It was an unseasonably warm late October afternoon in the Austin neighborhood of West Side Chicago. A steady stream of school children and their parents stepped into the office of Increase the Harvest at 221 S. Central Ave to pick up their box lunches.
It was the first day of the organization’s after school food distribution program for children. The box lunches are provided through a Chicago Public Schools program. Increase the Harvest volunteers completed a 6 hour training program so it could become a certified vendor.
Yolanda Hoskins and Carolyn Hinkgaines of Increase the Harvest with local students Michelle Young of Increase the Harvest, explained one of the reasons for the food program," Right now we are feeding the children after school box lunches because perhaps a lot of them may not even have enough to eat when they get home.”As a largely African American community, Austin has been hurt by disinvestment as businesses and non-profit organizations have abandoned the community. Helpful government programs have been cut back. Austin was hit hard by the school closings of 2013. There is high unemployment and underemployment. Crime and violence including police brutality are serious problems.
As Increase the Harvest volunteer Zerlina Smith, an Austin resident often says," When I walk out my door, that is not the vision I want to see.”