Macon Food Story: What does our food say about our lives?

To understand food insecurity, it’s important to define who lives in poverty.

The poverty thresholds are updated each year by the Census Bureau and adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index.

• The consumer price index, or CPI, is a measure of the average change over time if the prices paid by urban consumers for a basket of goods as service (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

The official poverty definition uses income before taxes and does not include capital gains or non-cash benefits.

• A capital gain is when you sell something for more than you spent to get it (TurboTax)

Basically, for one person, if you make less than $12,600 before taxes… you live in poverty.

$4,180 is added for each additional person in your household.

So, for a family of four, if your annual income before taxes is less than $24,600, you live in poverty.

It’s a statistical national average and it’s used to determine if an individual or family qualifies for certain federal programs like Section 8 housing vouchers, Medicaid and food stamps.

For nearly 25 percent of Central Georgia’s population, finding enough food is a challenge.

That’s why food banks – like the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank in east Macon – step in to fill the gaps.

They serve 24 counties from Jasper to Telfair through the support of over 190 partner agencies, or food pantries.

Middle Georgia Food Bank: Poverty in Middle Georgia by 13WMAZ on Scribd

“Food insecure means you don’t always know where your next meal will come from,” said director of development, Lisa Franklin.

At the food bank, they pack boxes for the Central Georgia families in need.

The need in Central Georgia is great because poverty levels and food insecurity numbers are well over the state and national average.

You might be wondering; how does food get to the food bank in the first place?

"We purchase food [and] we also have retail donors that we pick up from five days a week. Then we also have food distributors that donate food to us," said Franklin. "We really want to be known as and operate as a distribution hub."

Franklin estimates it requires 2.5 full warehouses a day to meet the needs of the people they serve in 24 counties.

Snapshot of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank programs by 13WMAZ on Scribd

"Those hungry and food insecure neighbors look just like you and I. They look like the people that your children go to school with. They look like the people sitting next you on the pew at church," said Franklin.

To donate money, time, or food, just click the corresponding word you're interested in.

Included under the food bank’s umbrella are dozens of local churches that serve as avenues to get food donations to the people who need it.

Dozens of local churches serve as avenues for the Middle Georgia Food Bank to get food donations to people who need it.

The food pantry opens at Trinity United Methodist Church in Warner Robins every Wednesday to the nearly 70 people who come each week.

Food Director Rachel Blanchett offers comfort along with the food.

In the food pantry, pre-packed bags of groceries are lined up.

"Protein...fruit, we try and hit all of the food groups," Blanchett said.

Buggies are lined up too, which gives pantry visitors a chance to "shop."

With a limit on the specialty items, shoppers choose carefully during their visits.

One client, Gene, says the folks at the food pantry are nice and treat everyone equally.

"My son's got a birthday coming up next week and they gave us a cake," he said. "If it wasn't for this place here my family would go hungry."

Pantry visitors have to share some information with the church to use the service.

They need ID and social security numbers for themselves and everyone in their household.

They also need proof of residence as The United States Department of Agriculture requires food banks to serve only people who live in that county.

Barry uses the pantry and he says he barely has enough income to live on.

"My social security that I've been putting into since I was 10, I can barely live on," he said. "I've got $938 a month after they take out for my insurance."

"Someone losing a job, or sickness and just trying to get by -- we hear a lot of that," Blanchett said.

Being hungry and needing help can happen to anyone.

"I think each one of us are either one mistake or one mistake or one catastrophe or one bad decision away from you know, needing help," Blanchett said.

In addition to the weekly food pantry, Trinity also hosts a supper on Thursday evenings that is open to everyone -- with no registration needed.

Trinity United Methodist Church is located at 129 S. Houston Road in Warner Robins.

13WMAZ first met Tonya Wright at Trinity United Methodist Church food pantry. She has a lot on her plate.

"I've had four strokes last year; I'm not 50 yet," she said. "None of the women in my family have lived past 57. We have something hereditary that runs in my family called Leigh's disease."

Leigh's syndrome is a severe neurological disorder where patients lose their physical and mental abilities. Most people affected by the disorder die young.

Tonya's son Aubrey also has Leigh's syndrome and is completely dependent on her.

"They told me he wouldn't live to be five," she said. "He just turned 27."

The two have seen worse times. Tonya says she was homeless a year ago.

"I don't want anyone to be homeless or hungry; I've been both," she said.

We asked Tonya about her prospects of getting a job.

"It is really hard to find one these days, and usually it doesn't pay enough to make ends meet," she explained about her job search. "I mean I get disability, and so does my son."

This has not always been Tonya's situation.

"I worked two jobs all my life and I did okay for myself," she said. "I didn't rely on anybody else."

Food is a common denominator for people in any situation.

We all have our recipes, our special ways to make things taste good, and even though this food comes from a food pantry, Tonya is no different.

"I make a homemade chocolate cake with those thin layers with a homemade granular fudge icing on it," she said about some of the items she picked up from the food pantry. "My oven doesn't work, but my toaster oven does and it takes a long time to bake one of those cakes in a toaster oven."

Tonya is a fighter battling a disease that could have taken her life years ago, so she doesn't let pride prevent her from asking for help.

"It doesn't bother me. I couldn't care less what anybody thought; that's what they're there... to help people like me. I think it's a blessing from God they brighten my days if I'm on a low day," she said.

Nobody likes to be hungry, but Tonya finds a way to be grateful.

"There's always someone worse off; that's what you have to remember. It's something you never get used to. It may not be the way you were raised but you make the best of what you have and thank God for it."

Fortunately, there are people all across the region battling food insecurity to help people like Tonya.

This story has been contributed by Matthew Causey and Sophie Peel with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Back in Macon at the Mulberry United Methodist Church, volunteers at one of the church's ministries serve a hot lunch to about 300 people every day during the work week.

Some of the food on the plates they serve comes from a garden around the block from the church.

“There’s always something to do. Every time I leave, I think we’ve got so much accomplished, but [then] I think we have so much to do,” said volunteer Jane Moore.

Moore moved to Macon several years ago to be closer to family and it was then that she joined the church.

One day, she decided to join the Mulberry Community Garden.

"I asked one day, 'Where the garden is that everybody talks about?' and she [Carolyn Barber] said ‘We’ll be working tomorrow. You should come,’ and so I came and I never left. It's really a fun thing to do," said Jane Moore.

Carolyn Barber got involved with the garden a short time after it opened in 2011.

“I got involved about two or three years after it started. A friend of mine was working and we were talking. I like to play in the dirt and dig and she asked me, ‘Why don’t you come down to the garden,’” recalled Barber.

RELATED: Mulberry Street UMC turns vacant lot into field of dreams

“The garden has had a lot of caretakers and it's kind of a revolving thing. It's been here for eight years and right now Carolyn and I are the two who are kind of overseeing all the volunteers and keeping a count of what we're growing and making sure it's getting to the right places,” said Moore.

Walking through the garden, you can see the wide variety of produce that volunteers are working on growing.

"We grow most anything we think our clients at the Outreach Pantry would like to have. We have an apple tree, a pear tree...we grow beans and peas, squash, cucumbers, and strawberries and blackberries. And okra, a lot of okra," said Barber.

The duties among volunteers in the garden are divided out section by section.

"We always check our area. We’ve kind of divided up the garden row by row, so you can look to see if everything is growing nicely and if it needs to be weeded or watered. It really depends on the season," said Moore. "One of the neat things about this garden is that a lot of people have contributed to it. We’re always glad to get extra help. A couple of Boy Scouts from our church -- to get their Eagle Scout award -- did a project. One of them built our shed and people have donated through the years.”

If you’re interested in volunteering at the garden, you can call the church office at 478-745-8601.

The complete story from GPB Macon is below:

This story has been contributed by Samantha Max, a Report for America corps member who is reporting for The Telegraph with support from the News/CoLab at Arizona State University

When those who need help aren't able to get it themselves, it comes to them courtesy of Meals on Wheels.

Volunteers with Meals on Wheels visit Sherry Hatcher's east Macon apartment five days a week.

Hatcher is just one of 1,200 homebound people in four counties who receive a home-delivered lunch each week.

Health problems cause her a lot of pain, especially if she's trying to prepare her own meals.

Meals on Wheels Director Tanya Graham-Simms says they consider age, health and income in deciding who qualifies for the meals.

With more than 300 people on the waitlist, Hatcher says being able to receive meals means a lot to her.

"You can't really look at me and tell that I need anything, but that doesn't mean that I don't," said Hatcher. "The program is a blessing."

According to Feeding America, an average of 1 in every 8 seniors in the counties served by the program lives with food insecurity.

To see Samantha Max's full story on food insecurity and Meals on Wheels, click here.

This story has been contributed by Georgia Public Broadcasting reporter Grant Blankenship.

In certain areas, people have a harder time getting healthy, nutritious food.

Usually found in impoverished communities, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says a food desert is an area without access to fresh fruit, vegetables and other whole foods.

This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers markets and healthy food providers.

USDA maps show many parts of Central Georgia as food deserts.

One of them is located in Roberta. When the only grocery store closed, people in Crawford County lost their one dependable source for fresh food.

Farmers from around the county stepped in to pick up the slack.

Donald Holder of Cross Cut Farms says he started farming when he was just 10 years old.

"I've been farming all my life part-time at least and run heavy equipment and that's about it as far as work," he explained.

Margaret Holder says she's been farming since she met Donald.

"I work for a CPA firm for my regular job," she said. "Altogether, with all the vegetables it's between five and six acres. Tomatoes, okra, peas and well we had squash, but they're gone now - fixin' to plant some more squash."

The Holders say when Piggly Wiggly was still around in their area, they sold directly to the store.

To see Grant Blankenship's full story on food deserts and health, click here.

This story has been contributed by 13WMAZ reporter Zach Merchant.

For people who experience food insecurity, there are health problems, but problems also exist for those who don't experience food insecurity.

Food is all around us, and here in Central Georgia that can mean a lot of unhealthy options.

Healthcare professionals say they're seeing those diet choices turn into a major diabetes problem.

It's a diagnosis that William Irby says took him by surprise.

"Like a ton of bricks, it was almost scary, you know," he said about his reaction.

Irby is not alone. The American Diabetes says more than one million Georgians have diabetes and more than two and a half million are pre-diabetic.

Combined, that's more than half the state's adult population.

The chief of cardiovascular thoracic surgery at Coliseum Hospital, Dr. Norman Hetzler, says if left unchecked, diabetes can lead to serious cardiac problems.

"Typically what happens is you get stuttering heart attacks, you start to go into heart failure and heart failure, you feel like you're drowning all the time," Hetzler said.

If this is sounding like a pretty bleak picture, Coliseum diabetes educator Carole Radney says with a focused approach, it doesn't have to be.

"There is hope that they can you know pretty much just watch those portions and make better choices and understand food better, and then it's 'hey, this isn't that bad,'" Radney explained.

Now, 10 years into his life as a diagnosed diabetic, Irby says that's a message he's trying to live by.

He stays away from most carbs, tries to keep his portion sizes small and has replaced French fries with some leafier fare.

The father of two proves a bad diagnosis doesn't have to mean a bad outcome.

This story has been contributed by Wayne Crenshaw and Samantha Max, a Report for America corps member who is reporting for The Telegraph with support from the News/CoLab at Arizona State University

In Peach County, fresh fruits – especially peaches – are easy to access, but to bring them to your table, the industry depends on migrant workers.

A government program called H-2A brings workers from other countries here for seasonal work.

Dickey Farms is one the places in Central Georgia that relies on that labor.

“There is just not enough part-time seasonal labor to harvest the crops here,” said Robert Dickey. “Many of our returning workers year after year are family. Many of them are related.”

One of the workers told Samantha Max that he shares a living space with his nephews.

He’s been coming to Georgia from his home country of Mexico for the last seven years.

He says the work is very hard, but it’s better than living in poverty and that he earns more when he comes to America.

“If something were to happen; if the border was closed, if the program was halted in some way, I’d lose everything I own,” said Dickey. “With not being able to harvest the peaches, I don’t know what we’d do.”

To see their full story on migrant workers in Central Georgia, click here.

This story has been contributed by 13WMAZ anchor/reporter Suzanne Lawler

Switching over to the meat industry in Central Georgia, farmers have to get their animals processed or slaughtered in order to sell it to consumers.

It's about to get a lot easier for farmers and 13WMAZ's Suzanne Lawler has what that means for you.

"At my first farmer's market, I sold six pounds of ground beef for $36 and I thought, 'This will be fun. This will be some beer drinking money,'" recalled Joseph Egloff.

Egloff miscalculated his success.

The Rocking Ranch supplies meat to five Central Georgia restaurants and you can frequently find them at local farmer's markets.

To get there, it starts on a plot of land in Monroe County.

"I'm more of a grass farmer than a cattle rancher. You take care of the grass, the grass takes care of the cows, and the cows take care of you," he said.

He checks his cattle every day. The heifers produce the cows that eventually go to processing.

The processing will happen just up the hill now instead of somewhere down I-75.

"We're standing at the site where the processing plant will be built. It will have the capacity to run about 30 head a week," he said.

It's a big deal because Central Georgia doesn't have a processor like the one the plant will have within a 100-mile radius, which means farmers have to travel every time they want to generate sausage, ground beef, or steaks.

"Last year, I spent $95,000 at the processor in Tifton," said Egloff.

State Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black says the state of Georgia simply doesn't have enough processing plants.

"There is a huge need for more processing facilities to do custom work and have it inspected. People want to know where their food comes from," said Egloff.

The production will include sheep, lamb and hogs.

Tammy Albert owns Jail Creek Farms and says she's excited.

"It would save us a lot of money because you look at fuel costs involved. You're hauling livestock several hours away and back, and then you have to go back several weeks later to pick up the meat and those costs can get pretty hefty," she said.

"I'm excited in many ways because this was a long time coming," said Egloff.

Those are big plans that morphed from beer money to something that can continue to support a booming business in the region.

Egloff says they are animal welfare approved, which means they will slaughter the animals humanely.

They will also qualify as an organic processing facility because they won't use bleach, but other approved cleaning materials instead.

This story is in collaboration with GPB Macon.

Across the South, 'meat and three' restaurants have been bringing people together for decades. GPB Macon and 13WMAZ spoke with a few of our local 'meat and threes' to hear how they do just that.

H&H Soul Food

Located on Forsyth Street, H&H has been open since 1959. With recipes from Mama Inez Hill and Mama Louise Hudson, they served musicians like the Allman Brothers. Manager Mark Maning says their most popular dishes are the fried chicken, meatloaf, and squash casserole.

Bear's Den

Bear's Den has been in the Macon community for 30 years. Owner Kristi Lyles says they have "the best staff serving the best food to the best customers." Many recipes like their pineapple casserole and squash casserole have been passed down from her mother and close family members.

S&S

The first S&S opened in Columbus in 1936. Since then, they've expanded to seven locations across the southeast. The restaurant has stayed in the family for four generations. They serve around 115 items at each location, including the one on Bloomfield Road and Riverside Drive.

MeMaw's at LG's

MeMaw's is located on Mumford Road in Macon. They pride themselves on making southern comfort food, using recipes handed down by the late 'Me Maw.' Some signature dishes include fried chicken, pork chops and chitlins.

Grow

Located on Riverside Drive, Grow is not your conventional 'meat and three.' They buy their ingredients from about 20 local farms and specialize in fresh vegetables.

Cox Cafe

Owner David Cox says their food is like how your grandmother or your mother cooked it when you were growing up, and he learned from his mother. They serve up macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and other foods at their location on Lower Poplar Street.

Families pass down recipes from generation to generation.

During CampCCJ at Mercer’s Center for Collaborative Journalism, high school students collected interviews with Maconites on their favorite family recipes for the Macon Food Story project.

They shared the history and inspiration behind their dishes.

William Ayears – Frito chili pack

One of Ayears’ favorite childhood dishes is the Frito chili pack.

When he was in elementary school in Texas, his mother showed him how to make them and he shared the knowledge with his brother, Rodney.

As latch-key kids, it was a go-to snack for them that was both easy to make and easy to clean up while tiding them over until dinner.

Those the recipe has changed a bit, Ayears still uses the same basic ingredients his mother used.

Abby Dowling -- Peanut butter cookies

Dowling is a history professor at Mercer who was finally able to enjoy her family’s peanut cookie recipe after she outgrew her peanut allergy.

Baking was a way for her family to stay close, but she was never able to indulge in the cookies, or anything made with peanuts.

She searched for the recipe and now wants her infant daughter to experience the recipe and grow up with it committed to memory.

Zetta Nganga -- Jambalaya

Nganga left Louisiana in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, and although she calls Macon home, she keeps her cultural ties to her previous home alive by cooking jambalaya.

She is of Creole descent and learned a lot about the culture through music and food, like gumbo and red beans.

She likes to invite people into her life experiences and culture by giving them a taste of what South Louisiana has to offer.

Mindy Hart -- Hummingbird cake

Sugar was scarce during the Great Depression, but that didn’t stop Hart’s great-grandmother from making her favorite hummingbird cake.

Instead, she improvised with moonshine, which is a good sweetener substitute since it contains a high sugar content.

The cake takes two days to create and can be easily affected by humid weather conditions, so the cake is best in the winter.

It’s her favorite recipe because of how long its passed down through her family.

To see more stories and recipes compiled from CampCCJ, click here.