Food Bank Shortages and Us

Cross-posted at Blue Mass Group

Yesterday, The New York Times published a piece that may have been lost amongst everything else that's been going on, so I thought I'd take a moment to highlight it and make sure that people are thinking about it, because we're in that time of the year when more help is particularly needed.

Katie Zezima of the The New York Times has done some work looking into shortages that food banks across the country are facing, due to a variety of factors, as explained below the fold.

Experts attributed the shortages to an unusual combination of factors, including rising demand, a sharp drop in federal supplies of excess farm products, and tighter inventory controls that are leaving supermarkets and other retailers with less food to donate.

Other factors cited include, among other things, the lack of a rise in the aid given to food bank:

Food bank operators are lobbying for passage of a farm bill currently stalled in the Senate that would raise emergency aid for food banks to $250 million a year, from $140 million. That figure has remained steady since 2002.

I believe Zezima may actually be referring to the Senate equivalent of the Feeding America's Families Act of 2007 that can be found in the Farm Bill (which is also the bill that includes addressing the issues with Food Stamps that Jim McGovern and Jo Ann Emerson, among others had illustrated back in May when they took the Food Stamp Challenge... I should point out that since then, others have taken the challenge, including Keith Ellison and Chris Van Hollen). The Farm Bill is now in the Senate (on the legislative calendar).  Tom Harkin, the Chair of the Agriculture Committee, introduced the bill, and there's some good information on the Agriculture Committee, but if anyone has any good info to add to this, please feel free to put it in the comments, as I'm not the greatest expert on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

However, while hopefully the Farm Bill will go through without cuts to any of these important programs, there are many other problems that Zezima cites, including supermarket efficiency and supermarkets selling leftover foods to discount stores (in terms of getting affordable food out there, it's a help, but that's not helping the food banks any...).  So even with a revised Farm Bill in place for the future, there are still going to be major issues in terms of getting food to food banks.

So what can we do?  There are many viable options.  Letting your Senator know about the importance of the Farm Bill in terms of the hunger provisions (in particular the food stamps and the Emergency Food Assistance Programs (food banks)) is important.  Getting involved in your local food bank is also a good idea for those people who want to do that (Second Harvest seems to have a good listing of food banks, including a state and zip code search).  The easist thing you can probably do is just give food, through local food drives or directly to the local food bank.  You'll have to check with your local food bank on their policies, and check municipal websites (based on personal experience, the Boston city website has a good list of where food can be dropped off as part of their Can Share program.

So look around your pantry for those canned goods and nonperishables that you don't need, and give.  :)

•  On a side note

  if people are interested in doing more community service stuff, check out the Hands On Network.  I was able to help make audiobooks for the blind and dyslexic through Boston Cares, which was a lot of fun (though I did learn that I easily mix up the words 'supernatural' and 'supranational'

  by jlove1982 on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 08:36:14 AM PDT

•  I Don't A National Organization That Does This

  but I have a local place that does what I think is one of the easiest and nicest thing you can do.

  They location businesses that want to be a part of it. Then each employee is asked to purchase:

  1. A warm jacket. I always add a hat and gloves. My experience is if you can share a couple trips to a Marshal or TJ Maxx you can usually find something kind of "hip." Like a local sports team.

  2. A toy.

  3. I always add a book.

  They ask you to wrap the materials up and then they give them to needy inter-city children.

  It is just a simple, simple thing to do. They leave it up to you what to spend. But I think a lot give money, food, and toys. But we got a lot of children that don't even have a good coat.

  by webranding on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 08:43:35 AM PDT

  •  All of this assumes

    that Kossacks are not among those in need.

    I could not more dream of buying a "warm jacket" for myself or anyone else than I could going to the moon. Luckily I have a nice warm down parka from 25 years ago that I really love and I can keep sewing up the leaks. (My day-to-day coat is a Marshall's end-of-season special I got for $15 four years ago.) Even at TJ Maxx a sports team jacket is probably going to cost you $40. Where's THAT coming from?

    Unfortunately one of the reasons food banks are struggling is  that donations are down because many of us don't have the luxury of having a bunch of spare cans of food knocking around our cabinets. Every can is precious to me these days because it might keep me going through a week when funds are short. With gas almost tripled in price since Bush took over, utlities and health-care costs skyrocketing and our property taxes through the roof, thanks in part to the domino effect of his tax cuts for the wealthy, there's no extra to go around.

    I'd love to help everyone, but Dick Cheney has all the money. And he's never been known for his esceptional charity.

    by anastasia p on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:57:25 AM PDT

    •  I Wear My 1992 Parka Too

      I admire you for having the awareness and dedication to write diaries about Ohio politics when so much of your energy is devoted to keeping the ends of your life tucked in.

      The local NAMI* thrift store run by a friend of mine gives away warm coats, jackets, scarves etc. every year. People who need them find their way to the shop and walk out warmer than they came in.

      Maybe Kossacks can promote this good deed among their local thrift shops for winter warmth (I guess Goodwill and Salvation Army prolly can't because of the rules, but maybe they'll give away items that have little tears or stains, you never know).

      *National Alliance for Mental Illness

      by JG in MD on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 10:41:07 AM PDT

•  Here in New Jersey, I have seen that there is

  a reluctance on the part of contributors in our more Red counties to fund or supply food banks that have no strict eligibility requirements (i.e. proof of citizenship or proof of need / number of family members).  The stated reason is that poor seniors (their stated primary beneficiaries) are being shorchanged to feed illegals.   Tough problem to solve.  

  by SpamNunn on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 08:43:50 AM PDT

  •  One thing I have seen in Indiana

    is that a lot of the charities are unwilling to help people who don't have jobs--regardless of the reason. Some of the church based ones won't help gays or single mothers. I think part of the reluctance on the part of some right wing contributors might be a desire to "punish" people they see as "undeserving."

    by tonyahky on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 08:52:43 AM PDT

    •  Why many "faith-based" initiatives

      dont work, in a nutshell.

      I'm lucky, the Church I belong to is active in an anti-hunger campaign that helps people, regardless.

      I still donate as often as I can to our local Food Bank.

      by barbwires on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:09:35 AM PDT

    •  Wow. That's terrible.

      Our synod's food bank helps all comers. The woman who runs it is a lesbian, so the gay issue certainly isn't one.

      I can't even imagine. I don't recall the asterisk in Jesus' message to feed and clothe the poor that allows us to see if they deserve the help. Must be in some other Bible.

      by Magenta on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:23:47 AM PDT

  •  That's not a "tough problem to solve"

    It's a lame-ass excuse to justify their own selfishness and lack of charity. "Illegals are taking all the food" ranks up there with "the dog ate my homework' as an excuse. Say you don't have the money to give, or you would rather support something else but that is a pathetic excuse.

    by anastasia p on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 10:00:20 AM PDT

    •  It is a tough problem when a large percentage of

      people feel that way, shrinking the donor pool.  The major issue I see is the donor distrust of the honor system on the number of people in a household.   There's got to be a way to address that.  

      by SpamNunn on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 10:08:09 AM PDT

•  We have one of the absolute best here

  In Sacramento.  I am usually loathe to support religious charities, but Loaves and Fishes does one of the best jobs I have ever seen with the homeless and they won't take any government money for their work.  In fact, they piss off the local entities all the time around here.

  They are also responsible for the mustard seed school, which is a school specifically for children of the homeless who have a difficult time staying in school.

  Their programs

  by Sychotic1 on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:06:45 AM PDT

•  A nearby church (even if you are an atheist) may

  be a convenient spot to donate.

  Seasonal and on-going charity at my own congregation:

  MUSH tree (Nov/Dec): mittens, underwear, socks, and hats for children. Annual youth group project.

  Food donations:  Right as you enter the main doorway, there is a huge basket for donating food, toiletries, supermarket gift cards, toilet paper, etc.  Once a month the basket (sometimes two baskets) is dragged to the altar, blessed, and delivered to a food bank.

  "Stuff" donations:  A set of bins in the cloakroom is always available for donations to a certain thrift shop in town; when it is full, it is delivered to the thrift shop.

  Pages to Prisoners Project:  A box is always available in the library for donations for quality reading material for prisoners.  The youth group has assisted with packaging and mailing.

  All under one roof!

  Call around and see what is available locally for you.

  by Dar Nirron on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:12:41 AM PDT

•  Another program that will need help

  is Energy Share--you can add a bit to your utility bill to help subsidize the poor who cannot afford heat.  Wish I could find something similar for home heating oil; a lot of the older houses in our area use oil heat, and prices have more than tripled in the last couple of years.

  The plain fact that people are going cold and hungry in our country where excess is so celebrated makes me sick to my stomach.

  by barbwires on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:13:33 AM PDT

•  The drought issues can't be helping

  as farmer's yields are down. Also, I noticed in my own yard, with the lack of rain this year, less grass to cut so little mulch. The soil has looked good for years with compost I add, but this year, it looks poor.

  by VA Breeze on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:53:17 AM PDT

•  US net food importer last 3 years

  all that NAFTA/CAFTA bullshit about markets masks the truth that we are not feeding our own people, and that BIG-AG likes it that way.

  by Zacapoet on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 09:58:50 AM PDT

•  our local food bank

  a Second Harvest, has been having difficulties keeping up with demand for several years. My wife published a piece on their circumstances, and learned during her research that a lot of the increased demand comes from the working poor; that people are showing up at food banks who, only a few years ago, would never really have needed such assistance.

  Highly recommended, jlove1982.

  by smintheus on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 10:32:55 AM PDT

  •  Any of us could be there.

    It only takes a couple of serious issues combines, such as job loss and health problems to push people into poverty.

    by Nelsons on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 03:38:51 PM PDT

•  My dad was born in the early 1920's

  his parents lost everything in the depression, and gramps was too proud to take just any job such as sweeping, etc. The family really suffered, but my dad shared only a few vignettes of the time:

  They went to a place that helped the indigent not sure what it what organization it was exactly, but the children were handed used shoes. My dad got some weird hand me down and when he said something, the response by the woman working there was: "Beggars can't be choosers." Lovely people.

  That has really stayed with me and driven a lot of my activities as an adult.

  It seems our country has forgotten the suffering of the past. I hope my son doesn't share the fate of my father's family when he marries and has kids of his own.

  by Nelsons on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 03:33:47 PM PDT

  •  My in-laws were talking about growing up poor.

    Both families had gardens, but mother-in-law's father would snare rabbits and shoot squirrels, shoot deer, all that sort of thing. My father-in-law wasn't sure why his father didn't do that, and envied how much more food his wife's family had had because of that.  They grew up a few miles from one another in Tennessee.

    He was extremely obsessed with food, and told me once that his greatest joy was cooking for people and watching them eat as much as they wanted.

    by Dar Nirron on Sat Dec 01, 2007 at 04:10:28 PM PDT