According to the USDA, more than 22 million Americans live in low-income areas more than a mile away from a supermarket, leading to food insecurity. In many cases, the only food available is fast food or corner stores where typically only ‘junk’ foods are available, and fresh food is priced very high. This is particularly pervasive in large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, where predominantly Black and brown communities are left without supermarkets. These food deserts are a form of environmental racism, forcing predominantly POC communities into consuming fast or unhealthy foods, leading to health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. To access fresh foods, people must travel farther, requiring time many people don’t have or pay high prices in neighborhood stores. 

You can help combat food insecurity, by emailing a metropolitan mayor and demanding they take action to combat food deserts. 

Find your mayor’s email address here. You can email a local mayor, or one from cities such as: Chicago, New York, Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, or Los Angeles, where Food Deserts are particularly pervasive. 

Be sure to Rev this post after your call and encourage others to do the same.

Feel free to use the sample email template below: 

To: Your mayor / another one of your choosing

Subject: Address Food Deserts and Food Insecurity!

Body: Hello, My name is [your name], and I am very concerned about food insecurity in [insert city]. Food insecurity disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities and low-income areas. This issue must be addressed, and I urge you to expand fresh food programs and support the development of affordable supermarkets in communities where supermarkets are sparse. Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you.

Best, 

[your name]