Project Summary

The Old Southside Neighborhood has experienced a changing food system, one that was accelerated by the construction of the I-70 interstate that split the neighborhood in two and created a mass exodus of residents who once lived, worked, and shopped in the area. To best understand the changes in the food landscape, students Falen Pope and Laura Dodds created a series of maps highlighting the food system before and after the construction of the highway. In addition, the students met with four individuals with direct knowledge of the food landscape before, after, or currently in the neighborhood and greater Indianapolis area:

• Jed Fuller, Pastor, Impact Old Southside,

• Beverle Miller Kane, Former Resident, Old Southside Neighborhood Association Member, and 2022 Food Champion through The Center for Wellness for Urban Woman,

• Milele Kennedy, Director of City Nutrition and Food Programming, City of Indianapolis,

• Mo Profeta, former Old Southside Resident.

Before I-70, Prior Food Map:

Prior to the construction, the Old Southside was home to twenty-three grocery stores or markets, six meat or poultry houses, three drug or convenience stores, and five other specialty stores such as bakeries etc.. Additionally, residents speak about the abundance of urban agriculture in the neighborhood, “...every person had some kind of garden or a pear tree or peach tree or some kind of fruit,” (Kane, March 30, 2020).

After I-70, Current Food Map:

Today, the Old Southside is home to no grocery stores or markets, one Deli/Bakery, one agency providing consistent food services, and three gas stations. The community, according to the SAVI Community Profile, is considered a food desert (SAVI, 2022). A food desert according to the United States Department of Agriculture definition is “A community in which individuals have low access to fruits and vegetables, and other nutritious foods is commonly understood to be a food desert. Generally, it is understood that a food desert means a community is more than 1 mile in an urban area or more than 10 miles in a rural area from the nearest supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store” (USDA, 2022).

Reflection:

While it was a challenge to locate food-based businesses prior to the construction of the I-70 interstate, interviews with past residents, and prior reports such as “A Tour of the Old Southside Jewish Community: Down Memory Lane” and “The Near-Southside Community: As It Was and As It Is” were able to provide enough detail to understand the food landscape (Einstandig, 2005; Lovenbruck, 1974). The food landscape reflects the overall changes the neighborhood experienced as residents began to move from the area taking with them their businesses as well as their purchasing power. The food landscape today reflects few options for nutrient-dense foods, as well as numerous statistics that reflect poverty in the area, including that 90% of students qualify for free or reduced-cost meals at school (SAVI, April 2022). According to the interview with Ms. Milele Kennedy, today’s food system in Indianapolis is impacted by the sprawling geography of our city, and the “lack of transportation creates a lot of barriers for residents,” (Kennedy, April 2022). Kennedy also speaks of the difficulty of residents to find “culturally relevant, nutritious and affordable” foods in their neighborhood (Kennedy, April 2022). A quick glance at the map illustrates this challenge for those individuals still living in the Old Southside Neighborhood to do just that, especially those who lack reliable transportation. The irony of transportation to food as a significant challenge in a neighborhood split in two by a highway is not lost on this project! Agencies such as Impact Old Southside have entered the equation in an attempt to provide wrap-around services including food to residents. A conversation with Pastor Jed Fuller of Impact Old Southside reflects mixed results of this new and emerging program that comes with a Christian focus on their service to this neighborhood that once was the location of newly immigrated Jewish residents who moved to Indianapolis.