Provide names of other journalists involved.
N/A
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
27-Nov-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Oakland, California has the largest number of senior citizens living in poverty than any other city in the state. I traveled to a low-income neighborhood in East Oakland to meet Jessie Mae Brown, an impoverished senior who helps to feed residents of her block with the free makeshift grocery store she keeps on her front porch.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used national and local Census data in addition to statistics and studies from the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
Explain types of human sources used.
I started reporting primarily on the Mercy Brown Bag Program, a food assistance program that operates in conjunction with the Alameda County Community Food Bank and a local retirement center in Oakland. But I wanted to speak with senior citizens who participate in the program. This brought me to Jessie Mae Brown, an 85-year-old East Oakland resident who not only uses the Brown Bag Program to survive, but also operates a free makeshift grocery store on her front porch that helps to keep the rest of her low-income neighborhood fed.
Results:
I was able to go to Jessie Mae’s home in East Oakland, meet some of the neighbors that depend on her porch for survival and see the amount of passersby that visit her porch on a daily basis.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
When localizing a national issue, I think it’s imperative to add a human element to an issue rife with statistics and Census data.