Maximillian Shah ’26 Assesses Food Access and Security in Hamilton County, NY

Max Shah ’26 is one of 31 student fellows who completed research with a community-based organization in upstate New York this summer as a part of the Upstate Institute Summer Field School. He describes the project below in his own words:    

In the heart of the Adirondack Park resides Hamilton County, New York’s third largest and least populated county, home to many scenic lakeside locations, including Blue Mountain Lake, a hamlet in the town of Indian Lake. Over the course of the summer, I have had the pleasure of working with Blue Mountain Center (BMC) in Blue Mountain Lake, an organization that hosts month-long residencies for writers, artists, and activists and contributes its administrative and hosting capacities towards projects that benefit the community and county.

BMC’s Hamilton Helps Project was created in 2020 with the initial desire to meet urgent, local needs surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. As the urgency slowed, the project shifted toward addressing common struggles Hamilton County residents face, including a lack of food access and food insecurity. The project aims to address a lack of options and resources for county residents to buy food primarily through a healthy food voucher program.

The Hamilton Healthy Food Connections voucher program provides pathways for financially struggling households in the county to meet their basic needs by engaging in the social safety net of Hamilton County. During my time at BMC, I have assisted in the process of shipping 125 booklets, each containing $100 worth of vouchers, to the program’s community partners which are then distributed to individuals and families who struggle to afford fresh, healthy food so they can redeem the vouchers at their nearest farmers market and get the food they need.

In Hamilton County, there are only two small year-round grocery stores, one located in the far west of the county and one located in the south of the county, which means residents living in the geographic center of the county, Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake, require a 25+ mile drive in any direction to buy staple groceries and fresh produce in the winter months outside a convenience store setting. The county has a high proportion of elderly and disabled residents, so the long distances, coupled with the costs of groceries, cause the issue of food insecurity to become increasingly pressing in the winter. The voucher program allows more access to fresh food for struggling residents when farmers markets are open and also strengthens the county’s social safety net and bolsters the food economy.

I have been tracking the weekly redeemed vouchers for the Hamilton Helps project and assessing the prevalence of food insecurity and lack of food access in Hamilton County. I have quantitatively assessed the prices of common food items at grocery stores inside and outside the county to determine if the costs of food are more expensive in Hamilton County than the surrounding area. I am also conducting qualitative interviews with local Hamilton County grocery store owners, farmers market managers, market customers, community partners, and local farmers to not only determine social and financial factors that influence food access and security in the county but also provide information to Hamilton Helps about the perception of their voucher program.

My research has connected me to the community and county through interviewing residents and learning about their operations and struggles. My field research has not only provided Hamilton Helps with a trajectory for their future endeavors but also helped me bond with the kind, passionate locals who have shown great appreciation for the work I am doing. Additionally, I have been tabling at a local farmers market each weekend to spread awareness of the voucher program and solicit donations to fund the program for next year. Although I may not find direct solutions to the issues it addresses, this work strengthens the relationship between BMC and the communities they serve and increases awareness of the county’s food access and security issues.

This summer I have learned a tremendous amount about the challenges of food access and security faced by a community only a few hours from Colgate as well as the many factors that contribute to this situation. Coming from a suburban area with several supermarkets minutes away from my house, I have gained a new perspective on the Adirondack Park and the nuances of sustaining and living in a small town with a very social community but little options for fresh food.

Applying to the Upstate Institute Summer Field School, I may have been unsure of what to expect from this kind of in-person community-based research, but I knew I wanted to contribute to a worthy cause that could benefit a community of people. While my intended major of applied mathematics may not directly intersect with the research I am conducting, my hope is that I can use what I learn from my courses at Colgate to benefit other people whether that be addressing food insecurity in small communities or contributing in some other way. I thank Blue Mountain Center and the Upstate Institute for providing a hands-on, community-based learning experience that has introduced me to many amazing people and their work.