BRANDON, Fla. — Food insecurity is a major problem for children in the Tampa Bay area.
Feeding Tampa Bay estimates that one in four kids don't have access to affordable and nutritious food, and the issue seems to be even worse for foster kids. That's why one foster mom in Brandon started a backyard garden.
WATCH Heather Leigh tour the backyard garden combating food insecurity
Lynette Crawford showed off a large cabbage she and her kids grew recently.
"Where did that cabbage come from? "I asked her as we walked through her garden.
“We just replanted it. It was right here," she said, pointing to a space now filled with sprouts of spinach nestled nicely in between jalapenos, zucchini and snap peas.
“They just pluck them off and eat those straight out of the garden," said Crawford.
It’s a new venture for Crawford and her husband. She came up with the idea about a year ago and her husband put it into motion. He hand-built the raised beds.
“We wanted to explore — and growing and nurturing something that the kids would enjoy, the family would enjoy, and we would all benefit from having something grown in the backyard that we can watch grow, and then we can pick it, and we can enjoy the fruits of our nature here," Crawford said.
The goal behind this garden is far deeper than meets the eye. The Crawfords opened their home to foster children more than a decade ago, and Lynette said she’s seen how food insecurity impacts foster children, especially when they first come in.
“We find packages and stuff hidden under the bed," she said, as she emphasized the importance of food being readily available. "Just talking to them and discussing that, you know, food‘s not gonna come to an end here. It’s always available."
On the counters and in baskets, you'll find food all over her kitchen. Lynette says it’s important to have a foster child’s “safe food” always in stock—something that reminds them of home.
“Safe food is a food kids are going to eat without fear, and it’s a comfort food, and comfort is home," she said.
“Having foods right there available where kids can see them and grab them, [it] ensures the child get something to eat on probably one of the worst days of their lives, and it prevents food hoarding," said Paul Penhale, the senior director for out of home care at the Children's Home Network.
He believes most foster kids deal with food insecurity.
“It’s hard to be secure with knowing you will be fed when you’ve been removed from your house," he said. "You’re in a new place, and you don’t even know where the cereal is kept when you come in. So there’s built-in insecurity there.”
This is why watching what Lynnette is doing in her backyard is so inspiring.
“People, I think, sometimes forget that it’s not just a bed. She is actively teaching kids things while they’re in her care," Penhale said. "The same thing she’s teaching her own kids, the foster kids are right there, learning these same things and learning good habits.”
Right now, in Hillsborough County, the Children’s Home Network has about 200 kids in group homes. The goal is to get as many of them into a more family-like setting as soon as possible, which is why they need more foster parents and folks willing to take siblings.
“It’s a horrible thing when a kid gets removed from mom and dad, and then you compound that with we have to separate them in foster care. It just leads to insecurity," he said.
For Lynnette, being a foster parent has led to lasting relationships. While she admits it’s sad when they leave, “in the end, I know that there’s a plan for them and their plan is already in line and I just kind of — I always call myself the bridge, and I bridge them from this hardship in their life to the next adventure in their life.”
If you're interested in becoming a foster parent, the Children's Home Network has an open meeting virtually every Thursday at 6 p.m. to help you get started. You can also e-mail them at LetsFoster@childrenshomenetwork.org.
This open Microsoft Teams meeting link will take you to that meeting every Thursday.
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