Poughkeepsie is a Food Desert

Following up on the city’s fights against food insecurity

In the City of Poughkeepsie, one out of every four households are food insecure. Similarly, one out of four households don’t own a car which restricts food access. 

Being food insecure means residents are limited and uncertain in their ability to obtain fresh and affordable food. Although the city is still considered a food desert, local organizations and the city are working to diminish the food crisis.  

According to Dutchess Outreach Fresh Market, in 2018, more than 8,000 pounds of fresh food grown in the Hudson Valley was distributed through the City. With organizations like Dutchess Outreach and Poughkeepsie Farm Project, healthy and affordable food is becoming more available to the public. 

The Community Development Coordinator for the City of Poughkeepsie, Paul Hesse, believes local organizations are helping to diminish food insecurity.

“A consortium of partners including Scenic Hudson, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Nubian Directions, Dutchess Outreach, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Poughkeepsie Alliance and the City of Poughkeepsie, have been exploring creating an urban farm on a city-owned property on Pershing Avenue behind Pershing Park and the AME Zion church,” Hesse said. 

If the project takes action, it would not only produce fresh food for the community, but it would also provide workshops for residents and families to learn more about nutritious eating. 

“The concept includes opportunities for health and nutrition education, training on farming techniques and possibly community garden plots,” Hesse said. “We are in the planning and outreach phase right now, and we are studying the soil conditions, sunlight conditions and opportunities for water access while also discussing programming and operations management.”

The city currently has three accessible grocery stores available to residents which are Market Fresh, Casa Latina, and Tropical fresh. There are also food trucks on the Walkway Over the Hudson, but they have inconsistent hours and can be somewhat expensive for healthy items. A recent proposal for a small grocery store on Main Street was also submitted to the city. 

“There is the Market Fresh supermarket (formerly known as Associated Supermarket) at 686 Main Street and the Casa Latina supermarket at 651 Main Street,” Hesse said. “Lastly, there is a proposed small grocery for one of the new storefront spaces at the Queen City Lofts building at 178 Main Street. That space is currently being fitted out right now. However, I don’t know the planned opening date.”

All three grocery stores do offer specials that can be found on their online website. The ad specials assist low-income families who are trying to buy large quantities of food for an inexpensive price. 

Poughkeepsie resident Guiseppina Sausto tends to go shopping wherever she and her daughter find the best deal. 

“My daughter does most of the shopping,” Sausto said. “We try to eat healthy, but I don’t like to spend much. We mostly go to whatever grocery store offers the best specials.”

The availability of food is not the most critical issue in a food desert, rather it's the ability for people to access fresh and healthy food. Nutritious foods include produce, lean meats, organic, and Non-GMO options. 

The problem is, the price of healthy food costs about $1.50 more per day than unhealthy food. For many families in the city, it is easier to buy less nutritious food in bulk because it’s less expensive. 

The cycle of poverty, health issues, and food insecurity increase when residents are limited to affordable healthy food. The most common effect of eating unhealthy is obesity which can then lead to lifelong health problems. 

Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and cancer, and with those conditions come medical bills. Paying for medical treatment, housing, and clothing doesn’t always allow people to worry about the food they are consuming. 

Spending an extra $1.50 a day could save people money from medical expenses in the future, but without food education, people tend to eat whatever they can afford. 

The city and local organizations are not done fighting the food insecurity in Poughkeepsie and hope to make improvements through multiple projects this year. There is even an organization called Poughkeepsie Plenty, an anti-hunger organization working to eliminate food insecurity in the city. 

The unfortunate food insecurity that some residents face is not going unnoticed. Poughkeepsie Plenty published a food equality newspaper that is available on their website and can give residents more insight into the issues at hand, as well as list the goals and solutions for the future of Poughkeepsie.