This insert came in my last month’s cable bill from Armstrong, our local cable provider. The insert alerts Armstrong’s customers about a food drive, benefiting local food banks and soup kitchens. They are sponsoring this food drive during the month of September as part of Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month. The nonprofit organization, Feeding America, started Hunger Action Month in 2008, in an effort to increase involvement nationwide in the fight against food insecurity in the United States. On their website, Feeding America urges Americans to stand up and Pass the Plate, by pledging to take some action to end hunger and then sharing that pledge with friends and family. The web page has a drop down menu of actions from which you can choose–donate, volunteer, contact legislators–or you can write in your own actions.
I like the idea, evoked by my cable company’s flyer, of inflicting harm on hunger on behalf of those who are hungry, and that this campaign will help individuals locally. I also support the call to action encouraged by Feeding America, and that they provide more than one suggestion for how the general population can fight hunger. One person may volunteer because he lacks the extra money to donate. Another may donate money to an organization like Feeding America or items to a food drive, because she lacks the time to volunteer. Charitable organizations who work tirelessly to assist those who are food insecure need both of these people and the resources they bring to bear in the fight against hunger. But the one action we all must must take is the third option provided in the drop down menu–contact our legislators.
The reason all those participating in this Pass the Plate campaign must engage their legislators, at all levels, is because non-profit organizations, all of them combined, can not feed all of the hungry in America. Nor can a cable company avenge hunger. Hunger and food insecurity in the United States is as formidable a foe as any of the Avengers has ever faced. As I have written before, charitable organizations alone can not solve this problem. At best they can provide stop gap measures which only serve as a band-aid on the problem. To really tackle hunger in America requires a strong social safety net and legislation which addresses the root causes of poverty in our country. So continue to volunteer and donate, as what you give enables charitable organizations to provide the stop gap measures those who are hungry need immediately, but also take the time to contact your legislators to insist that the programs which strengthened our social safety net be enacted and that steps be taken to address the root causes of poverty in America. Only then can we truly avenge hunger.
spirits were immediately lifted.
Food Bank of Delaware. The Food Bank of DE has received a 3 year grant from Giant Food’s Our Family Foundation. This grant allows the Food Bank of DE to partner with Delaware Pediatrics in a pilot program entitled “Produce Prescriptions”. The pilot will allow participating Delaware Pediatrics offices to identify up to 120 families they feel are at risk for food insecurity and diet related health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Those families will then be given a “produce prescription” which allows them to receive a monthly allotment of 15-20 pounds of fruits and vegetables from the Food Bank. These fruits and vegetables will be able to be picked up by the families at the pediatric clinic they attend. What a great idea! I have read about doctors and hospitals writing prescriptions for fruits and vegetables, but this is the first program I have heard about that provides the produce to those who are otherwise unable to purchase the produce themselves.
town, I am happy to know that I helped connect the Food Service Director with the right person at the right State agency to move the process along. I’d also like to think that keeping in contact with her over the past few months and letting her know that people in the community supported this action strengthened the district’s resolve to see this process to fruition. Either way, it matters not. The most important thing is that kids, who would otherwise be hungry, are now able to get a nutritious lunch 4 days a week over the summer.
This past Tuesday, rather than do my usual volunteering task of packing food for clients, I went and picked up the Panera bread and sweets that get donated to our pantry, since the lady who regularly makes this run is on vacation this week. I think a while ago I mentioned the bread we get from Panera, but for those who have not read that post let me explain. Once a week on Tuesdays the food pantry receives a delivery of breads and sweets that Panera Bread would otherwise throw away because they had not sold within Panera’s allotted time.
find someone to come and take the bread, Panera would let her have it. She called all around the West Chester area and no one needed bread. While conducting this search, she made contact with the person who is the second leg of the relay. This lady knew about our pantry through one of our volunteers and asked us if we might be interested in this Panera bread if she brought it to us. Absolutely! And the relay was born–from a West Chester Panera to a business park in Wilmington, DE to a food pantry in rural Southern Chester County.
sweets as well, from Danish and scones to cookies and brownies to muffins and cinnamon buns. We get whatever didn’t sell. Once the bread and sweets get to us we package them for storing so they can be distributed throughout the week. I usually help with packaging the sweets. These we wrap individually in plastic wrap. We don’t get enough sweets to give to every household, so we save them for treats for clients who are experiencing an unusual hardship, like caring for someone who is ill or a grandmother raising her grandchildren. Most of what we receive is bread and the bread products get bagged to be frozen. A retired couple comes in on Tuesday afternoons to volunteer to do this task. The amount of bread we get each week determines how we distribute it. Usually we have enough to distribute something to each household, but sometimes when the delivery is small we use save the bread for large families to help augment their allotment. We also use this bread for our homeless clients when we can.
Well I’ve been at this for a year. A few weeks ago marked my one year anniversary as a food pantry volunteer and one year ago tomorrow I published my first blog post. Knowing that I had put forth my intentions and objectives in that first post, I recently went back and reread it. I wanted to see how close to my mission I had remained, or how far afield I had strayed, as I was worried I had. I discovered that, while I am not today where I thought I might be, I have accomplished what I set out to do.
out simple recipes for some of the less familiar produce we had on hand, like winter squash, in an effort to encourage clients to take the produce. Offering these recipes did succeed in getting a few more clients to give the produce a try.
have had with someone on the topic of food insecurity. One of the comments that has meant the most to me was a thank you for shining a light on food insecurity issues from someone whom I suspect is or has struggled with food insecurity. Ideas and information have also been exchanged as readers have sent me links to articles or have told me about local happenings related to hunger that might be of interest to me.
ideally like to be able to give out samples of the produce prepared using the recipe. I would also like to establish a pilot program of providing spices, herbs or other seasonings like lemons, not currently offered in food pantries, coupled with a food pantry staple and a recipe to clients. For instance, if a client took oatmeal or apples s/he would also get a jar of cinnamon and a recipe for oatmeal or applesauce. A whole chicken with lemons and/or garlic would be another paring, along with a recipe for roasted lemon chicken. If the pilot program is successful, my long term goal would be to form a non-profit organization to supply commonly used spices, herbs and other staples, like brown sugar or cooking oil, to the food pantry.
because I was fed up with hearing those suffering from poverty being disparaged and blamed for many of society’s problems. This past year has helped to restore my faith in humanity. Along my path I have met numerous people who care greatly for those less fortunate in our society and are doing whatever they can to help. I have also met many who are in need and most of them possess perseverance and appreciation and retain a sense of optimism that humbles me. This journey has brought me laughter and tears, hope and despair. It has enriched my life and challenged me to be a better person. I knew I would be giving of myself, but I never realized how much I would be getting back.
From a Simmer to a Boil 
