DEI work in the food industry and community

Food insecurity happens when people’s access to food is limited or uncertain. It can affect people base on several factors, including their neighborhood, race, and employment status. One way to combat food insecurity is for communities to address its underlying causes.

Weaver Street Market DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Manager Allanah Hines said, "In the United States, too often one’s zip code determines life expectancy – affecting health, wealth, and access to essential resources available.

Neighbors are often unaware of the disparities faced by those they pass on their way to work and school each day.”

She added that the company’s Ends statement, which defines Weaver Street Market’s desired impact on the world, creates an obligation to address food insecurity. She said, “Our company Ends statement of creating ‘a vibrant sustainable food marketplace defined by shared economics, shared community, and shared knowledge for owners and potential owners’, elevates [Weaver Street Market’s] mission to eliminate food insecurity in and around our community by challenging our partners to join us."

Businesses that are a partner in Weaver Street’s Game Changers program are 51% or more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color) -owned. Specially designed product tags with a colorful seed burst help shoppers identify and look for products from Game Changer producers.

"The seed for Bright Black was really planted when Dariel and I started dating," said Tiffany. "We started making [hip-hop themed] candles as a couples activity. We both really love hip-hop. It’s this incredibly poetic, lyrical, complex genre that is really unappreciated.”

"Fast-forward to 2019, it’s not just hip-hop that’s misunderstood but Black culture that’s misunderstood," she said. "I thought that using scent to tell some of these stories would be really cool. You have to be fully present to experience scent. I thought it would be a great way to build connections among Black communities and a way to create dialogue that decreased the barrier to entry on these complex, emotionally charged topics."

Weaver Street highlights Game Changers like Bright Black and connects its products to pertinent observances through the year, such as Women’s History Month, Black History Month, and Juneteenth.

"Food sovereignty is the ability for refugees to have culturally significant food," said Transplanting Traditions Executive Director Ree Ree Wei.

According to Wei, produce familiar to immigrants was not easily available before Transplanting Traditions was formed fewer than 20 years ago. “Food pantries had only canned food and vegetables commonly used in the United States rather than what refugees were familiar with,” she said.

"Being able to eat cultural food, it makes you feel like you belong," Wei added. "Your soul is nourished. There’s a story to what you’re eating. It’s a world of belonging, history, and culture."

Farmers connected to Transplanting Traditions not only sell produce to Weaver Street, but also learn from members of the co-op.

"They’ve come and done workshops for us on how we do our packaging and food safety,” said Wei. "They provide market support. They buy produce from us. Last year was the first year our farmers sold to Weaver Street markets."

Weaver Street also uses the Round Up program to support local charities which feed those who are food insecure. In the program, participating customers round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, and proceeds go to selected charities. Maintaining their local focus, chosen charities are always located within the community where the stores are located.

"Initially we focused more on education, but in 2020 when COVID hit, with kids being out of school, they were becoming more food insecure," said Harris.

There are neighborhoods in the Raleigh area referred to as food deserts, which are places that have limited access to affordable, nutritious food. Residents are farther from grocery stores and lack access to fresh, healthy foods. They also tend not to have adequate transportation.

"We purposefully designed the program to address [the fact] that families live in these food deserts and also lack transportation, so we made it into a delivery service," said Harris.

Whether through specific programs, partnerships or charitable giving, Weaver Street Market strives, every single day, to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. And, in doing so, their goal is to lift up their entire community, which starts with ensuring every individual feels safety and security in knowing they have access to the necessities they need to survive.

Hines said, "Our work to address hunger by combating food insecurity is handled through every Weaver Street Market interaction. Our hope is that every purchase from Weaver Street Market uproots the disparities we are aware exist that contribute to food insecurity and a more equitable community is nourished to thrive."