Report from the front lines at the food pantry

Heard Connie Jenkins, the director of the Church and Community Program in Canton, share the following about their food pantry:

• Signed up 13 new households last month
• Have already signed up 13 new households this month and there is still a week to go in the month
• Summer is the busiest time for the food pantry and we're not even there yet!

I'm sure the situation is similar at other food pantries and free will dinners across the county.

How cam people help?  Volunteer.  Donate food or money.  Engage with organizations to find out what their greatest needs are.  And support related organizations like GardenShare.

Don't know where there's a food pantry near you.  Check this list.  (And if you find any errors, let me know, so we can update it!)

Gloria

Encouraging healthy choices at the food pantry

A recent story on NPR talks about how the marketing practice of "nudging" can encourage food pantry clientele to choose healthier foods.

This did not surprise me at all.  In my thirty years of working in the food bank world, I consistently found that low-income people wanted healthy food, they just had few options to acquire it.  When we put those options in front of them, they jump at the chance to eat healthier.

Gloria

Food banks to receive cheese from USDA purchase

US dairy farmers are facing record-levels of excess cheese, so USDA is purchasing about $20 million worth of cheese from dairy farmers and giving it to food banks across the country. (The dairy industry asked USDA to buy $150 million worth of cheese.) This is good news for dairy farmers who have seen falling prices and excess cheese in storage and for food banks, who say that cheese is popular but ‘hard to get.’ But, while cheese is in high demand at food banks, high dairy consumption is linked to obesity, diabetes, and inflammation. The USDA distribution comes at a time when some food banks are refusing low-nutrient, high-calorie foods and encouraging their retail partners to donate fruits and vegetables instead.

Source: NPR, 8/26/16, Say Cheese

Gleaning - one way to prevent food waste

Gleaning is the name given to the idea of bringing in volunteers to harvest crops that a farmer is unable to and donating that food to soup kitchens and food pantries.

In my time at GardenShare, I've had a few conversations with people about how we should be gleaning from local farms.  And while I don't necessarily disagree, I also know from my work at a food bank for many years, that it's not quite as simple as it sounds.

These activities always tend to be last minute and there are lots of questions to answer.  Who will recruit the volunteers?  Who will supervise them to make sure they pick in the right fields and don't do any damage?  Where will boxes or other packaging come from?  Are the local programs even open to accept the donation and who will deliver it?

This week, I've had an example of just how hard this is.

A local grower estimated that he has 150 quarts of blueberries that he could donate, but he needs volunteers to pick them.  In this case, he had solved one of the logistical problems by making arrangements to freeze the blueberries in the new commercial kitchen at Cooperative Extension.  We thought if we could ask volunteers to bring a box of quart freezer bags with them, we could make this work.

Of course, time is of the essence.  Every day that goes by means a loss of quantity and quality of the berries.

I have reached out to several community groups and so far no takers.  I suspect, at this point, that a large amount of these berries will go to waste.  And I hate that.

Are there any volunteers out there who would like to work on developing a gleaning program?  If so, I'd love to talk to you.

Gloria

COLLEGE FOOD PANTRIES ADDRESS GROWING PROBLEM

For many students, the abundant all-you-can-eat smorgasbord in the college cafeteria is far from reality. As tuition has increased, and with more low-income students attending college, food pantries like one at Brooklyn College have sprung up at more than 300 colleges across the country. University of Maryland officials decided one was needed after realizing several years ago that a greater percentage of students, many from low-income families, were struggling. A decade ago, they might have entered the workforce right after high school, but now they realize that a college degree is practically a necessity. The pantry served 170 people in the fall 2015 semester. About half of them were students, and the rest were university employees. Some colleges permit students to donate “swipes” from their dining plans to others who can’t afford to eat.  Columbia University unveiled a plan last year to permit students to donate up to six unused meals a semester through an emergency meal fund, and students who need food can receive up to six vouchers a semester.

Source: New York Times, 6/22/16, College Food Pantries

FOOD BANKS FIGHT DIABETES

Many people who depend on food pantries are not underfed, but are obese and diabetic, experts have found. In 2014, one-third of the 15.5 million households served by Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, reported that a household member had diabetes. Inconsistent access to food worsens the disease, and so can the offerings at the pantries many low-income people must rely on. A growing body of research links food insecurity to uncontrolled diabetes. Diet is partly to blame: The inexpensive food favored by people stretching their dollars is often low in fiber and rich in carbohydrates, which contribute to obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Even when food bank patrons are aware they have diabetes — and many do know — they are not in a position to turn down free fare. Now researchers have begun pursuing innovative new methods to address Type 2 diabetes among people who rely on food banks.  A randomized trial in San Francisco and two other sites seeks to help patrons gain control of both their diets and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers asked pantry patrons if they wanted their blood sugar checked and, if it was high, whether they wanted to enroll in a six-month program to lower it. (A control group was told to wait six months to begin.) For those who enrolled, a staff member handpicked appropriate food from the bank’s shelves, saying no to prepackaged junk, yes to asparagus and peanut butter. Participants pick up bags of selected food twice a month. They also receive referrals to a primary care physician, classes about diabetes management, and regular blood sugar checks. The initial results have been promising. In a pilot study of nearly 700 food pantry visitors in Texas, California and Ohio, participants with the worst blood sugar readings managed modest improvements in a relatively short time.

Source: New York Times, 6/21/16, Food Banks & Diabetes

Food Bank supports gardens at local programs

Edible gardens increase food security and nurture a meaningful connection between the community and growing nutritious fresh foods.

One of the goals of Food Bank of Central New York is to engage local food pantries,  free will dinners, and community members in projects supporting community food security. Through the Food Bank's Garden Grant program, these partners can receive $250 toward establishing or expanding an edible garden.

Awards will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is a rolling application process with no deadline to apply. Award applicants will have to meet the criteria outlined in the application and provide all the information to receive the award. The application can be accessed online under Get Help/Community Services.

Garden installation and start-up may be assisted by Food Bank staff upon request. Partner Agencies are responsible for maintaining and sustaining the garden and, of course, reaping the reward of freshly grown produce! So Let’s Get Growing!

Food bank grants for local programs

The Food Bank of Central New York has various grant programs that can support local food pantries and free will dinners.  Grant applications and instructions are available online at their website (not on e-agency) and are due back to the Food Bank by April 8, 2016 at 4:00 pm. To request a hard copy, please contact your Food Bank county representative.

STATE POLICIES COULD STRESS FOOD PANTRIES

Nationwide, one in six food charities fears that resource shortfalls will force it to close down, according to a 2014 Feeding America report, which also found that nearly 25% of all the food distribution agencies connected to the organization had to reduce service in the previous year. In Ohio, about 40 food pantries have been forced to close or merge with another outfit in the past 16 months.  Charity officials in that state think the closures there stem from a 2013 decision Gov. Kasich made to decline a federal waiver that would have slightly softened SNAP work requirements. As fewer people qualify for SNAP (Ohio’s SNAP enrollment is down by 115,000 since January 2014), more go to food pantries for help. The increased demand often outstrips the food banks’ resources.

Source: Think Progress, 10/26/15, Food Pantry Stressors

Can you grow vegetables year-round in the North Country?

What a great story!  JCEO in Malone is not only growing fresh vegetables for food pantry clients, they now have plans to use methane from the landfill to heat a greenhouse for year-round production.

Read the full story at NCPR

Food Bank helps local programs with a "garden in a bucket"

Yesterday, I posted about the Food Bank of Central New York's work to encourage gardening at local food pantries and community kitchens.  I was also intrigued to learn about this program for those programs that might not have room for a garden...

Garden in a Bucket is open to all Food Bank Partner Agency food pantries and soup kitchens interested in container gardening through our regular menu ordering system.

Here’s how it works:

• Each agency that is interested in receiving the Garden in a Bucket program will order a Garden in a Bucket Kit through the regular ordering system at any time during the year!
• Each Garden in a Bucket kit will contain 20 drilled buckets, 20 seed packets or seedlings, and instruction handouts.
• The gardening kits will be delivered to agencies with regular deliveries.
• The agency will be responsible for finding a soil donation or purchasing 6-8 bags of topsoil. If a topsoil purchase is necessary, the cost will be reimbursed at a maximum of $20.00 by the Food Bank once per year. 
• The bucket gardens will be planted at the local agency. The agency can plant the buckets on their own, recruit a local volunteer group or request assistance with finding a volunteer group from the Food Bank.
• Each food pantry and soup kitchen will be eligible for two kits per order.
• Garden in a Bucket can be done across the growing season and a variety of fruits and vegetables can be grown in containers.

See the planting suggestions below for suggestions of what to plant May through August.

• After last frost in May: bean seeds, beet seeds, broccoli seedlings, carrot seeds, lettuce seedlings, kale seeds, radish seeds, spinach seeds
• June: eggplant seedlings, herb seedlings, tomato seedlings, pepper seedlings, onion seedlings
• End of July: kale seeds, lettuce seeds, radish seeds, spinach seeds
• Middle of August: beet seeds, broccoli seedlings, carrot seeds, lettuce seedlings, turnip seeds 

FOOD BANK GARDEN GRANTS STILL AVAILABLE

It was good to learn today about how the food bank that serves our area promotes growing fresh food for distribution to people in need...

The Food Bank of Central New York has Garden Grant awards available of $250 each. Grants will be awarded to local food pantries or community kitchens that are already food bank partners and that do not currently have a “growing food” garden, or would like to expand  their current garden.

Awards will be allocated to partner agencies on a first come first served basis. It is a rolling application process which means there is no deadline to apply. Agencies will have to meet the criteria outlined in the application and provide all the information to receive the award. 

The application can be accessed on the Food Bank website under Get Help/Community Services/Garden Grant. Applications being accepted all year allows for spring, summer or fall garden installations, meaning your edible garden can be planted and grown all throughout the year.

FOOD PANTRIES BRACING FOR LONGER LINES

“Around the country, food pantry directors are girding for an influx of hungry adults” as a three-month limit on SNAP benefits for unemployed, childless adults returns in many areas, the New York Times reports. During the recession, most states took advantage of a provision that allows them to waive this limit when unemployment is persistently high. Now, as the economy improves, states must decide whether they should continue these waivers. Eight states qualified for waivers in 2015 but decided to use them only in parts of the state or not at all. USDA estimates that 23 more states will cease to qualify for statewide waivers in 2016. States are not required to help the affected people find jobs or provide a place in a job-training program that would allow them to keep benefits.  Very few do so, leaving it to the participants to find enough work or training to keep their benefits. According to USDA, the households of able-bodied adults receiving SNAP in 2013 had average gross incomes of $308 per month — or less than 30% of the federal poverty guideline.

Source: New York Times, 4/11/15, Ending SNAP Waivers

Food pantry funding

Did you read the article on the front page of today's Watertown Times - Food Pantries Cope with Loss of Annual Grant Program?

Nothing I say or write is meant to disparage Mr. Feinstein or his Foundation - he has been giving away a million dollars a  year for a long time.

But, one line in the article says it all for me... "Last year, the Carthage pantry collected around $20,000 worth of donations during the two-month challenge, which earned it a $300 grant from the Feinstein Challenge."

The organization I was previously with stopped participating in this program a few years ago because we did not feel we could call it a "matching grant" or even a "challenge grant" when we knew we would receive only pennies on the dollar.

I am sure that each of the food pantries mentioned in the article and many others around the region could find a local sponsor who would donate $300 or even $1,000 to sponsor a challenge.  I was glad to read on and find that the Lowville Food Pantry was thinking about it that way.

The bottom line - people are generous and they want to help.  With or without a challenge grant, people will respond if we explain the needs and ask.

Gloria

Serving people in need with dignity

Did you see the segment on last Sunday's "60 Minutes" called War and Hunger?

Some of the segment moved me to tears to see the struggles of people in countries torn by war and where food is used as a weapon.

But the show also brought great joy, to see the work of the World Food Programme, and its tireless and passionate team. And especially to see former Feeding America executive Ertharin Cousin, who is now the Executive Director of the WFP.

With Ertharin's leadership, the WFP has taken a new approach to feeding people in refugee camps. Instead of the mass feeding, cafeteria style, that you are used to seeing in the wake of a disaster or crisis, the WFP is building supermarkets! Each refugee family is then given a food card and they can get their own food, prepare their own meals, and eat together as a family!

Doesn't this make sense?

It's the disaster equivalent of providing SNAP benefits in the US or of the best practice of providing client choice at food pantries in the US. We recommend that, instead of pre-packing bags for families, the families be allowed to choose their own food. It's more dignified, less food is wasted, and it let's the volunteers interact with the clients in new ways - ways that might actually build human relationships and help a family on the road to self-sufficiency.

We need to feed people who are hungry, whether the disaster is natural or man-made, and whether it's here in the US or overseas. But can't we do it in a way that preserves the dignity of the person needing the assistance?

Gloria

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

Ogdensburg pantry runs out of food

A report from St. John's in Ogdensburg ...

 

Usually the church has 20-30 families come to the monthly food pantry. Yesterday they had over 50 families, and they ran out of food. With the holidays and cold weather approaching, demand is expected to be even higher!

 

We need to provide food to people in crisis, but we also need to ask ourselves how we shorten the lines at our food pantries!

 

Gloria

Walking to the food pantry

I arrived in the North Country over the weekend, first for a cousin's 50th wedding anniversary celebration, and then to spend a few days getting oriented at GardenShare.

Over dinner last night, my sister-in-law told me an incredible story that speaks to the needs in the area.  She volunteers at one of the church-based food pantries in Gouverneur, my hometown and where my brother and his wife still live.  She told me that two weeks ago at the pantry, she met an elderly woman, who had walked all the way from Fine to Gouverneur.  I checked and it's 28 miles!

The woman was preparing to walk back when my sister-in-law  talked to her and found out that she had walked.  The church's pastor found a ride for the woman to get her home with her three bags of groceries.

Can you imagine being so desperate that you would walk 28 miles and then plan to carry three bags of groceries and walk 28 miles home?

Whether we find ways to bring the food to the people or the people to the food is clearly a legitimate question, but we can certainly not expect our seniors to walk more than 50 miles round trip just for a few bags of groceries!

Gloria