Looking Back...

So, I am finally sitting down to do this final post.  I have been avoiding this post simply because I do not know the answers. And it seems, that in my life, I have developed the worst possible coping mechanism for that- I simply carry on as if the issue does not exist.
So, a food desert.  I do not even know where to begin.  It is ridiculous. I think I have written that statement too often this week, but I feel that it is the truth.  Why do people have to deal with that?  Shouldn't there be some unwritten rule that says people can have access to healthy food with ease?  No human should have to ride a bus for 3 hours to buy an apple that isn't even as favorable as it should be. However, I don't know how to fix it. I think that many people may realize the issue, but have similar coping mechanisms to me, and will simply avoid that issue because it is messy.  But I am willing to dive in and figure it out.  I really do think that there is a profit to be made, but I also know very little about financial things, so the profit might actually be slim to none.  But what about the general  principal of giving people the things they need even if it isn't to your biggest benefit? I realize that is not high on many CEO's list, but  it should be.  Like I said before, I don't really know how to fix it, as you can clearly tell from my ramblings about being good people, but I am more than willing to learn.  I think that could be the key- make the people making these decisions learn about the issue, experience the issue, and then rethink their ideas.  I would bet that if someone who was clearly against bringing a grocery store to the area was to experience a week of WIC wages and public transpiration, they would at least consider the other side a little more.
The week itself, was not horrible, but something I would never willing do again.  $4.32 can stretch a lot father than you think.  I think that if people receiving WIC or other federal installments were informed on ways to conservatively shop and prepare food healthily, it would be much more manageable, but it is not something readily taught.  The biggest issue I faced was finding food, not affording the food.  Eating healthy is something that everyone wants to be able to do- at the church food pantry, people were asking and thanking us for the extra vegetables.  It is something that they would otherwise not be able to obtain, but something that they want.
I honestly do not know where I am going with any of these ramblings other than what ever we do, it needs to be done as a whole, and that nothing will be noticed if we don't draw attention to it.  ( I realize that I didn't really cover either of those topics in the previous parts, but I had intended to but wasn't quite sure how to tie them in...)
So, to conclude my posts, Thank You, PQC for the opportunity that I had.   Thank you for accepting me, and including me.  I never felt like the outsider that I was, and most importantly, you all taught me very valuable lessons- most of which involving the value of team work and companionship.  If for no other reason, I am glad that I was able to come on this trip so I could meet all of you!  I wish  you all the best moving forward, and if I can ever help in the progression of ending this food desert, please let me know, because I want it to be gone as much as the next person. Bye for now, I am sure we will cross paths sometime soon!
Codie Robinson

Day 5 and Reflections from Home

I just finished eating the most glorious breakfast (2 hours ago when I started this post...sorry, it's pretty long!) now that I am back home with much easier access to food: 3 slices of toast with butter and Vegemite. Yep, I thought I would want something fancy like an eggwhite omelet stuffed with veggies and bacon and garnished with fresh herbs, maybe a muffin on the side. But the reality is, I got home late last night, unpacked, cleaned up and passed out for 9 hours and all I felt like eating was my usual + 1 extra slice. So that left me with a simple breakfast and you know what, it was delicious! 

Periodically throughout the week I felt guilty that I could eat so well and have access to such a variety of options. But the more I think about it, I don't think we should feel guilty about our circumstances (unless of course they are gained through selfish or immoral means). Rather, we should be thankful. That thankfulness should be what drives us to action. The reason I eat so well is due in part to my proximal location near three grocery stores (1 within walking distance if I'm willing to walk down a busy street) and a Walmart. However, another reason is due to my choices. I was raised in a household that prepared meals and taught me how to as well (**disclaimer- I am still NOT as good at this as my mom!). This year I am grateful to live with my grandmother who basically ONLY eats fresh foods. She has taught me how to make a meal from almost nothing. I know and appreciate the value that comes from that. It takes longer, yes. But it's simpler, healthier and overall, much cheaper. I'm down for simple living.

Now what does that have to do with anything? Well, last night Dr. Sorrell the President of PQC took the 14 of us to dinner in Downtown Dallas. It was a quaint hamburger diner and I must say, that food was perfect after this week. My body was sore from farm work and I think that the guacamole cheddar cheeseburger and onion rings lifted my spirits enough so I could make the 3.5 hour drive back :) It was nice to spend our last hour with the folks we grew to understand and love over the last few days. The President facilitated discussion and asked various questions from both the PQC students and the ACU students. One which went unanswered was "so what are we going to do about this?".

There are no easy answers. And from what I heard, no one really offered any suggestions. The root of the food dessert problem is very complex. You can probably see that from my other posts so I won't go into more detail. To lobby for a grocery store wont solve anything. To put up a grocery store doesn't solve anything. To stop a landfill from spreading doesn't solve anything. So what are we to do? I feel rather hopeless but I know that things like this take time...and our *mind clocks* have to remember that. But where do we start? Especially as an ACU student headed back home? What can I do here? What can the PQC students who live right in the midst of the issue do? I will say, I concede. Something must be done. For a working mother to have to take her children (because in these neighborhoods it wouldn't be wise to leave young kids alone) with her to get decent groceries the problem escalates. She has to pay the bus and train fare ($2.50/person), trek them the mile or so to the bus stop, wait for the bus (we waited 20 minutes because we barely missed the last one), find seats on the bus, get to the train station and wait (we waited 10 minutes), take the train, get off and walk (we probably walked across a busy 4-lane street and through several sketchy parking lots) to the grocery store.

 First of all, managing to get 5 college kids safely across some of those streets is questionable haha, yet alone children? This wouldn't be an issue if fathers could watch children...or neighbors...or if this trip only needed to be made once a week. But imagine you get your groceries (my parents and my grandma buy the bulk of groceries after they pay the bills after pay day...so once or twice a month a big purchase is made) every two weeks (most hourly laborers are paid on 2-week rotations). How many bags is that? I'm estimating based on my household growing up, I'd say 10-11 bags. Can you carry that? Will it be light enough to split among young kids? What if a child isn't walking yet? Now maybe you're smart and you have a wagon. What about the kids? The average household in these neighborhoods have 3-5 (and often more) children. Watch them, carry your groceries and get all the way back to your apartment an hour and a half trip away. Should you have a car and are able to afford to drive it, the trip isn't a big deal. My mom carted us kids (4) with her to the grocery store (and taught us that we do not need the candy in the checkout isles). It wasn't ideal and didn't happen too often, but if she needed to she could do that. But the reality is, most rely on public transportation (which is good! We shouldn't think that we need to simply provide single households with cars!!). So what can we do? Are you realizing the complexity of the issue?

 I am throwing the Food Stamps and WIC arguments out of this conversation. Some may argue that that is an issue- but after this week I do not believe it is. That money was sufficient to feed me, and as the number of mouths increased, it actually became MORE sufficient  The issue is awareness and education -- teaching people how to make healthy decisions, that quick fix meals are not the solution and how be good stewards of their finances. Then another issue is the lack of access to food in the neighborhood. The access isn't there though because people don't recognize the need. They continue to make the trip. However, let's look deeper. I may have believed at the beginning of the week that everyone living in the Projects across the street were lazy government free-loaders who don't work. That is an unfair assumption. From observation, many do work but why isn't that enough? Also from observation I can see that the typical household is a single mother or grandmother raising 3-5 kids. Where are the husbands? It has been proven that households with steady marriages have higher financial standards of living. Why is this? Because there are two incomes coming together to feed a household rather than one. If only one person is working, as can rightfully be the case, then the other parent can watch the children without incurring childcare costs. I think the assumption is made (because I have heard it before) that the "rich" don't have to work...but it is misunderstood. My family is far from rich and through conversation with the other ACU students (who I just got to know this week btw) the three of us come from hard working middle class families. Some of our parents went to college and some didn't. Our households may have struggled at times, we have enjoyed a reasonable life. But we each have a set of married parents who both work. When my siblings and I were younger my mom stayed home for a while. I know that many of my peers had similar experiences. Our parents chose not to pay for childcare. A lot of this issue comes down to choices and relationships. 

So again I ask, where do we begin? It would be wrong for the three ACU students to go home and never consider the issue again, completely disregard our experience. God calls us to use our circumstances to help the poor. One of the most consistent references in Scripture is to the poor and marginalized. God cares deeply for them and commands that we are to as well. In fact, there is the story of the rich man in the new testament. He is thrown into hell and the only thing we know about him is that he didn't care for the poor (Luke 16:19-31..I recommend looking it up). Right now I don't have an answer as to what the ACU students can do- BUT I do know that we can be praying for God to be at work and use the PQC students and then if He would desire, to show us something that the ACU students could do. I firmly believe that the change has to come from the people who live there. Outside help will not be received well and could demean the community, making them feel incompetent to solve their own issues. No, these people, even those in the Pink and Greens have value, capabilities and worth. They CAN be the change. But right now they don't realize it. The PQC students can lobby for grocery stores all they want, maybe even get one put in, but in the end it will fail. Not because they did anything wrong but because the community is not aware and does not recognize the need, is not in a place to support it, to see that they could afford it if willing to prepare meals and so forth. SO...what now?

We start with the kids. 

I already mentioned this idea but I strongly believe it is the first step. To attack the root of the problem, choices and relationships we have to begin by investing in the Pink and Green kids. If each PQC (or even half of the student body- so 125 students) student committed to one child for their four years at PQC change could begin. It won't be easy and may not be receptive but what if we created fyers/notes to deliver to the local elementary school where the Pink and Green kids go. On it, it would say something like "looking for an afterschool activity one night a week? Paul Quinn students would like to create a buddy program". We arrange it so that participants take their flyers home and show their parents. Now, realistically, either the kids wont care and not show their parents or they will be excited, show their parents but the parents won't care...and no response will occur. So the next step is to get all the interested PQC students (they MUST be committed at this point) across the street. They begin investing in the lives right here as they walk to the doors of the kid's homes and personally introduce themselves and explain about the note that went home and that they would like to hang out one night a week. Hopefully, even if just to get the PQC students out of their hair, the parents agree. Then we work with the bus system or perhaps a PQC student or two can commit to walking all the participants from their school, on say Thursday afternoon, to the We over Me farm. For just 2-3 hours every Thursday that child has a place to go and one person who will truly be there for them. This one student would commit to the child for the four year course, so long as the child consents to participating that long. The relationship forms. These weekly meetings include games and homework time with help from their "big brother" or "big sister" who cares about them. Then also, it incorporates farm work. TOGETHER, they weed or plant seeds (whatever needs to be done). Then as crops yield they sample different things. My guess is the kids will be hungry, so a carrot serves as a snack. TOGETHER the PQC student and the P&G child learn the benefits of healthy foods and hard work. TOGETHER they learn how to make dishes with this food. The P&G child begins to learn that their bodies need these healthy foods to grow big and strong. When the spring season rolls around the children get to help with the selling of produce (I think I remember the We over Me farm saying they set up a stand). They learn the value of money and that hard work pays off. They engage in sales at a young age. They become excited about the process and begin bugging their parents. Maybe the parents have a few quarters to spare so walks across and purchases a few cucumbers. Dialogue has now begun between child and parent and the door is open now for parent and PQC. Education and awareness is fostered with this new relationship. 

This sounds great and I'm guessing you're probably shaking your head that it's too much and couldn't work. Perhaps. But I really believe it could work and in time  it could impact the community. Once the members realize what they have been missing out on the change will come.

C.S. Lewis said something in his book, The Weight of Glory, that I have always tried to remember. It has been very true for me and I think it applies here. "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and lust and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to keep on making mud-pie in the slums because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a vacation at the beach." 

In my life, I have missed out because I settle. I have settled for mediocre in my academic work, thinking that good enough is okay. I have settled as an athlete back when I used to swim and every set required 100% but I would give 90% because it hurts and sure, qualifying for Speedo Sectionals was a good accomplishment. What would have happened had the 100% been there? Oh, I have settled in relationships, holding out in fear because I think that I could never deserve or be good enough for someone so amazing. We are all guilty of this. But when we see that the world is bigger, it truly becomes even bigger. When I decided that I wanted to go away from home for school--where the price tag is high-- I had to trust that would God allow, He would provide the means to make it happen. It took applying for endless scholarships and working two jobs, but the world has opened up and God has pulled through more than I ever dreamed. I wouldn't have had this opportunity this Spring Break had I not come to ACU. The independence that my parents instilled in me as a young child may be a vice sometimes but I'm thankful for their instruction to think carefully and not fear making choices. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that the opportunity for change is here. It is ready. But it will take time and investment. I don't hold on to doubt that this community can change and no longer be the epitome of poverty and food desserts. 

But action has to start and start small. Let enthusiasm rise and propel the movement forward, enthusiasm from the very people it effects. I'm passionate about this- hence the novel I've just written in this post- but I can't change it. It's gotta start in South Dallas and the PQC students have a good starting place. Thank you for sharing your passion for eradicating the food dessert. I have enjoyed my time here and most of all enjoyed the challenging conversations we had while shoveling mulch and late after supper. Don't give up. I look forward to following this in the years to come.

This not the last day, we are still apart of the experiment.

Technically Friday is the last day of the food desert, but for Paul Quinn College students it's still an actual  harsh reality we face as well as the community. Friday I believe was the best day because we all sat down and had a great discussion over dinner on how food deserts affect people, especially low income families. My main concern is how can we continue to reach the community with this problem because it is imperative that we do. I feel the city would rather build anything else other than a local grocery store that will benefit us all. Doing this experiment has opened my eyes to things that weren't on my mind as much as it should have, how can you live off of $4.32 a day,but I soon found out that there is a strong correlation between the amount of money you have and how healthy you are. The less money you have, the more you buy fast food or unhealthy food that isn't good for your body, but its cheaper. The things we have shown and proven this week are not just theory, however ideas and things that we have proven to be true. To conclude my session I feel you can live off $4.32 a day, but the real question is how long and how healthy will you be?

Day 5

Finally, the last day! What I learned from this experience was that people in this community do not realize that they live in a food desert. That it is normal for them drive ten or more minutes  to a grocery store. I feel that we should educate people on what is happening in our community. I have the upmost respect for those who have to work with just $4.32 a day just to provide for their families. This experience has made me appreciate what I have and realize that I should not take any thing for granted and just be grateful that you are not in that same position.

The end of day 5

Rise and shine 7:00 a.m. as I wake up to get ready for work on the farm ,8:30-10:00 I watered the seeds. Then naya, stephaine, and I went to change to get ready to take a tour to SMU (Southern Methodist University). We caught a ride to the to train and rode it for an hour. Then we took one bus to the campus of SMU. We interviewed three people. We asked them to define what a food desert was and if they could survive off of $4.32 while taking only the bus and train. When they answered yes, I was so puzzled. They didn't understand what a food desert was. We had to explain that. When we toured the campus of SMU, we found so much stuff that was nice. After we arrived back at Paul Quinn, we got ready to have dinner with Prez, which was nice. I was so grateful to take part of this project and this was a great learning experience.

Homeward Bound, Day Five...

So, I write this post as I sit in an empty dorm room, waiting for 5 p.m. to roll around so I can begin my journey home. I am SO ready to see familiar faces and places for a few days!
However, this week has literally been wonderful. I have had my thought provoked and influenced, and learned much more than I had planned to. I am thankful that I was blessed with this opportunity, even though it was lots of work. This week, I learned to stretch a dollar. If you would have told me last week that I would be able to survive "comfortably" on $4.32 a day, I would have laughed you out of the room. There is no way I could have done that if I didn't have to. I guess, the right word is would. I proved that I can, just something that I do not enjoy. I will admit that throughout this journey, never once was I famished or deprived of food, and while not extremely healthy, I also avoided fast food to the best of my ability. It is possible. When you are able to ride a bus. And a train. And still walk a while. And carry all of your food. Alone. In the middle of the day. So, pretty much unless you are doing this as a single adult, at 2 pm, it isn't feasible.  Yet somehow, people still can manage. I give them  my utmost respect for that, it is not easy by any means.
Eyeopening is still the best way I can describe any of this. The scary part about that to me is that I have heavily studied the issues of food deserts, and was still blown away by how it actually is.  To walk a mile ( or 15) in someone else's shoes makes all the difference. The craziest part is- no one knows about it. Some people within the community don't even realize that they live in a food desert.  It makes me wonder how much injustice goes on in the world, without people knowing, because it is what is known. I still wonder why no one will invest their time and money. It could be a prosperous place to put a grocery store. You'd have no competition....
Today, after working on the farm and finishing up all of the shelving for the greenhouse, Vina, Jess, Reese and I went to make some deliveries. They were all located in Uptown or West Village, and all incredibly nice places. We went, and met the people that the food from the Farm is sold too, (even an ACU Alum!) and I was very happy to see everyone very interested in ways that they could come and help out at the farm too. They were all really happy to be getting the produce that was grown locally, and ultimately serves a greater good.
Overall, this has been an incredibly memorable week.  I have met awesome people who do awesome work, and have learned many valuable things.  I know what to stand up for, and more over, how to look for things worth time and money- that is a lesson that I learned shopping for food, but can be applied to SO much more than just that situation! I am incredibly thankful that this is not a permanent lifestyle for me, but it makes me want to work so much harder to bring opportunity to communities who need them.
I am so thankful for this opportunity, for these new friends, and new awareness. I am beyond blessed to be at a university that cares about issues like this, and push us to be the change in the world.
So, thank you (again). Now, I am fixing to be on my way, and I think there is still a follow up post that I am supposed to do, so I will be officially signing off soon. Till Then!

Throughout this experience I feel that I've learned the lack of options this community has to buy organic foods is unacceptable .

The End David Wall

I am sitting here full.  I still have food in my bad.  It was basic carbs and canned vegetables, but I made it.  I really do believe that food stamps are enough. I'm just as full as I was when the money was combined.  I also believe that there needs to be an additional grocery store in South Dallas.  The amount of time spent on the bus to get food is ridiculous.  All I really learned this week was more about what minority means and buses take too long.

It really is different being white in South Dallas.  I'm tired of looks and stares and comments.  I have to say though, for me, its only one week.  For many others it could be their whole life.

Food Desert Day:3 SNG

It was brought to my attention that juvenille delinquent children only eat 19 cents worth of food a day three times a day.Wow! How is that possible?  I thought, "they have to be starving." We are eating off of $4.32 and it isn't enough at all. I believe for juvenilles to eat off of 19 cents a day is demeaning and inhumane. Many of my fellow Quinnites agreed that its not enough for them to eat and I feel juvenilles are punished already enough by being captive, they shouldn't be starved.

Food Desert

Today was a great, we walked to the Dallas landfill which is exactly 1.6 miles from our school (Paul Quinn College) where as the closest grocery store is probably 5 miles away from PQC. My real issue is there isn't any fresh produce close enough, but there is a landfill, which the city wanted to expand, so your telling me that we are not only congesting garbage particles, but fried chicken, hormonal beef, hot cheetoes, and pop, so what do we do? The mission that we are on is very important to confront locals about these problems,which are horrible for sustainable living, it is imperative!!!!! While hunting for my food tonight, some of us went to Subway. We told the employee our mission and where we were from and what college we attended, and the first statement she stated "you all attend Paul Quinn?" precisely as an insult instead of commending us on the dedication and outreach that we are trying to share and improve our local cities and even the world. So in other words, I was infuriated. Other than that the day was swell.

Day 1

My name is Shon Griggs Jr. I attend Paul Quinn College; I'm a second semester sophomore from Atlanta, Ga. For spring break we have essentially been sequestered for an entire week to experience what it is like to reside in a food desert. The irony behind this entire food desert issue is the fact that the college, in which I currently attend, is actually located in a food desert. Hence this is why this experiment is taking place on our campus. My preconceived notion, in relation to the food desert, was that of slight ignorance. Mainly because I neglected to pay attention to the fact that this community does not have immediate access to a grocery store or fresh produce. Moreover, initially I considered a food desert to be a place in which people were literally starving. After researching food deserts, I concluded while people aren't necessarily starving, there are some gross health concerns that accompany food deserts. Normally, I eat what I want, literally. In fact, there are days that I spoil myself and order thin crust pepperoni pizza, with extra cheese and sauce; please don't forget the double breaded spicy barbecue chicken wings on the side, totalling exactly $26.75. Moreover, when I'm not eating Pizza Hut or raiding Wing Stop, I'm usually in the cafeteria here on campus, super excited about fried chicken Wednesdays (which is the best day of the week I must add). All in all, I said all that to say, I love food. As you have probably concluded from the food choices depicted above, I do not cook. Honestly, I hate cooking. If it were up to me, I would be absolutely content with eating fast food everyday. OK, ok not everyday, but most of the time. Surprisingly, despite the absolutely horribly terrific food choices above, I would describe myself as a healthy guy. On a scale of 1-5, I rank in at a firm 4.67, with the potential to increase this number by two tenths of a point if I include arugula and spinach in at least one meal out of the week.( not a factual statement). Our day began at approximately, 10:48am, March 11, 2013. Slightly, 18 mins behind schedule, but hey who's counting. The meeting began with the usual introductions, everything flowed smoothly. President Sorrell began to outline the program, when out of nowhere came this 200mph curve ball thrown by former Atlanta Braves (my home team) baseball player John Smoltz, that came directly at me. The curve ball had the number 4.32 written all over it. Prez explained $4.32 represents the numerical value of federal financial assistance allotted daily to each single family household. Subsequently, Prez noted that we were going to experience the painful hardship people in this community endure daily, trying to survive on a $4.32 lifestyle. Immediately, after my brain processed this detrimental news, it was like a 2 year old child watching their only birthday balloon that was decorated with their favorite cartoon character, fly way to be one with the endless sky. I felt sick. My mouth begin to dry up, sweat matriculated, I felt dizzy ok, technically my body didn't experience these different states, however on a dangerously excessive level, I pondered all these emotions, almost to this brink of exploding. Amazingly, I snapped back to life when I began to remind myself that it was only for a week. The meeting continued, but all I remember is hearing "you will be living off $4.32". Obviously with a weekly net income of $21.60, I'm not going to be this rich guy that has the ability to "ball out" lavishly on gourmet hot wings. Pardon  the sarcasm, but lets be real,  I usually spend more money on one meal than many families weekly  grocery store budget; I'm afraid something terribly is wrong. The initial obstacles we encountered included but are not limited to: clearly outlining our assets, simply having enough money for food, procuring food that suits everyone's life style, and perhaps most important obstacle is access to fresh produce in walking distance. What stood out to me the most during our decision making process better known as preparing a grocery list, was the fact that sacrifices were abundant due to cost. With respect to all that live on $4.32 per week, we ended up with a relatively basic menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Trust me when I say basic, I'm being generous. Lunch was crispy chicken from the corner store. The unfortunate thing about working on a strict budget is the fact that quality is non-existent and quantity is incredibly small. . For instance normally I eat white meat chicken meat,which includes fries and a drink. However for lunch today dark meat was on the menu, and sadly I was not able to include a side! I was severely parched after eating greasy, spicy chicken. I must add the walk back was even more miserable due to the fact that my mouth was dry, cotton mouth was a understatement. We began work around 1:30, the intense labor was not that big of a deal personally given the fact that I'm a "farmer" by occupation, which translates to working hard daily. The addition of the Abilene students made work unbelievably easy, mainly because they are incredibly hard workers as well. During work, we all engaged in utterly intriguing and arguably controversial dialogue to say the least . I strongly feel as though everyone's opinion was well respected; this was completely healthy conversation coupled with a cool learning experience. Dinner was absolutely amazing, the only negative was the fact in relation to dinner was that it was served slightly after 10:00 pm . All in all today was incredibly interesting day and I'm anxiously anticipating what is in store for tomorrow. Buenos Noche, mi amigos!!!

Shon Griggs

Day Three
Hola!  Slept well last night. Although I will admit, I did go to sleep with a slight "tude" because there wasn't enough apple juice to go around, therefore I only received an empty bottle to discard. I was so incredibly thirsty that the nacho chips we ate for dinner last night were extrmemely painful to swallow because my mouth was drier than a desert. Nonetheless, there was something special about today. I  could honestly feel it. Not withstanding, the day began with what seemed like a normal delivery of turnips to Mt. Tabor Baptist Church. Contrary to my beliefs this delivery was anything,but normal. Immediately upon our arrival we were invited inside to participate in a prayer session. This prayer session was particularly moving, given the fact that the room was filled with approximately 100 indiviuals that actually resided in the food dessert. What struck me the most during this experience was the fact that the room was filled with senior citizens. From this perspective I was able to discount the arguments from critics that people that live in food deserts should apply for jobs and work their way out of the "desert". This notion is a nonstarter because these people do not have the physical capabilities to labor. Despite not being able to talk with these people, we were given a lecture by one of the church deacons. I strongly feel that this lecture was a direct message from God for several reasons: for a long time, while I won't necessarily say that I lost faith in the church, from a personal standpoint it seemed as though many churches were becoming more of a business versus being that refuge for communities such as Highland Hills desperately need. During the lecture by the deacon I was overwhelmed with a sigh of relief because Mt. Tabor is not only serving the Highland Hills community on a significantly large scale, they are also educating and empowering people to help them lead sustaianable lives. I vow to be apart of this fight, this is a fight we must all participate in; along with linking up with strong allies like Mt. Tabor, if we truly intend to stomp out food deserts that negatively impact approximately 26 million Americans natonwide.  Work this afternoon was a bit tougher today, not due to the intense labor, but because of the number of mounting excuses from people and lack of commitment. It is perfectly understandable that hard work isn't for everyone, however, effort is what people really appreciate. Dinner was prepared by the students from Abilene Christian University, spear headed by David, and I must admit, I was a bit skeptical at first about consuming the "shepherd's pie", but it was really good. Adios mis amigos, buenos noche!!!!!!

Shon Griggs

 Day Two
Greetings Journal. Bad news. We didn't start today off with our shoes on the correct foot. This proves true because a majority of us were late to work. It is with great sadness that I must admit I was one of those late bloomers. Subsequently, due to our lateness there was a impromptu meeting scheduled with Prez. Initially I thought during this meeting, Prez was going to explain to us that this is all a joke and we all should pack our bags because we are going to California for our break. Unfortunately those thoughts were quickly ushered from my mind once the meeting actually began. The nature of this was meeting was that of reproachment. We returned to work immediately following the meeting with a firm understanding that rules must be strictly abided by.This is perfectly "gravy" with me, I thought. Work this afternoon was absolutely hassle free, mainly due to the large amount of volunteers that came to essentially play in the dirt with us. Shortly after work we had a meeting set up with Ms. Erin. She is incredibly insightful and she brought up some utterly engaging ialogue that absolutely intrigued me. For instance, we discussed some of the road blocks in a food desert. In addition,we also discussed the educational aspect, which is extremely vital in relation to successfully combating a food desert. Lastly,we discussed ways that we can significantly impact food deserts as well. In truth, this meeting completely invigorated and empowered me to take an active lead role in battling food deserts. For example, I have come up with a way people can intertwine people with the education aspect of a food desert. The plan is simple, but I believe we will yield great results. The plan is for Paul Quinn College to team up with local convenient stores such as Mr.C's (located directly adjacent to PQC) and petition him to assign us designated parking spaces, to basically hold public seminars informing people about the various types of veggies, benefits of farming,etc. Most importantly, during this time we would also be able to take advantage of the opportunity to sell produce to the community as well.  I am eagerly anticipating what's in store for tomorrow. Adios!!!!

The Team

This is our crazy crew! (Minus me I'm holding the camera)

Home Stretch

It is the end of day 4 and so much has happened since my last post. Beginning with yesterday morning....

We started the day off with a game that helped us to internaliza the We over Me (We/Me) spirit that is taught and instilled in us at Paul Quinn. We then took a quick trip across the street to Mt. Tabor Baptist Church to donate some turnips to the food pantry. While we were there a number of us were overcome with emotion due to the fact that many of the people there to receive assistance were elderly and disabled. This meant that they had spent most of their lives working and a number of them had bodies that were so broken down that working was no longer an option. So, where does that leave them? Answer- At the food pantry twice a week waiting in line to receive food because their food stamps just weren't enough. We then walked back and had lunch- A ham and cheese sandwich wiith some chips. After lunch I spent the rest of the afternoon laying mulch and recording the group for the short documentary we are going to create about our week. The rest of the night was spent getting to know more about the ACU students and past experience (most of which are similar to our own) and changing the rules of the game. We were now required to truly live off of the $4.32 individually and could no longer pool all of our money together only because that does not happen in most communities. (My only insight to this is that more people in the community should pull all of their money together. It allows for more buying power and more buying power equals more food. T.E.A.M.= Together.Everyone.Accomplishes.More and who doesn't love having enough or more than enough food?)

Moving right along this morning I walked with three other students to get some breakfast (a dozen doughnut holes and a glazed doughnut YUMMY) We then met up with the others to walk to landfill. The point of walking to the landfill was to give the Abilene students an idea of how close the landfill was to the College in comparison to how close the college is to the grocery store. Surprisingly (sarcasm) they realized quickly that it was quicker to walk to the landfill than it was to get to the grocery store to buy food. I'm quite sure if you've read any of the other blogs you've already been informed about the new peacocks on the farm (if not view Jess' blog entry its a pretty interesting story). After receiving our $4.32 the Cody, Jess, David (whom I have a bad habit of calling Kevin), Naya, and I took the bus and train to get our food for the next to days- hats off to the people who do that every day i have much respect for you- this took approximately 2.5 hours for us to get to Fiesta, buy groceries, and get back to Paul Quinn with one bag each. I could only imagine being a parent and having to carry groceries, kids, and take the amount of time to buy groceries for the day/weeek. while at the store I spent $6.60 on 5 oranges, 5 packs of Ramen Noodles, and a pack of white meat chicken nuggets (with rib meat included- whatever that means).

So far I have learned that $4.32 can actually buy you food. It defenitely isn't what you want to eat nor does it provide any nutritional value but it allows you to eat. This week has also strengthened my belief that a grocery store is necessary in this area. It doesn't matter who you are or how much income you are making PEOPLE MUST EAT TO LIVE! Lastly, I learned that education is key! We must begin to educate our society about healthier food choices and how to live well versus learning how to make a dollar stretch. Guess that is it for the night! Peace and Blessings................

Day 4 David Wall

They removed the food that we had attained so far because our experience wasn't realistic enough.  The theory was that others would not pool their resources in order to do better, so we should not be able to either.  I got a sausage kolache for a dollar this morning, which was alright.  I was just glad it was cheap.  We next walked to the landfill, which for me wasn't too big of a deal.  I'd been to them before, and trash has to go somewhere.  I get that they didn't want it expanded, but if a landfill is really that big of a deal you should change the way you deal with trash. What really bothers me about that landfill is all of the water pollution that must come from it.  That landfill is right on the trinity.  Water is precious and is not something that should just have trash mixed in with it.  It's too fragile of an environment to be abusing like that.

Since we had to restart it took until about one just to get the money.  Next we all split up, and we all got food from different places.  Me, Cody, Reese, and Jess all went to the grocery store.  Everyone else went and got food from other places.  I bought five packs of ramen, two cans of green beens, a hamburger from Wendy's, one large can of ranch style beans, one thing a mac and cheese, a can of chicken and rice, and a loaf of bread.  I recognized immediately that almost none of that is good for me.  I would try and eat healthy, but I eat a lot.  I would much rather be full than eat healthier options.  Tonight I ate the ranch style beans, half of the loaf of bread, one thing of ramen, and the chicken and rice.  I am full of food, most of which is probably sodium.  I was not completely wise on how I spent my money either.  I have a little too much on pasta, which could have very easily gone to vegetables, like Jess and Cody did.  But that is the past and I'll have to live with it.  I still have mac and cheese, four things of ramen, and a can of green beans for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, so I will be perfectly fine.  The biggest issue still is that it takes almost three hours to get food.  Contrary to my initial ideas, the food stamp money is plenty to eat.  You just have to be smart with what you buy.  You wont be able to buy organics or t-bone steaks, but I never ate those things growing up, and I had wonderful nutrition.  I'm starting to believe that education is the biggest issue with American poverty.  I'll have to learn much before I can place a dot anywhere, but I am thinking now that is where it will be. 

Day #4-Chill Day

Day 4. I didn't eat breakfast becaus I woke up at 8:30. I was tired to where I couldn't open my eyes. As we walked to the trash dump it was sad. I saw messed up houses,trash everywhere  and dogs. 2 Miles of walking back and forth was a lot on my feet but, it's so close to our food desert area. Looking at those workers work made me upset, I truly understand the reason of us protesting "We are not trash." After that, we were given our money of $4.32 for food and our $2.50 for the bus. I ate crispy crunchy chicken with spinning the amount of $6.02. I used $2.00 Of my bus funds and placed it in the gas tank of one of my Quinnites. I came back to the dorms and got some rest. Ready for the last day of this project.

It is already Day 4?

So, it does not feel like we have been here 4 days at all. Time has flown by, I believe largely in part to the warmth that I was welcomed with. So, to all of the Paul Quinn Friends I now have, THANK YOU! I have had a truly amazing time so far, and am sure that tomorrow will be no different.

To start this post off, I am going to tell you what I have eaten today:

1) A blueberry poptart

2) 6 Chicken nuggets from Wendy's.

3) Macaroni and cheese.

So, while I have not had the most nutritious meals today, I am not hungry, nor was I ever unusually hungry.

We began our day by walking to get breakfast- of the 4 of us, everyone else went and got donuts, and I bought some poptarts from the convenience store. From there, we joined up with the rest of the group, and began walking to the landfill.  It was a pretty good distance away, but still much, much closer than a grocery store. Like, I think that it would have taken us three times as long to get to a grocery store. That is ridiculous.  Reese told us about the proposals that were made to expand the landfill to collect the waste from all of Dallas, no longer just the areas surrounding this landfill.  Paul Quinn had students organize a movement called "We are not Trash" to counter the movements that were occurring- pointing out that they had been asking for a grocery store in that area for so long and they would not do anything, but seemingly jumped right on the landfill enlargement idea. As we walked into the landfill ( we didn't make it too far- we discovered that we needed permission from the head of that area to be able to look around and ask questions) I immediately noticed how far away the trucks seemed to be taking the trash, which made me be able to put into perspective just how large this place was, and they wanted to make it even bigger.  One thing that really surprised me ( and I didn't complain about) was the fact that we could not really smell anything- I was later told that you wouldn't really be able to smell it until they started burning the trash, and that wouldn't happen until late in the night. 

After that, we walked back to the farm, and met the new peacocks on the farm!  It was definitely an experience getting them out, and then watching them both escape the perimeter of the farm (not to worry, they were both safely corralled back in!) and us trying to feed them! 

So, the morning was relatively relaxing, compared to the mornings we have had this week!

Upon leaving the farm, Reese, Naya, Jess, David, and I started our way to Fiesta to buy food for the next two days with our $8.64. We waited 30 minutes for the bus to come, and then once arriving at the train station, had to wait about 20 more minutes for that the leave again. So by the time we actually made it to Fiesta, it had been over an hour.  Once in Fiesta, I actually didn't have as hard of a time deciding what to get as I thought I would. I bought: Bananas, Macaroni and cheese, milk, butter, green beans, and turkey. Now I am not totally sure what I am going to do with that odd assortment, but it will be enough for the next two days!  And, the best part is, all of that only cost me $3.47. So, I had some left over money, and by this point, it was close to 3, and I had still not eaten lunch, and didn't know how long it would take to get back and make food, so we stopped at Wendy's and I got some chicken nuggets, and still have a few dollars to spare!  So, so far, so good in the food front!  

Anyways, today has been a good day.  I got to experience public transportation again, and I actually figured out the buses and trains that I will need to take beginning this summer, so that was super helpful! I am really looking forward to being home, but I am also so ready to see what the last day of this project has in store for all of us!

Day 4

We have just gotten back from our trip to the grocery store. In all, it took 2 1/2 hours. But let me start from the beginning.

After my post this morning ("Day 3-4ish) I joined the team and we walked to the landfill. I was told that we were walking because the PQC students had created a movement not to far ago to prevent the landfill from expanding. Apparently the city of Dallas wanted to consolidate all their landfills and only have one- one in South Dallas, two miles from the school. So we walked. With 14 people the walk took 30-40 minutes. We walked down city streets, in grassy side paths, and along railroad tracks. Definitely an adventure. Felt like runaways for the morning. However, for some reason they really wanted to show us how "bad" the landfill waere I declined and waited at the train tracks. Landfills are landfills. They are all over the country. I took fieldtrips to one near my community in middle school. We have trash, we don't want to keep our trash, so our taxes pay for it to go somewhere. That's where it goes. That was just my thought. However, I can understand why they would be upset over it- why is South Dallas the community to dump it in? That's a degrading decision, but we still don't know all the details. Perhaps it was the most cost efficient location or would provide more jobs for the community? The students thought that the money for landfill development and expansion should be used for a small community grocery store. That would be nice, but who is going to build a grocery store? Whose money is that? That's the job of a personal investor who is willing to take the risk. It is not the responsibility of the city. The students won but they still don't have a grocery store...and the trash is still there. Those are just my thoughts on that. If it would just rain here in Dallas we could do like my family- burn our trash! But life is different everywhere and frankly, as I'm learning as I grow up, life isn't fair.

Then we walked back and were finally on the farm almost two hours later. Lots of walking! But that is how the locals do it so that is how we will do it. I can say that it sure feels good to be able to walk everywhere. Yes, my legs and feet are tired, but I enjoy being outside and getting the exercise. I feel better. BUT I only had a granola bar this morning and was definitely hungry! At the farm we released and attempted to feed the two new peacocks that came today. Their job will be to eat and rid the farm of mice, rats, and snakes. YUM. Both the male and female peacocks got out of the fences so team members had to chase them down and we waited for that whole process to end as well. Finally the change was given out to each of us. Everyone received $8.64 for the rest of the week. We could spend it however we wish but needed to be able to feed ourselves through tomorrow evening. Challenge accepted. People discussed plans to go to the chicken place down the road or take transportation to Subway to get sandwiches that they could preserve for later. David, Codi and I still thought that getting groceries would yield the most bang for our bucks. After we got our $2.50 for bus and train fares, we joined two PQC students and took the bus and train to Fiesta grocery store. The walk to the bus took probably 10 minutes. Then we had to wait for the 1:34 bus (a 20 minute wait). On the bus the three ACU students were the only white people riding. It was pretty fun. I didn't feel intimidated or anything. Just smile and make conversation! We met a lady on her way to another grocery store and chatted some. Then on our way back she was back on the same bus! Tonight she is cooking potatoes, steak and greens at her house tonight...yummm. Anyways, after the bus we arrived at the train station and took the train (which had stopped for another 20 minutes too) to the stop nearest Fiesta. Then we walked down and across a street and some parking lots (a Wendy's...mmm chocolate frosty) until we were finally there!! YAY! I am now a fan of Fiesta! We took our baskets and went for it. There were lots of deals and savings. We got quite lucky. Looking at my receipt I spent $4.45 and bought Ramen and bread (as a kid I LOVED making "ramen sandwiches"...my mother would kill me if she knew I still enjoy those on occasion haha). I also bought beans, yogurt, avocados, and bananas. Fruits and veggies are fairly reasonably priced so that was my initial intention to purchase lots of that- BUT the fact is they are so low calorie I don't think I could get enough to fill me up for the next 36 hours. Anyways, I plan to make avocado toast (thanks to Codi's genius idea) and have it with yogurt for breakfast. Tonight will be Ramen Sandwiches and beans. Tomorrows lunch will be another Ramen Sandwich with yogurt and a banana and then I have some leftover bananas and avocados to snack on as necessary. That went a long way. I still had $4.19 left.


This lucky girl went with the crew to Wendy's. By this time it was almost 3:00 and none of us had eaten. With my change I was able to eat a crispy chicken sandwich and enjoy a chocolate frosty. Still have $2ish left (well I shared some change with David because he spent almost all of his $8 at the store...boys...they sure do need more food than girls). I'm perfectly content. Were this my regular lifestyle several things would be different. I would make the grocery store trip after my pay day and be purchasing grocery supplies for an extended period- which essentially means I would save more in the long run, just replenishing essentials. People around here have lived tough lives in the food dessert- but a lot of that is the result of choices. I can eat this. My mom made "creative" meals from the previous night's leftovers. You learn to eat and be grateful for whatever. As I shopped I noticed plenty of people buying individual ingredients because they would likely be preparing their meals from scratch (so they are in the long run saving lots of money). But more so, I saw people buy chips, prepackaged and pre-prepared foods. These cost more. On the train-ride and bus ride back I saw lots of really fancy cars parked in the driveways and lots of apartment complexes that looked run down. I can't conclude that all people make poor decisions. That wouldn't be right. Living with the PQC students I am aware that that is not the case. But I can't help but wonder why so many people are trying to live outside of their means. If you are dependent on food stamps but drive a high class car and use a cell phone (many with data capabilities)...why are you struggling. You can afford those other amenities. 


I have lots of respect for the parents, especially single moms or grandmothers that have raised children. I am surrounded by wonderful people who have grown up to succeed in school, in their workplaces and are transforming lives around them as a result of dedicated, struggling single parents/grandparents. The woman on the bus who was simple, down to earth and getting groceries to make a homemade meal for her household inspired me. These are the people the remind me that the poor are not all just lazy freeloaders. I still think my thoughts in the above paragraph are valid though. I am grateful for my parents, and for the parents who struggle to get by but still strive to instill strong values in their children. We were discussing at our nightly meeting yesterday that the only way we can change these communities is through education and investment- starting with the children. It is children who grow up to lead and transform their communities. I see this in great detail playing out this week as I examine my upbringing and views and seek to understand other's.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. 

Proverbs 22:6

On our way back we were waiting at the train station and I saw a piece of newspaper rolled up with something inside. One of the group members picked it up and we found four candy bars inside. Needless to say, I have a KitKat in my grocery sack beside me. I feel a little guilty having taken one, we each did. They obviously belonged to someone...but why would they leave it there like that? Hopefully they aren't drugged!


We got back and it sure feels good to be sitting on my bed. I NEED to get working on homework that has been put off all week. If only we were getting course credit or something for this! By this time tomorrow we will be finishing up and then the President is taking us out to eat. Afterwards, the ACU students will drive home. I have enjoyed my time here, especially all the PQC students who so generously provide us with fun conversations. I have definitely learned a lot living in a side of life that I usually only see from the car or read about in the news. Something though that I have thought about is that even though things are hard here and many claim the "system" has failed them...I realize that our choices and our attitudes can really change our perspective. When we continue to dwell on our circumstances, we only engrave that identity in us more. There have been times when I have miserably considered my deafness and let that consume me to where I cannot think of myself apart from that. But when I realize that no, I am a strong, independent girl who can successfully do many different things, my perspective changes. Life is endurable even when I am left out of conversations or whatever the situation might be. The same can go for a minority population. When all I hear is "yeah, we are used to this. We live life the hard way. Y'all have it easy. Nothing will change here"...then that becomes the reality. We can't think that way. Nothing will change that way. Yes, I'm deaf. Yes, I'm white. Yes, you're black. Guess what? Who cares? We are all strong human beings and we can effectively transform our communities and live with joy in doing so. We don't need to cling to all of the labels. I think we do that as a safety net identity catcher. BUT THAT IS NOT WHO WE ARE. We are more than that. We were made for more than that. 

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, either slave nor free, nor is there male or female for all are ONE in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Here is a link to an article I read today and think is worth sharing. http://blog.acton.org/archives/50436-fulfillment-and-flourishing-in-a-world-without-work.html

Relax Kind OF Day(Day 4)

Today has been a good day so far. Woke up this morning thinking we had to go to the farm, but come to find out we did not (Thank God).  I’m happy we did not have to work on the farm today because for the past couple of days my body has been sore. Some others and I walked to get breakfast which was good exercise. Today has really been just a relaxed day.

 We all walked a little over a mile to the McCommas Bluff Landfill which was really a good kind of long walk, but we made it. It’s a shame how actually close the landfill is from Paul Quinn College and within the community where everyone lives. I remember when we had the “WE ARE NOT TRASH” march which played a big role and made an impact on all of us, especially the students at PQC. Any way, as  we were walking to the landfill I walked on the train tracks for my very first time. I saw some very strange things. I saw something that might have been the spine of an animal which was very creepy.

It was very nice to see the peacocks at the farm. The two peacocks are brother and sister. As they got out the cage the brother ran out so quick it kind of scared me lol. The brother peacock wanted to go on an adventure and walk a far distance on the farm. The girl is named Bonnie and the boy is named Capone. I'm just happy that tomorrow is THE LAST DAY!!!! WHOOP WHOOP!!!!! 

Day 3-4ish

Good morning!

Last night the team decided that we should give actually living on on $4.32 a day individually a try. It was met with lots of controversy as many of those participating already live like this. My eyes were opened to their home conditions. Some decided to join this week because had they gone home there would not have been food to eat. From my perspective, I joined to try the otherside. While pooling our money was effective and we are eating well this week, no one is going hungry, I haven't gotten a real taste of food dessert life. I could have eaten like this had I stayed home. So this morning we are getting $8.64 for today and tomorrow. My tummy is already growling some but I look forward to having to utilize public transportation and explore my options around South Dallas. My tentative plan is to find something simple but filling, not relying on any fast food. Hmm...we will see how this goes.

Well I better get my butt out of bed!

Day Three ended with a...

Change of plans. A big one. Like, we are no longer using the food we bought for the next two days, and instead we are going to use our $4.32 a day and use that singly to experience the "struggle" aspect of the food desert- something that we have ended up not really feeling beyond the trip we made to the grocery store.  So, beginning tomorrow, there will be no luxury in our meals, rather stressful planning and calculating to make it through the next two days with enough food. My current ideas for food that I would actually be able to afford: cereal, granola bars, or macaroni and cheese.  Who knows what I might actually end up with!  So, you will have something to look forward to reading about tomorrow!
So, anyways, today.  It was probably the best day that I have had since being here- everyone was in a seemingly good mood and very productive today! I know that this afternoon, work was done. To begin the work on the farm, Jess and I partnered up and helped seed the squash area of the farm! It was a cool experience, aside from the large amounts of dirt now embedded underneath my finger nails....!  From there, I went and joined the group in the greenhouse and helped assemble tables, which was a surprisingly tricky task!  Lots of measurements and alignments that had to be figured out, and then lots annoying metal scraping and drilling sounds! There really should be an easier method to put the tops onto those tables! After the farm, we left and headed back to the dorms, where David, Jess and I began making dinner- Shepherds pie! It was an interesting experience, especially in the moment when Jess and David started heating some parts of the meal in the metal corn cans that we had. It surprisingly worked better than I expected it to, and dinner was done pretty quickly due to the make shift efficiency that was created!
Tonight in our meeting, we really discussed what we were hoping to get out of this experience, and that is what lead to the previously mentioned changes for the next two days. We all admitted that it hadn't been hard, and that honestly, most of us were eating better than we did normally. So, no more luxury. Anyhow, tonight we just hung out and had a good time talking about everything under the sun, and it was a really nice time!  Also, Jess and I discovered that there is construction being done on our bathroom, and there is no longer a ceiling to our shower, so that was an interesting twist in our day! Not to worry though, we did find another shower to use, and it will be just fine!
So, a recap of day three: The struggle has not even begun. Tomorrow, I believe will prove to be the most challenging, especially considering I will NOT know how to get around Dallas. ( I won't be alone though, so it won't actually be too bad!) But, I think tomorrow will be  true test to just how bad a food desert can be, and how much being on government supplied "wages" essentially can hinder your ability to eat what you need to.

Day 3

My morning started out relaxing. I came down for breakfast and walked down to the farm. We didn't start woking right away. We played a game that taught us about working together as a team. After we finished  the game we had someone who volunteer's on the farm come and talk about their organic farm. Once we were done with that we walked across the street to Mt. Tabor Baptist Church to donate turinps greens to the food pantry.

Day 3 (Relax !!)

Well today was the best day ever. The morning shift was very easy,we played a farmers game where you had to collect all the fruits off of a tree before a raven gets to them all. I know the game may sound like it was pointless, but it taught a very big issue that we need to know for today. The game taught us that in order to accomplish our task,we have to work together to get our common goal done. Which is all that we really needed in our project. For the last half of the morning we visited a local church and donated some turnips to their food bank that they have. When we went all I felt was a welcoming vibe. I felt like we were giving back to a community that really needed some fresh veggies and something that could make their lives healthier. Once we were introduced to the crowed of people and were told why they were separated I immediately busted into tears. I felt this wave of emotion come over me, I could not believe how many elderly homeless people there were around this community.

 

Wrapping up our morning around 10 am, we got the rest of the morning off to relax and get some of our journals written and blogging done.The afternoon farm work was fun for me. I watered half of the field which took hours to do. Everyone worked hard today and got alot of work done. Tomorrow will be different the future is never known, and making up for today will never give you a better tomorrow.

 

 

-Shambrika D. Taylor

So far so..........

It is 12:55pm on Wednesday (Day 3) of our Desert Storm Experience and I must say that it has been a trying, exhausting, and sobering 3 days! I spent the first half of day 2 (Tuesday) in the Office of the President, which is where I work. We eat lunch together at 12:30. I didn't show up until well after 1pm and by the time I had walked in everyone was full but no one was in a rush to get back to work on the farm. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on the farm with the rest of the crew which was actually really fun. We had wonderful conversations about our backgrounds, our colleges, politics, and anything else that helped to pass the time and take our minds off of the intensive labor we were subjecting our bodies to. The highlight of working on the farm on Tuesday was the seeding relay race we had (my team won of course :) !)  Dinner last night was AMAZING! We had nachos and refried beans. Not the healthiest option but I must say my tummy was pretty happy afterwards. All in all day two went well but by the time I was finished eating all I could think about was closing my eyes and laying my head on my pillow. I can only imagine being a parent, doing this type of work, then coming home to a house with children and having to cook, clean, and take care of my children before worrying about my self and how tired I am. This is the life that so many around us live. Sure they are receiving assistance but is it truly enough? We were fortunate enough to be able to put our money together, but what about those who don't have $21.60 to combine with others? What do they do........?

Day 2 (The Struggle is Real)

Now when I said day one was hard, it had nothing on day two. We offficially started a work day from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. It was really tough for most of us to get up that morning. Our bodies were sore and tired, allegergies were at an all time high, and everyone was just sick of the farm already.  Due to our tardiness that morning we had to have a meeting with President Sorrell. We all talked about it and his last decision was to take away some of our food for the day. Since we missed some of that morning we missed some of our meal, but it was okay because the rest of the day went pretty smooth. We almost got rid of 2 mulch piles and we completed our assignments for the day.

 

So I guess you could say that we all pulled our act together.Even though we lost one of the PQC students, we gained another ACU student who worked as hard as everyone did that day. For dinner I cooked nachos with refried beans( Ashely helped). Everyone was still worn out, so as soon as we ate we cleaned up and went off to bed.

 

 

 

-Shambrika D. Taylor 

 



Day Three Midday David Wall

Day three, midday.  This morning we started with a team building activity, then we heard a speech from a man that does a garden for a juvenile detention center.  He said the prison only has 19 cents per meal for those kids, growing teenage boys.  That never would have fed me, at any age, especially if I was trying to stay healthy.  After that we went on to donate some turnips to the Baptist church across the street.  As I walked in I saw rows of old tired faces lined up to get food.  And these weren’t middle aged old and tired, they were elderly.  A good fourth were on walkers of some kind.  They were worn down too, from a life of hard work.  I could look almost anyone my age in the eye, and say you need to get a job.  But with these men and women, they’ve already worked.  Their bodies have already been worked.  They are what social security is for, but it’s not enough for them, or else they wouldn’t be lined up waiting for food.  They’ve given what they had, and our system has failed them. 

I have also been thinking a little bit more on what it means to be a minority.  Today while the preacher from the Baptist church was talking to us, he, in passing, mentioned something about me being white.  I had never had this happen before.  Probably no one noticed.  But what it said to me was, “You are different.” It wasn’t too big of a deal, but I already knew that.  I look around and I see that.  It kind of shocked me awake.  But this is really only one week for me.  I don’t want to be the token white guy for the rest of my life. (Not saying I’m treated that way by the group, they’ve been wonderfully inclusive and a true blessing.)  I just want to be.  I don’t want a master status hanging over my head every time I go anywhere.  I couldn’t stand having that everywhere.  When I was on the bus, I was treated different.  Not discriminated against, it was just obvious I was different.  I wasn’t dressed weird or anything, I was wearing what your average day laborer would wear.  It’s becoming more clear to me what ethnicity and being a minority means, and it is definitely not what I thought it was.

Day 3 has been one of the inspiring days out of this week. We played a game that helped us with working together on the we/me farm. Also, as we went to the church to donate, I realized how grateful I was to have a school like Paul Quinn College to help support me unlike low income families who don't have much to eat. I'm motivated to continue to finish off two more days.

Day1 Hardest Day Ever.

Day one was very interesting, i met the students from ACU and they were a great bunch to meet. We all sat down and discussed on how we wanted our project to go and for the most part we all agreed. Our first major task was to go get our lunch for the first time as a group.Something that could be so simple turned into a moment of confusion.We couldn't decide on what kind of chicken we wanted at first then we had to keep in mind that we had a member on our team who doesn't eat meat at all. So we got her some fried okra and we got dark meat chicken.

 

When that was all over we walked back to the farm to start our days work. I did not know that farm work would be so hard to do. It demands alot of your time, energy, and patience. We worked until it was time to go and everyone was worn out. Towards our walk back to the dorms those who were going to go grocery shopping (Naya,Codie,David,& Chanson) left before it got to dark and arrived back to campus about 3 hours later. They were exhausted, with carrying all of our food for the whole week on their backs.

 

 Ashely and Naya cooked dinner everyone ate and surprisingly everyone was full. We also learned that night that David and Chanson were the two who eat the most food. In all, day one was some what easy and then again it had its tough moments.

 

 

 

-Shambrika D. Taylor 

The First Half of Day Three was....

Eye Opening.  That is the best way to describe today.  To begin the morning, we played a game to show the value of team work, and how to get the "ravens" out of the work environment- be aware of how we act, how hard we work, and what we say.  Then, we talked with Mr. Plumber about the farming he does with the local juvenile delinquent center, and how the systems work within that setting. One fact from the things he said stuck out to me- the center is given $0.19 per meal per head.  That is 57 cents for a day. We are complaining about $4.32. Suddenly, the meals we are eating are seeming a lot better. It still isn't easy, but $0.57? I literally do not know how that is possible. Definitely, they go hungry more than they are full.  If you want to think about this logistically- the hungrier you are, the more irritable you are, so there isn't going to be a very "improvement minded" community forming in these locations, which could almost be causing more harm than good.
After we talked about this, we walked to Mount Tabor Church that is near campus to donate 3 bags of turnips that some of us had picked yesterday.  Something that I noticed upon walking through the doors was that the majority of the people in the room waiting for food were elderly or handicapped in some way. I have always had the mentality that the majority of people who rely on food pantries were just using that to tie over what they could buy from their earnings to meet what they actually needed.  But in actuality, it seemed to me that this was the main form of food for most of the people in the room, simply because they could not work. I also noticed that everyone one was very appreciative of turnips- like, that is a food I would never want to eat, much less enjoy receiving.  As we were leaving, people were asking for some because they hadn't gotten any.  People want good, healthy options that are not available to them.  I have always been under the impression that grocery stores do not want to move into lower income areas because they do not believe that they would make profit, or that they would not have demand for anything more than what the corner stores have to offer. That mentality is incorrect- every person, regardless of where they are located, will want to be able to eat produce. And will more than likely purchase it. There has to be a profit to be made, if that is the issue, because people are going to eat. And if you put a store here, it would be shopped at.

Thoughts from Days 2-3ish

It is 11:30 on Wednesday. I have been at Paul Quinn for a day and a half now. After yesterday I didn't have any energy to put up my post so in our lunch break today I'll attempt to collect some thoughts.


This is officially Day 3. I arrived yesterday morning after leaving my house at 5:00AM. We were to begin at 8:30 on the farm. However, only five students were there. When the rest of the group was late we were sent to the President's office for a "meeting". My first experience on campus: disciplinary action. HA! That makes it sound much worse than it was. However, while I was not part of the guilty party, I still walked out of that meeting having been challenged. Excuses were being made as to why we couldn't be on time or withstand an eight hour farm shift. Excuses, excuses. Dr. Sorrell pointed out something that I really needed to be reminded of. He said that there are people all around us who work hours and hours with no breaks so they can feed their families and keep shelter over their heads. I am reminded of my mom, an amazingly hard worker who works from the wee hours of 4:30AM to after 6:00PM to keep her small business running.  Why should we have any right to complain if we chose to stay up late the night before and from the beginning knew what we were committing to with this Alternative Spring Break. Our choices are reflective of our character. And the character that we put into practice today is forming the person we will be in the future. 

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much."

Luke 16:10

Dr. Sorrell challenged us to consider who we are and what kind of examples we are setting for this community but also for ourselves. We were sent back to the farm and put to work. We mulched over two "downs" of the football field (which took hours), seeded, watered and put down gravel in the greenhouse. Some worked with the chickens, others washed the turnips. It was a full day. The three of us ACU students (there are 14 of us total)...the white folks around here...have the sunburns to prove it. GO FARMER TANS! However, sunburns bring me to another point.

While we were working in a mulch pile and shoveling it into wheelbarrows, conversation naturally started. I have felt very welcomed and accepted by the Paul Quinn students and I'd like to think they enjoy us as well :) I don't feel awkward or out of place as a white girl. This experience has been a great one for learning about our differences but also realizing our similarities. Sometimes I feel like we make the chasms between our races and ethnicities greater than they really are. We are all human. I'm pretty naive having grown up in a predominantly Swiss-German area. So I flat out asked what I wanted to know, "do y'all sunburn too"? The responses that followed were quite hilarious as some claimed that they don't because they have so much extra melatonin being black and all. Others said that they do, and some claimed they peel. This is a great environment for conversation. Differences exist in our world- there will always be the financial disparities, differences in race, gender, ethnicity, disability and so forth. To remove those is to remove the diversity that God has put in our world. We shouldn't seek to isolate and elevate someone just because they are white or even because they are black. We are HUMAN and should simply seek to understand and serve one another.

Regarding food deserts there is plenty to say. This community in South Dallas is indeed without access to food other than convenience stores which have glass (bulletproof?) between the customers and the cashier. I don't think I've even seen a fast food place. The team that got groceries for the week on Monday had to take a bus and train- a 40 minute trip each way to get groceries. That was pretty surprising. There are churches that collect and distribute food to members of the community. I am growing to appreciate this more and more after our trip to Mt. Tabor Baptist Church this morning. The government should not be the primary source for meeting people's needs. Don't take my words as harsh. I am ALL for helping and serving others but that responsibility lies within us personally. It is wonderful to see Churches and individuals rise up to serve so many people. At this level, individuals can best serve one another because it becomes more personal. Government intervention can help some, but their efforts only attack the symptoms and fail to address the problem. Through individual efforts, the efforts of the local congregations and then the farm at Paul Quinn, REAL people are providing REAL solutions through education and love. This can only happen on this level. Part of the reason this farm was started was to provide fresh produce for the community. Everything is grown organically and by students, staff, and volunteers like us. During the harvest times it is collected and shared. After noticing how there literally is no where to purchase fresh produce in this area, this is a definite need. The Farm also seeks to educate those who eat their products of how it is grown, how to grow it themselves, and then they also get them physically involved in the growing process. It's pretty incredible. 

If we could plant fields like this around the country and get neighborhoods working together, it would be neat to see the results. 

Yes, my feet hurt. There are muscles in my back that are sore that I didn't know existed. However, to be able to go to bed last night knowing I worked for my $4.32 for the day felt pretty amazing. There is just something about earning your days work that is fulfilling. I would love to share that with more neighborhoods.

Our daily meals have been pretty fulfilling. I'm thankful to my parents who taught me how to stretch a dollar and the importance of that both in times of plenty and times of penny crunching. My mom took care to prepare actual meals for my family. Groceries were bought with a week or two of meal ideas in mind. That make the overall purchase much less expensive than eating out, or shopping with specific meals in mind. Reusing foods in different ways seems like it can get boring- but it just takes a little creativity. Our group chose on Monday to pool our money together and buy the groceries at once (except we need more bread now haha) so we in turn ended up with more food per person than if we had individually tried to buy groceries for ourselves with our weekly allotment that would be around $21. Last night we prepared beans and cheese to put on top of chips- AKA nachos. Any of the produce ready on the farm is "fair game" for our use and does not come out of our $4.32. With a little creativity a few of use chopped turnips, sliced up some garlic and onion, added salt, pepper, olive oil, and the juice from the can of beans. That was all poured onto a piece of tin foil and wrapped into a ball. It baked/cooked in the oven for almost three hours and from what I hear, may have been pretty tasty- a cross between potatoes and squash. 

A little bit goes a long way.

Okay, I'm hungry and I am sure you don't want to read anymore by now. Have a great day!

Day 2

Now I see that living off of federal supported money is not an easy task. It is very frustrating , because everyone does not have the same likes and dislikes. For example, I do not eat spicy food, but I had to deal with that issue because majority vote was that they prefer spicy food choices. I am a little aggravated, and annoyed. I'm ready to go to bed and get some rest. I stayed up late, and that was a bad decision on me. Can not wait until this is over so I can eat what I want, but to be honest this project helps me realize how much extra money I spend. now I know that I can be full on a orange and a cup of cereal. I'm loving the excitement from, David, Cody, and Jess. Lets get ready for day 3

Day 1

I came into this project excited, and keeping in mind that emotions will be flaring. I met the students from Abilene Christian University for the second time today, and just could not wait until thr project began. I also understand that everyone is not fit to live off of $4.32 cents a day. To top it off we have to go to the farm and work for 4 hours. Energetic, until I began work, then I was exhausted. This is all for the learning experience and hope to learn more.

Desert Storm by Stephanie Glenn:Day 3

Day 3 of the Desert Storm project has impacted my life today for the greater good. The "We Over Me  Farm" donated turnips to a local food bank in a church "Mount Taber",the amount of people who were in need of the food in the community is outstanding, most of the people today were elderly. Most people feel the need to ridicule people who may need assistance from the government and many of the people who are in need of welfare are people of great age. Today most of the people at the food bank were up in age and could barely walk, thus being said the elderly and less fournate need more people like the Quinnite Nation to help build stores,which produce fresh vegetables and fresh fruit or produce without pesticides. I believe this will only make our local communities thrive,given the proper nutrition.

Day 2 David Wall

Day 2 I am much more tired today than I was yesterday.  Eight hours puts on a lot more stress than four, even without the grocery store. My stomach is full of cheap carbs that fill me up, but I know that they’re not healthy.  I feel like they’re just dragging me down more than anything.  The vegetables we are getting really aren’t enough, but that’s what we have. It’s really hard to deal with that along with an eight hour work day.  I’m used to a lot of complex carbs and this just isn’t doing it for me.  It’s making even doing this blog post hard.  I stare into space too much because I’m so tired. This blog post probably won’t be my best since it’s so late and I’m so tired.  It speaks to what it would be like to try to go to school when you had a job like that.  Like I said, I’m tired.  I can’t really type more.  Time to go to bed.