In August 2020 , she decided to create a little oasis in the desert called the mobile market .
Getting fresh fruits and vegetables on the west side , is difficult , so she and her organization , The Gathering of the Queens , decided to do something about it . She and others created a community garden , which yielded about 500 pounds of produce .
The Queens have taught people how to garden , even in their own homes . Last summer , the organization teamed with the Purdue Extension to give away plants . “ We really don ’ t realize how important they ( fresh foods ) really are until you don ’ t have them ,” she notes .
Collier points out that food insecurity isn ’ t limited to the poor .
Altered eating patterns and obesity , she says , can stem from a lack of food resources or food insecurity . A 2015 article from the Journal of Nutritionists and Dietetics , backs her assertion , drawing a correlation between food insecurity and obesity . The article reported that one in three food insecure adults are obese . A slightly higher percentage ( 38 %) of food-insecure Black people are obese , compared to the overall population .
In Madison County , the food insecurity rate was around 15 % overall in 2019 , according to Feeding America , a national organization dedicated to fighting hunger .
An effort called the Princess Project to assist single moms and other moms in need of help and a pantry for seniors will be housed at the Anderson Impact Center , 630 Nichol Ave ., Collier says . To her , these programs and others are all about letting folks know they are seen and loved , by God and by their fellow man .
For the past nine years , the Rev . William O ’ Neal and his organization , BIGG Mentoring ’ s Showing , have been on a mission to provide such love to young Black males . BIGG stands for “ Behavior , Influence , Grace and Goals .”
“ We ’ re big on education ,” O ’ Neal says . “ We ’ re mentoring young males as far as their education is concerned and we ’ re teaching them how to improve their behavior , how they influence other students and how to get good grades to reach their goals .”
O ’ Neal believes any student , regardless of background , if shown love , care and consistency , will become attached to a mentor and want to learn . Such attachment , he emphasizes , is not a gimmick , but a reality . “ Once we get ( them ) into the program , once we get in their life , we stay in their life ,” he says . “ We ’ re not trying to be their father but trying to be their mentors to let them know there are people outside of your family that genuinely care about you .”
After graduation , O ’ Neal ’ s wife , Christee , helps connect the young men with jobs and internships through her business , HR Today Employment Solutions .
Character development and motivation – not proselytizing – are the goals . If students want to hear the gospel , they can come to church on Sunday , O ’ Neal points out .
Mentorship is vitally important , but so are fathers . About 46 % of Black children are living with a single mother , according to the United States Census Bureau . Some fathers face obstacles they consider insurmountable , such as advancement in employment . Addressing this reality , O ’ Neal ’ s group seeks also to mentor fathers and older men .
Kojak Fuller is focused on mentoring , as well . His life is a testament to the importance of good
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role models . Now a life coach in Anderson Community Schools ’ alternative school program , Fuller learned in prison how to be a husband , father and a follower of Jesus . Fuller ’ s relationship with Christ began while he was waiting to be sentenced . It all began with a simple prayer :
“ Lord , I don ’ t know you , but I want to know you . I want to know you like nobody else does . … I ’ m going to go all the way with you because if this stuff doesn ’ t work , then I ’ m going to tell people this stuff doesn ’ t work .”
’ RE MENTORING YOUNG MALES AS FAR AS THEIR EDUCATION IS CONCERNED AND WE ’ RE TEACHING THEM HOW TO IMPROVE THEIR BEHAVIOR , HOW THEY INFLUENCE OTHER STUDENTS AND HOW TO GET GOOD GRADES TO REACH THEIR GOALS .
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It was an unconventional prayer turned to unconventional ways of sharing God ’ s love with others , especially young people . From taking part in a group called Big Homies and sitting in the back of a hearse to call attention to a spate of shooting deaths in Anderson , to starting MONEY Ministries , Fuller has rolled up his sleeves to make a difference in the Black community .
Through Moving Obstacles Now for Every Youth ( MONEY ), he mentors local teens . The organization doesn ’ t have a place to meet yet , but he ’ s looking . He wants a place where young people can be both loved and challenged .
Fuller aspires to instill hope in the residents of Madison County , particularly Black residents . Living in an image-based culture , he says , young people are deeply affected by what they see .
“ If I ’ m constantly seeing this picture where I don ’ t have any running water , my father ’ s not in my life , my mother is on drugs , and I ’ m just fending for myself … people need to see a picture , they need to have hope that even though I ’ m struggling in certain areas , I don ’ t have to stay there ,” he explains .
Fuller seeks to provide that hope by sharing how God ’ s love transformed his life and how it can do the same for others . He hopes to teach others as the Lord teaches him .
Fuller encourages other Christians to reach out and help make their community a better place . Without the church getting its hands dirty , he says , the community will continue to crumble . •
2023 Diversity Magazine 21