problem, Reese said.
"I didn't connect with it earlier," she said.
Rogers School District has phased in free breakfasts at eight of 15 elementary schools to make sure school children are fed, Carter said.
The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank will distribute about 7 million pounds of food this year, up from 6.7 million last year, Gearhart said. The food bank works with works with 183 agencies in Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties.
Groups touted community gardens and talked about their mission to make sure no one goes hungry during Monday's Hunger Fair.
It was the first year for community gardens at the Samaritan Community Center and the Dixie-Oak Community Garden at Southside Church of Christ
"I'm still planting," said Jonathan McArthur, garden coordinator at the Samaritan Community Center.
Cabbages, kale, spinach, broccoli and lettuce are going into the fall garden. He's hoping for a greenhouse, a bigger garden and more volunteers next year.
Samaritan Community Center serves lunches and has food pantries in both Rogers and Springdale. There was enough produce to offer some for pickup. And there might be enough tomatoes one day for 300 to 500 plates of sauce, but not every day.
The Dixie-Oak Community Garden brought people together, said Megan Brazle, director. The group donated some produce and used some for weekly meals served at the church. She also plans to expand.
"This year was kind of our see what happens year," Brazle said.
The Hunger Fair planning process introduced her to other groups with the same mission, she said.
Groups should work together, said Denise Garner, founder and chairwoman of the board for Feed Communities. The group to finds needs, builds partnerships and helps groups write the grants they need.
Feed Fayetteville is essentially the pilot caucus, she said, pointing to a Farm to School grant that partnered the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Public Schools, Feed Fayetteville and Apple Seeds Teaching Farm.
There are discussions in Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Bella Vista about needs in those communities too, Garner said.
"Springdale problems are not the same as Fayetteville problems," she said.
Wherever the location there is always going to be a need, Gearhart said.
The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank perspective is simple, he said.
"Help somebody out," he said. "You never know when you're going to be on the other side of the table."
NW News on 09/30/2014