~*~*~
Yesterday, I shared my somewhat unpleasant experience with a food pantry visit and some of the challenges I faced during the process. What I've discovered is that my experience wasn't unusual. In fact, it seems to be disturbingly common.
Feeding America (one of the resources I used to try to find a food pantry) recently conducted a study on Hunger in America. They found that more than 37 million people, one in eight Americans receive emergency food each year through the nation’s network of food banks and the agencies they serve - a 46 percent increase since the organization’s previously released study in 2006.
Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America makes her position clear.
It should be easy to fix. This country has plenty for everyone. In fact, we have so much we give it to other countries. Cam and I worked on a project just a few weeks ago that sent 500,000 meals to Haiti, yet 5.7 million people in this country receive emergency food assistance every week? And how many just go without?
The problem isn't just about the availability of food, but certainly the availability of food plays a huge part.
The current economic climate has increased the demands on food pantries. That same economic downturn means food pantry donations are down. Factor in more efficient production and shipping processes in food manufacturing (products that don't meet quality standards are often donated to food pantries) and you've got the perfect storm.
If that weren't enough, there is the difficulty of finding resources for food assistance, food pantries that are open just one or two days a week and for only a few hours (normally during traditional working hours) and overcoming the shame that takes over your life when you are not able to provide basic necessities for your family. We've made being hungry a punishable offense.
So, what can we do? I think the most important thing we can do is acknowledge that it takes just one major life event for many people to find themselves in this place. The unexpected loss of a job or reduction in work hours. A vehicle on its last legs that finally gives up. A long-term or unexpected medical emergency and less than adequate, or no health care coverage at all. A divorce or separation. Although there are people who abuse the system, most do not, and treating a family with respect, compassion and empathy goes a long way.
Donate. Donate food to your local food pantry. Donate time to help sort foods and stock shelves. Donate money to rural food pantries. Generally, large cities do a better job of feeding the hungry. They have more resources at their disposal. Donating money to a rural food pantry enables them to purchase items they need and their purchasing power is usually far greater, making that cash donation go much farther. If you're unsure of where your local food pantry is, visit any of the resources listed at the bottom of this post.
If you know of someone who needs help, or you suspect might need help, reach out to them. I know, it's a difficult conversation to have with someone, people might get defensive, but the shame in having to ask for help often overrides the logical need to get help.
I've compiled a list of resources that I kind of stumbled upon when I was looking for help. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any single, all-inclusive resource - food pantries listed at one website may or may not be listed on another. Navigating the system is just one of the challenges in finding food.
Feeding America - They have a Food Bank locator link that allows you to search by zip code to find an "affiliated" food pantry. This list is in no way all inclusive.
United Way - I discovered that by using their "Find Your Local United Way" link, I could find information on many local food programs as well as other programs (clothing, transportation, education, etc.) that are ready and willing to help out.
Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals - This is a 78-page publication put out by the United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. It contains general food safety guidelines, weekly menus and 40 recipes for cost-effective, nutritional meals.
Frugal Mom Menu - This is a subscription service ($5/month) that emails a weekly PDF file, including recipes, a grocery list and photos, for a weeks worth of dinners for a family of four. The grocery costs for the week of dinners are kept right at $60 and are tasty and nutritious. I subscribe to this service and have been thrilled with the menu plans.
Angel Food Ministries - A non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. Each moth they offer a box of fresh and frozen foods for $30 per box (click [HERE] to see the box being offered in March) with an average retail value of approximately $60.
They claim that one box of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. they also state "The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe." That's a HUGE step up from many food pantries.
I ordered my first "Signature" box this month and will be picking it up Saturday. Distribution of the food is held at local churches (surprisingly, my little town actually has a distribution site) so I am expecting some "strings". Their website does mention "spreading the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order."
I'll let you all know how that process goes.
Yesterday, I shared my somewhat unpleasant experience with a food pantry visit and some of the challenges I faced during the process. What I've discovered is that my experience wasn't unusual. In fact, it seems to be disturbingly common.Feeding America (one of the resources I used to try to find a food pantry) recently conducted a study on Hunger in America. They found that more than 37 million people, one in eight Americans receive emergency food each year through the nation’s network of food banks and the agencies they serve - a 46 percent increase since the organization’s previously released study in 2006.
Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America makes her position clear.
“It is morally reprehensible that we live in the wealthiest nation in the world where one in six people are struggling to make choices between food and other basic necessities. These are choices that no one should have to make, but particularly households with children. Insufficient nutrition has adverse effects on the physical, behavioral and mental health, and academic performance of children. It is critical that we ensure that no child goes to bed hungry in America as they truly are our engine of economic growth and future vitality.”
It should be easy to fix. This country has plenty for everyone. In fact, we have so much we give it to other countries. Cam and I worked on a project just a few weeks ago that sent 500,000 meals to Haiti, yet 5.7 million people in this country receive emergency food assistance every week? And how many just go without?
The problem isn't just about the availability of food, but certainly the availability of food plays a huge part.
The current economic climate has increased the demands on food pantries. That same economic downturn means food pantry donations are down. Factor in more efficient production and shipping processes in food manufacturing (products that don't meet quality standards are often donated to food pantries) and you've got the perfect storm.
If that weren't enough, there is the difficulty of finding resources for food assistance, food pantries that are open just one or two days a week and for only a few hours (normally during traditional working hours) and overcoming the shame that takes over your life when you are not able to provide basic necessities for your family. We've made being hungry a punishable offense.
So, what can we do? I think the most important thing we can do is acknowledge that it takes just one major life event for many people to find themselves in this place. The unexpected loss of a job or reduction in work hours. A vehicle on its last legs that finally gives up. A long-term or unexpected medical emergency and less than adequate, or no health care coverage at all. A divorce or separation. Although there are people who abuse the system, most do not, and treating a family with respect, compassion and empathy goes a long way.
Donate. Donate food to your local food pantry. Donate time to help sort foods and stock shelves. Donate money to rural food pantries. Generally, large cities do a better job of feeding the hungry. They have more resources at their disposal. Donating money to a rural food pantry enables them to purchase items they need and their purchasing power is usually far greater, making that cash donation go much farther. If you're unsure of where your local food pantry is, visit any of the resources listed at the bottom of this post.
If you know of someone who needs help, or you suspect might need help, reach out to them. I know, it's a difficult conversation to have with someone, people might get defensive, but the shame in having to ask for help often overrides the logical need to get help.
I've compiled a list of resources that I kind of stumbled upon when I was looking for help. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any single, all-inclusive resource - food pantries listed at one website may or may not be listed on another. Navigating the system is just one of the challenges in finding food.
Feeding America - They have a Food Bank locator link that allows you to search by zip code to find an "affiliated" food pantry. This list is in no way all inclusive.
United Way - I discovered that by using their "Find Your Local United Way" link, I could find information on many local food programs as well as other programs (clothing, transportation, education, etc.) that are ready and willing to help out.
Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals - This is a 78-page publication put out by the United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. It contains general food safety guidelines, weekly menus and 40 recipes for cost-effective, nutritional meals.
Frugal Mom Menu - This is a subscription service ($5/month) that emails a weekly PDF file, including recipes, a grocery list and photos, for a weeks worth of dinners for a family of four. The grocery costs for the week of dinners are kept right at $60 and are tasty and nutritious. I subscribe to this service and have been thrilled with the menu plans.
Angel Food Ministries - A non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. Each moth they offer a box of fresh and frozen foods for $30 per box (click [HERE] to see the box being offered in March) with an average retail value of approximately $60.
They claim that one box of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. they also state "The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe." That's a HUGE step up from many food pantries.
I ordered my first "Signature" box this month and will be picking it up Saturday. Distribution of the food is held at local churches (surprisingly, my little town actually has a distribution site) so I am expecting some "strings". Their website does mention "spreading the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order."
I'll let you all know how that process goes.
~*~*~
12 comments:
I agree that in our country there should be no reason for anyone to EVER go hungry. Great post Dana!
Great ideas! I like that Angel Food Ministries. What a neat (and affordable) program!
Excellent information here. I looked into our local pantries and they all need volunteers - M-W 10am-2pm..not times I can volunteer.
When I go to the grocery store, I always donate $1 - $5 to the local food bank through those "add this to your order" cards at the check-out and when there are boxes for food items (normally during holiday months, I always add something to them.
Doc, like I said, it's a complex problem, but one this country should be better able to manage.
Evil Twin's Wife, I like the idea of Angel Food Ministries as well because it isn't a hand-out and doesn't hurt my pride. There is no limit on the number of boxes that can be purchased and they have "specialty" boxes as well (which I plan on trying if things go well this first go-round).
Bond, I really think the U.S. needs to reconsider the "bread line" model they are using for food pantries. There are some far better options out there and making it difficult for people to get food - or to volunteer - just makes matters worse.
I always donate $1 to the local food bank when I go through the checkout lane too! That's another great idea that I neglected to mention!
As always you make me think. I am trying wrap my mind the idea that many people are just one crisis away needing help. I was raised to believe - maybe naively - that if you work hard and adequately prepare for bumps in the road, you avoid problems like this. Now I know that is not fool proof and things happen and people need help from time to time, but those numbers are staggering.
There is an Angel Food Ministry place in my town. I remember reading about it when they started it here. It is a good thing. No one should ever have to deal with not having enough food for their family.
As you briefly touched on, availability of food is sometimes a problem. In grad school we talked about urban areas (though it would also apply to rural too) where there were not adequate grocery stores and due to lack of transportation, people would be forced to shop at overpriced, understocked convenience stores. People who may already be stretching their dollars are forced to spend more just because they can't get to a regular grocery store, and that's to say nothing of the quality of food available at convenience stores.
I'm always amazed when people are amazed at how many people are either going hungry in America, or how many people are right on the edge of going hungry. Like they can't quite accept that it's true.
It also hasn't helped that our government uses phrases like "food insecure" which makes it sound like they have insecurities about certain kinds of foods rather than they are going hungry.
Karen, I don't know that your beliefs are naive, but they do come from a little different perspective. As much as we'd like to believe it, opportunities are not equal for everyone and life can throw some curve balls on occasion. For example, I could find a job as a paralegal in the city and likely almost double my income, but it would mean 12-hour days (with commuting time) and sacrificing Cam's well-being. I struggle with that decision daily.
3 Men and a Lady, I'm looking forward to the Angel Food Ministries program and hope that it is what it seems to be.
Maggie, I live in an area where, if you don't have a vehicle, your grocery budget will likely double. Our little 5-aisle market carries necessities, but there is quite a mark-up as well. It really can be a vicious circle.
Jay, I think for many people it's admitting that maybe their preconceived notions don't always hold true.
I think "food insecurities" is the most assenign phrase - let's just say what it is - they don't know where their next meal is going to come from!
Here Here...We give food to the Catholic Food pantry down the street and most of the clohtes that no longer fit me were dropped off at Goodwill long ago.
We're all in this together...well, at least we should be. Cheers Dana!!
Thanks for such an enlightening post. I had no idea that the "givers" of necessities had so many strings attached.
Matt-Man said it best...we are all in this together.
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