Why do you give?

I give because I'm grateful for all that I have been given.  Why do you give?

Gloria

Unselfie!

Black Friday...Small Business Saturday...Cyber Monday...And then there's Giving Tuesday!

Turkey what if's

I've just wrapped up my final Thanksgiving turkey drive as a food bank director.  Foodshare distributed nearly 20,000 turkeys and all the trimmings to families in need here in greater Hartfod this past week.  I'm sure similar efforts were going on at the churches and food pantries in St. Lawrence County and that many families will be sitting down to a traditional turkey dinner tomorrow.

Cause of celebration, of course, and yet this blog entry at Children's Health Watch, "Of Turkeys and Taxes," along with my friend, Joel Berg's Facebook status update: "This week, above all, let’s be clear that the answer to U.S. hunger isn’t more food drives or turkey give-aways but more jobs, higher wages, and a stronger government safety net," brought home the mixed feelings I always have at this time of year.

Yes, it's great that the public has come through with enough turkeys to make sure that every family that requested a little help has that traditional Thanksgiving meal. But what about next week, next month, and next year?

What about the summer months when the needs are even greater than in the winter?

When will the day come that local food pantries announce a smaller need or maybe even close their doors because their services are not needed any more?

It's not that I'm ungrateful for the outpouring of support!  It means a great deal to me personally to be able to lead the effort help low-income families have a special holiday meal. After all, we all have things to be grateful for, no matter our current situations.

And the people who receive those meals are grateful. Here's just one response we received at Foodshare this week:

“I want to sincerely express my gratitude for Foodshare. I was completely blown away by the Thanksgiving bags I received yesterday. I would not be able to put on a dinner for my 2 kids otherwise. I'm tearing up right now. Everyone was SO KIND and everything was SO well run... my heart is so very full and grateful. Thank you endlessly for all you do. It is my sincere wish to someday return the favor by volunteering once I'm able. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

But wouldn't it be great, if, one of these days, we could actually slow down, or even stop running these food drives because we had figured out, as a civilized society, how to make sure that everyone has access to enough healthy and affordable food?

Gloria

INCOME & EDUCATION AFFECT WHAT BABIES EAT

The difference between what the rich and poor eat in America begins long before a baby can walk, or even crawl. Researchers at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Studies found considerable differences in the solid foods babies from different socioeconomic classes were being fed. Specifically, they found diets high in sugar and fat to be associated with less educated mothers and poorer households, while diets that more closely followed infant feeding guidelines were linked to higher education and bigger bank accounts.

Foods higher in sugar and fat are relatively inexpensive, which could be a reason why low-income mothers are more likely to feed infants those foods, the researchers noted. These diets not only contribute to larger weight increases in infants, they also can negatively affect a child’s eating habits, food preferences, and health in the long term.

Source: Washington Post, 11/4/14, Infant Diets

CITIES CRIMINALIZE FEEDING HOMELESS PEOPLE

This story makes me so sad this Thanksgiving week...

Gloria

 

Since January 2013, 22 cities around the country, from Los Angeles to Atlanta to Philadelphia, have enacted legislation restricting individuals and groups from sharing food with the homeless in public places, according to a new report by the National Coalition for the Homeless. The report found that there has been a 48% increase in cities attempting to pass such laws since 2010. Since 2007, 71 cities, in 27 states or commonwealths, including Puerto Rico, have either attempted or successfully enacted such legislation. At the same time, three states, including Connecticut in 2013, have passed a “Homeless Bill of Rights.” which outlaws discrimination against homeless people and affirms their right to use public spaces, including eating and exchanging food in public.

Source: Stateline, 11/17/14, Feeding the Homeless; Poverty & Policy, 11/17/14, Hunger & Homelessness

INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN SNAP & CHIP CAN HELP KIDS

Research shows that when children get help through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and SNAP they are healthier in childhood and as adults, do better in school, have better employment, and earn more.  Children also benefit when their parents get help—for example, when parents get insurance their children go to the doctor more often. It just seems obvious that kids would be helped by connecting them and their parents to the benefits—largely federally funded – that they are already eligible for but not receiving. A new report from the Urban Institute finds that more than 25 million children and 9 million parents nationwide were jointly eligible for the two programs.  But evidence from five states suggests that only about two-thirds of those jointly eligible were getting both.  

 

Source:  Center for Law and Social Policy, 11/3/14, SNAP & CHIP