Food insecurity is a very real problem for millions of adults and children across the United States, and Pottawattamie County is no exception. Nearly 10% of the county’s population struggles with food insecurity, about one-third of which are children under the age of 18.
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “the lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life.”
The Council Bluffs Public Library is hoping to raise awareness of the issue, and what can be done about it, with its One Community Reads program. This year’s theme is “The World is Your Garden,” and features four books, fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and younger children, that illustrate the power in communities coming together in the face of difficulty, as well as event programming for all ages, including author visits, book talks and community projects.
People are also reading…
“This year, our focus on community gardens will highlight how these gardens can build community through people working together and how they help fight food insecurity in our backyard,” Council Bluffs Public Library Director Antonia Krupicka-Smith said. “We selected the challenge of food insecurity based on the information we were hearing in the community from service nonprofits that work to address that challenge. Throughout the pandemic we have heard lots of news stories and seen an increase in demand for food assistance, and we wanted to help by raising awareness and providing education.”
Through that awareness, Krupicka-Smith hopes community members will be inclined to learn more about food insecurity in their area and ways to help address it.
“Once a community member has read the book, maybe they will decide they can plant a garden, or donate to a food bank or learn more about what an agency in town is doing to address food insecurity and how that makes our community stronger,” Krupicka-Smith said. “The One Community Reads program is really about building and strengthening our community to learn more about what we can all do together.”
During One Community Reads, the community is invited to read one (or more) of the four titles and participate in events throughout March and April, including author talks. The four titles are:
“Counting by 7s” by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a New York Times Bestseller written for ages 10 to 12 that focuses on a young girl dealing with grief while discovering that a found family can be just as meaningful and loving as the one that raised you.
“‘Counting by 7s’ is a deeply moving text that very clearly illustrates the impact of community at all ages and the support we all can provide each other,” Krupicka-Smith said. “Adolescence can be a very isolating time and this title highlights that support is all around us and sometimes in places we never imagined.”
Sloan will speak at Kirn and Lewis Central middle schools and she will participate in an author talk at the library at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14.
“The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson is a novel spanning generations that tells the story of a Dakhóta family struggling to preserve their way of life. It weaves together four women’s voices and highlights our relationship to seeds and ancestors.
“‘The Seed Keepers’ is regionally specific and also highlights the importance of native seeds to our region as well as the cultural community around seeds in our history,” Krupicka-Smith said. “With our wonderful resource of a seed library and free seeds that library card members can check out, we hope that community members will feel they, too, can plant gardens and save seeds.”
Wilson will speak at the Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center on Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m.
“Culinary History of Iowa: Sweet Corn, Pork Tenderloins, Maid-Rites & More” by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby is a non-fiction book that looks at the history of Iowa food, including its deep ties to area farms, and shares stories and recipes of some of Iowa’s favorite home-grown foods, like classic Iowa ham balls, Steak de Burgo and homemade cinnamon rolls served with chili.
“Darcy Maulsby’s title is clearly a representation of our region and food, and our partnership with the ISU Extension Office clearly connects with what is mentioned in the book around 4-H clubs and community gardening and preservation,” Krupicka-Smith said.
Maulsby will speak at the Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center on Tuesday, April 25 at 7 p.m.
“Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt” by Kate Messner is a children’s book about the hidden life of the garden throughout the year. Written for ages 4 to 8, this book looks at what happens “up in the garden” — with leaves, stalks and fruit — and the busy world “down in the dirt.”
“‘Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt’ is a wonderfully accessible text for our young readers, and additionally the author has many additional popular texts that will support further reading and early literacy,” Krupicka-Smith said.
Messner will visit Lewis and Clark Elementary, whose students will be joined by elementary students from Crescent and St. Albert, and at an author event at the library at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 27.
“I feel that all of the titles selected this year will help to start the conversations in our community, and community members of all ages have a good selection to read,” Krupicka-Smith said.
One Community Reads kicks off with the library’s third annual Pollinator Palooza event on Saturday, March 4, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be abuzz with family-friendly activities, and local experts will be on hand to answer questions. Guests are encouraged to bring seeds for the Prairie Rose Seed Library swap, and old-timey string band The Flatwater Drifters will perform from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
One Community Reads, sponsored by the Council Bluffs Public Library Foundation, aims to raise awareness of a community or regional challenge through a book selection that supports community discussion, awareness and action.
For more information about the One Community Reading books and community events, visit councilbluffslibrary.org/ocr.
