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Some 1.7 million Pennsylvania are food insecure. Many areas of the state are considered food deserts – meaning grocery stores aren’t close by or there isn’t access to healthy food.

This is an issue we’ve talked about many times over the years on The Spark, because it continues to exist and if anything, the problem has gotten worse between the COVID pandemic and rising prices on food.

Access to healthy food can be an event bigger challenge. With that in mind, Penn State Health is partnering with more than one hundred organizations with a unique approach to providing healthy food to those in need.

With us on The Spark Tuesday were Ashley Visco, Community Health Director at Penn State Health and Zachary Zook, Senior Policy Research Manager at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Zook indicated there are more people who are food insecure than just a few years ago,"Relative to 2021 and the most recent data that we have available, nationally and in Pennsylvania is in 2022 -- food insecurity increased by more than 25%. So it now affects 12.8% of people nationally. And so that is a major jump from one year to the next. That's also the highest level of food insecurity that we have seen since 2014, since just getting out of the Great Recession. And I'll note that very low food security in particular jumped by 34%. From 3.8% to 5.1% nationally. And so 1 in 20 households in the U.S. experience is very low food security, which is extremely high."

Visco talked about what makes the Penn State Health program unique,"Food insecurity is very nuanced. It's not just individuals who live in food deserts. We often think of food deserts as where the individuals who are food insecure live. But there's food deserts across all of Pennsylvania, regardless of where you live. So we try to have programing that meets the different needs of different types of people. So for instance, we have community gardens that we work closely with. So we partner with with community organizations. And we either help them build or we enhance community gardens that may be already exist as just one avenue. But what we try to do when we build these partnerships, as we don't try to just have, like a food access point, right? It's not like, here's a food access point. There's nothing else that exists there. What we try to do is really layer on services. So one of our best examples is we've partnered with in Lebanon County. We partnered with the Chestnut Street Community Center inside the Chestnut Street Community Center. There's a homeless shelter, there's IU 13, there is a an elementary school directly across the street. We have a community fridge located there, which means anyone can come and get produce as available, but also individuals can have community when they come to the garden, or they can walk down the street, they can grab a cucumber and they can chomp on it and they can walk back down the street. So we really feel like our strength is in our nuance of programing is where we go directly to the community partners and we say what do you need? What is most beneficial in your community? And we work with them to hopefully develop that."

 
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When motorists stop to buy gasoline for their vehicles, it’s almost always at a business that doubles as a convenience store, whose main sales priority is often their food menus. And the driver is almost always pumping their own gas.

It didn’t used to be that way. Service stations were just that – the place to go to have an attendant pump gas, check the oil in a car, clean the windshield and doubled as the garage where a mechanic repaired or maintained cars.

A new book remembers a time when gas stations were often the center of activity in a town and the attendants became familiar and friends.

The Lost Service Stations of Central Pennsylvania is co-authored by Jimmy Rosen, who was with us on The Spark Monday, who talked about the nostalgia for gas stations,"back in the early days of full service, it was the focal point of neighborhoods. You, you you knew your mechanic, you knew your local service station, you trusted them, and you hung out there. Guys hung out there with their cars. They fixed their cars. And then a lot of times, girls hung out there to see the guys with their cars. And it was just a time mom and pop places like a lot of things, they've all but disappeared. And it's rare to find an independent, fueling station to service station at all."

Published as by Arcadia Publishing as part of their images of America series, the book is full of photographs of old service stations in Central Pennsylvania.

 
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Jennifer Hassel's captivating memoir, "Bad Ass Grief," recounts her remarkable odyssey of honoring her late husband's memory through audacious feats and profound self-discovery. 
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A major milestone in the clean-up of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is scheduled for Monday afternoon after being postponed over the weekend. Explosives will be used to clear eight to 12 million pounds of the collapsed bridge from the front of the container ship, Dali.

To get an update on the story, The Spark turned to Robert Lang, an award-winning anchor reporter with WBAL News Radio and longtime radio and TV journalist in Pennsylvania.
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Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly,

New York Times best-selling novelist Jeff Shaara talks about his new book against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Shadow of War.

 

Also, on the program jazz musician Champian Fulton discusses her career and upcoming tour and album.
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In a unique collaboration celebrating history, community, and the spirit of resilience, Spring House Brewing Company has crafted "Saucy Boy," a refreshing blend of pale lager and grapefruit soda. But this beer is more than just a beverage; it's a tribute to the enduring legacy of Crispus Attucks, an emblematic figure in America's fight for freedom.

Partnering with the Crispus Attucks Community Center and the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County (CAP), Spring House Brewing Company embarked on a mission to commemorate and educate people about the historic significance of the Center, which has been a beacon of equity and justice in the community for nearly a century. The collaboration extends beyond brewing, with local artist Keisha Finnie lending her talents to create a visually stunning can design that honors the story of Crispus Attucks. Blending Finnie's artwork with a bold citrus graphic, the can reflects the vibrant essence of Saucy Boy, mirroring the beer's sweet, crisp, and citrusy notes.

The choice of name, "Saucy Boy," carries profound meaning rooted in history. Crispus Attucks, an Indigenous-African man who escaped enslavement, met a tragic fate as the first American killed in the American Revolution. Yet, his memory endured, albeit tarnished by the derogatory remarks of the era. Future President John Adams infamously referred to Attucks and his compatriots as "a motley rabble of saucy boys," among other disparaging epithets. For the collaborators behind Saucy Boy, the name symbolizes resilience in the face of adversity. It represents the defiance of oppression and the unwavering spirit of those who have fought for justice throughout history. Through this partnership, they aim to shed light on this often-overlooked chapter of American history and pay homage to Attucks' enduring legacy.

"We are grateful to have some awesome partners carrying Saucy Boy in support of the Center," expressed Joshua Hunter the center's director. This sentiment underscores the collaborative effort that has brought Saucy Boy from concept to reality, with local businesses and community organizations rallying behind the cause. And the launch of Saucy Boy serves as more than just a celebration of craft beer; it's a celebration of community, culture, and the resilience of the human spirit. With each sip, drinkers are invited to reflect on the legacy of Crispus Attucks and the countless others who have dared to defy oppression and pave the way for a more just and equitable future.

As Saucy Boy finds its place on shelves and in glasses across the community, it carries with it a message of hope and remembrance—a reminder that even in the face of adversity, the spirit of resilience endures. And in raising a glass to toast to this shared history, we honor the legacy of those who came before us and inspire future generations to continue the fight for justice and equality.
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