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moreans are taking another approach tohelping the impoverished. “If you look at alot of poor areas, you see that often they’renot served by supermarkets with fresh,nutritional food,” David Adler, communicationscoordinator for The Food Trust, said.The organization, founded in 1992, hasraised $80 million in public and privatefunds to lure supermarkets to underservedareas, bring nutrition education to schools,and run farmers markets, among other projects.So far, it has funded 11 supermarkets.“We’re helping them with start-up costs,which can be prohibitively expensive, especiallyin cities like Philadelphia,” Adler said.“But we’re not subsidizing them on a longtermbasis. The whole point is that this is aviable business opportunity that can bringjobs to areas that need them.” Recently, TheFood Trust released a report demonstratingthat in Philadelphia alone, poor neighborhoodswere losing $205 million in foodretaildemand because they lacked supermarkets.And, by stressing job creation aswell as public health concerns, the grouphas garnered support from across the politicalspectrum as well as acknowledgementfrom Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School ofGovernment as one of the country’s top 50innovative public-sector programs.When African American students occupiedSwarthmore’s Admissions Office in 1969 todemand that the College admit more blackstudents, they were echoing protests thathad erupted on campuses throughout thecountry. A year earlier, students had takenover several Columbia University buildings,decrying the university’s complicity in theAmerican war effort in Vietnam and thetakeover of a Harlem neighborhood gym toserve the needs of its overwhelmingly whitestudent body. For student activists, universityadministrations were part of the establishment—foesnot allies.To a certain extent, this remains the casetoday, especially with the living wage andunionization campaigns unfolding on thenation’s campuses. Likewise, Swarthmore’sLiving Wage and Democracy Campaign triedto pit students, faculty, and staff against theCollege’s administration. “We were in contactwith administrators early on and madeour pitch to President [Alfred H.] Bloom inspring 2000,” Sam Blair ’02, one of thecampaign’s student organizers, said. “Wegot an audience but no commitments thatanything would be done.” The campaigngathered momentum, with petitions, articlesin The Phoenix, rallies, and a brief demonstrationat a Board of Managers meeting.Finally, in December 2004, the Boardapproved President Bloom’s staff compensationplan—carefully crafted during 2 yearsof campuswide study and discussion andendorsed by all constituencies. Swarthmore’slowest hourly wage was pegged at$10.38 an hour, and a subsidy was created tomake family health care more affordable forThe problem: Lack of supermarketsin low-income urbanareas leads to scarcity ofnutritious, fresh food.The solution: Work withstore owners and encouragesupermarket chains to opennew stores.Food Trust activists Lisandra Lamboy ’03(left), James Piett ’03 (center), and DavidAdler ’00 (right) have been working withstore owner Juan Carlos Romano (rear) toimprove the quality and variety of freshfoods in his North Philadelphia store.38 : swarthmore college bulletin