The Alabama Coalition Against Hunger (ACAH) is a component of the Alabama Council on Human Relations. Its mission is to end hunger by working to provide all Alabama residents, as a matter of right, guaranteed access to nutritious foods sufficient to promote health and general well-being. Currently the focus of ACHR is community gardens.
Community Gardening
ACAH collaborates with other state and national groups to encourage community gardens. Community gardens address issues related to hunger and identify sustainable solutions and self-sufficiency.
These gardens in the Lee and Russell areas is the primary focus of the ACAH. Community gardens ACAH is working with in Lee/Russell include a garden at the Frankie B. King Center in Auburn and one at the Marion Wright Edelman Center in Hurtsboro, Alabama.
Children from the ACHR-CDP help to prepare, plant, and harvest these gardens. In addition to learning something about where food comes from and how to grow it, the children learn about nutrition and the importance of eating vegetables. Of course eating vegetables is always more interesting to children if they helped grow it. The food grown in the gardens either is used as part of nutrition projects in the centers or is given to members of the community.
We are always looking for individuals or groups to volunteer in any garden activities!
History of ACAH
Since its inception in 1976, ACAH has worked to expand the availability of federal nutrition programs and provide community education and advocacy for residents with low incomes.
It was instrumental in expanding participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)–formerly Food Stamps–and School Breakfast programs in Alabama and in expanding WIC to all 67 counties in Alabama. It has directed statewide education/information campaigns on a variety of nutrition-related issues through a variety of grants.
ACAH serves as a hunger/nutrition information clearinghouse. This is an ongoing effort to provide information to families living with low-income.
Even well-known programs such as Medicaid, WIC, and SNAP are under-utilized by some groups of eligible residents. ACAH has worked, and as appropriate continues to do so to help get the word out about these and other vital, often pivotal programs.
For more information about ACAH or the community gardens, contact Earl Tarver or email: earl.tarver@achr.com