Community in Action
Examples of programs, policies, and tools in action.

Focusing on food equity priorities in Joplin, MO

December 29, 2014
State:
Missouri

Joplin, Missouri is a place of hope. Three years after an EF5 multiple-vortex tornado cut a one mile swath through the city, the area is being reborn through the collaborative efforts of hundreds of organizations and thousands of volunteers who have proven resilient and committed. However, in spite of many outreach efforts, many families in the Joplin area are experiencing food insecurity. In response, 14 organizations representing city government, public health, nonprofits, business, health care, and education, came together in 2014 to form the Joplin Food Access Network (JFAN) to address the issue head on. 

Their first order of business was to complete the first food equity assessment in an area covering three school districts and seven zip codes. The resulting data painted a picture of food availability and pricing, from the perspective of both retailers and consumers. The JFAN group then designed a process for prioritizing the issues, based on guidance provided in the Focus on What’s Important guide in the Roadmaps Action Center and First Things First: Prioritizing Health Problems, a tool in the Action Center (from NACCHO) that describes five prioritization methods. 

Before launching into the prioritization process, they developed a high level guiding question: How can we ensure that all people in our community are healthy? This question provided larger context for the prioritization work. They then created four criteria for considering the issues, reflecting community values, standards and the basic mission of JFAN: 

  • affects the majority of people with food insecurity
  • likely has strong public support
  • likely has strong support with key decision makers
  • economically viable to pursue. 

Next, JFAN leaders convened a meeting to share the food equity assessment data with stakeholders and additional community members. They then led the group through brainstorming, multi-voting, and a final vote  using a prioritization matrix that included the four criteria. The resulting five priority issues will be taken to the larger community via focus groups and interviews for a “reality check” and discussion about what is needed in order to address the gaps.

What was the value of taking the time to think through a prioritization process?  As one community member commented, it “really helped put some flesh on a very daunting task” while another said, “I appreciate that my voice has been valued today.” Given the magnitude and urgency of the task, JFAN members felt the planning time invested was well worth the effort. 

Communities in Action provide examples of strategies or tools in action. Their purpose is to connect like-minded communities in their implementation efforts, giving insight into how others are tackling key challenges and what they've accomplished. 

Date added: December 29, 2014