Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March, many aspects of everyday life in Adams County have changed. Businesses have shut down or limited their hours, residents have been instructed to wear face masks and observe social distancing guidelines, and schools have remained closed.
Because of this, the ability to access food can become a problem, especially for those who don’t live within walking distance of any nearby food sources.
“You pretty much need a car,” local resident Nickolina Jacoby said. “We get local meat through a farmer, and we have a garden. We have access to a lot. If I did not have transportation, that would be different.”
While the virus has continued to change everyday life in Adams County, dozens of county nonprofits have stepped in in order to continue providing services to those that need access to food. In order to do so, many of the different local programs have adapted to using a flexible approach in order to help their community.
Ruth’s Harvest Gettysburg, a program organized by area churches and other local groups, provides meals and snacks to children eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch programs. This population makes up around 50% of the Gettysburg Area School District, according to the organization’s official website.
Based in Lincoln Elementary School in Gettysburg, volunteers and other organizers work together to sort food, organize bins, and provide meals and snacks to children in the school district. Before the pandemic started, students were able to receive food due to the program and the “tremendous support” of the community, according to member Jerry Cleaver.
“We’d never had to look at the week and say ‘oh, we’re short of vegetables,’” Cleaver said. “There have been times that just one week’s donations of food has reached 500 pounds.”
Since the pandemic started, Ruth’s Harvest has been organizing lunches and boxes of food to last the month. Families receive items like cereal, large cans of food, snacks, pudding, and a liter of milk, according to Cleaver.
“It’s not often a strict menu like we were running before school closed,” Cleaver said. “But it’s still something, and we’ll do it until school starts again.”
Until some of the local churches reopen, Ruth’s Harvest continues to rely primarily on donations, according to Cleaver. They accept food items that are 16 ounces or less, including cereal, oatmeal, fruit and vegetable cans, beans, spaghetti, granola bars, pretzels, and peanut butter.
The local nonprofit South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) is also adapting in order to continue to provide food for their community through the Gettysburg Food Pantry.
Before the pandemic, receiving food used to be more of a shopping experience, according to Megan Shreve, SCCAP’s Chief Executive Officer.. Since restrictions have been put into place, workers have arranged boxed food with no paper or pen exchange. Families that are provided food through the Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) program can now speak to organizers through telephone rather than face-to-face.
Different groups also work to provide additional food and fulfill specific needs for the pantry. Finding fruit and produce during the summer is made possible through local farmers and the Gleaning Project, a program that uses volunteers to collect food after the harvest and distribute them to the community. Volunteers also distribute food to senior centers and school lunch programs across the county for residents that are unable to easily access food.
“We’ve been getting about 700 boxes a week to distribute to food insecure families,” Shreve said, adding that “we try and get that and make it very accessible.”
The Adams County Farmers Market, a local food source that supports local farmers and makes food accessible to all residents of Adams County, was confronted with new challenges at the onset of the health crisis. For many, shopping was a social experience and a chance to connect with other residents.
“It’s a very tight-knit experience in Gettysburg,” said local florist Rebecca Mayberry. “Going to the market is really just about enjoying that community, specifically through food.”
As an essential business, state guidelines allowed the market to open. In the beginning, shoppers and workers alike were “on edge” and “scared,” according to Reza Djalal, the Market Manager.
“Food retail outlets had to do this weird balancing act, because we not only had to reconfigure operations to be safe, but also had to meet increased food demand,” Djalal said. “We were forced to innovate because of COVID, but having to do it in that way has actually made our market stronger.”
When the market did open, it was met with smaller crowds, filled with mostly local residents, that adhered to the new safety guidelines for shoppers to follow. Opening was an important step, as one of the most important goals for Djalal is to provide food access to as many residents as possible.
“We want to make sure the market is welcome to everyone of all backgrounds,” Djalal said. “We try to make sure it attracts locals, college students, and tourists so they can get a taste of adam’s county agriculture.”
While the changes to the market have been making progress, Djalal hopes the trend can continue and that everyone who needs access to their services can obtain them in an easy and safe way.
“This is such an unprecedented year for everyone,” Djalal said. “My main goal is to match last year’s total sales, and that we can make sure that we don’t have a huge dip despite COVID, that we can make sure our vendors are profitable, and that everyone is safe.”
While many are focused on helping businesses rebuild, Shreve believes that the focus should also be on supporting infrastructures that support lower-wage earners through the current health crisis.
“We often think about helping businesses rebuild, and it will be the same for families,” Shreve said. “I think it’s important for all of us that we are mindful and support infrastructure. We need to work to make sure if you work in Adams County, you can live in Adams County.”
As the local and federal government continue to provide updates on the situation, Cleaver is continuing to focus on providing food for the county’s children as long as needed. He is encouraged by the amount of community support, and would like to see that continue throughout the pandemic.
“The community has been great for us,” Cleaver said. “Some of the same people that might have been receiving some of the same meals for their children give back when their situation changes.”
My name is Katherine, and I am a graduate student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. I graduated from Fordham University at Lincoln Center in 2018 with a degree in history, and I was one of the news editors for the Observer, the college's student-run newspaper. I love to learn about and cover different communities, and I am very excited to be interning for the Gettysburg Connection this summer and getting to know about all the work being done by the residents in the area.