Thread: Food Banks and Hunger Policy

So a bit of a background 'fore I start with the current.

A few years ago I volunteered with a local politician, New York State Assistant Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, at her community office in Brooklyn. Then I went to college, and now I am back and trying to get involved with things in the local area.



After a few months of searchin' around on the internet for postings that various non-profits, government sectors, or private companies had to offer, I started to change the way that I went about thing. It turns out, that with the downturn in money, there are a whole heck of a lot people who got laid off in NYC, and by extenshun, a whole heck of a lot of people that any random employer would rather hire than me, because they have experience whereas I do not.



So I contacted Rhoda's office again, and I'm volunteering there at the moment.



The initiative that she is working on in the moment that I could help with is coordination efforts for food pantries in her district (the 42nd NYS congressional). The premise, is that although some food pantries work much more efficiently than other food pantries, if you are going to take a general perspective, things could be a whole lot better; there is reports that food pantries are seeing a tripling of people going to get food from them. Food is expensive, especially when you need to pay rent and feed a family.



The main problem, on a community level, is that there is a big disparity between the big pantries and the little ones; the big ones have organization, and by extension funding, while the little ones have it but at a significantly lesser level. So there have been efforts to form a 'union of food pantries' where there is a much greater degree of coordination between the different places, so that decisions can be made in a cheaper way (economies of scale), information can be disseminated (have the good ones teach the not as good ones), proper food is available (high sodium, unhealthy food is not good), etc.



My task right now is as follows: I need to talk to the food pantries, and try to determine what it is that comprises their essence - what they do well, what they do poorly, what they need, etc. From this, I plan to compile these summaries into a unified grant proposal, that can be presented to donors with the hope that it would be much more effective at getting funds allocated for the community than each individual organization on its own.



Do you have any ideas as to which avenues I should be approaching? What charities are out there that could be looked into?

Do you have anything that could at all be beneficial to helping me out?



And I'll conclude with some things that I have learned:

- People have been showing up dressed for work / going to an interview and ask for food.

- The problem is not just with food, its also with 'food infrastructure': food transportation, shelving, storage space, refrigeration, diversity of food sources, security (keeping abuse of system at minimum).

- Food Pantry's don't get Turkeys donated to them by many organizations - those turkeys are given to Soup Kitchens instead.

- People who get food stamps sometimes get food from a pantry instead of using their stamps.



Overall, any way that any one here can help me out would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

damn, 76 views, and no replies?

[quote name='The_Bear' date='10 August 2009 - 10:32 PM' timestamp='1249957943' post='2928']

So a bit of a background 'fore I start with the current.

A few years ago I volunteered with a local politician, New York State Assistant Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, at her community office in Brooklyn. Then I went to college, and now I am back and trying to get involved with things in the local area.



After a few months of searchin' around on the internet for postings that various non-profits, government sectors, or private companies had to offer, I started to change the way that I went about thing. It turns out, that with the downturn in money, there are a whole heck of a lot people who got laid off in NYC, and by extenshun, a whole heck of a lot of people that any random employer would rather hire than me, because they have experience whereas I do not.



So I contacted Rhoda's office again, and I'm volunteering there at the moment.



The initiative that she is working on in the moment that I could help with is coordination efforts for food pantries in her district (the 42nd NYS congressional). The premise, is that although some food pantries work much more efficiently than other food pantries, if you are going to take a general perspective, things could be a whole lot better; there is reports that food pantries are seeing a tripling of people going to get food from them. Food is expensive, especially when you need to pay rent and feed a family.



The main problem, on a community level, is that there is a big disparity between the big pantries and the little ones; the big ones have organization, and by extension funding, while the little ones have it but at a significantly lesser level. So there have been efforts to form a 'union of food pantries' where there is a much greater degree of coordination between the different places, so that decisions can be made in a cheaper way (economies of scale), information can be disseminated (have the good ones teach the not as good ones), proper food is available (high sodium, unhealthy food is not good), etc.



My task right now is as follows: I need to talk to the food pantries, and try to determine what it is that comprises their essence - what they do well, what they do poorly, what they need, etc. From this, I plan to compile these summaries into a unified grant proposal, that can be presented to donors with the hope that it would be much more effective at getting funds allocated for the community than each individual organization on its own.



Do you have any ideas as to which avenues I should be approaching? What charities are out there that could be looked into?

Do you have anything that could at all be beneficial to helping me out?



And I'll conclude with some things that I have learned:

- People have been showing up dressed for work / going to an interview and ask for food.

- The problem is not just with food, its also with 'food infrastructure': food transportation, shelving, storage space, refrigeration, diversity of food sources, security (keeping abuse of system at minimum).

- Food Pantry's don't get Turkeys donated to them by many organizations - those turkeys are given to Soup Kitchens instead.

- People who get food stamps sometimes get food from a pantry instead of using their stamps.



Overall, any way that any one here can help me out would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[/quote]



I suggest you contact this person via his web site: http://www.jasonchance.com



He runs a food bank in Bristol PA. He can give you a first-hand view from the ground,

and I'm aware that he has some recent experience with government bureaucrats....



I am also aware that his mission is to feed hungry people, not to tangle with

finances and logistics and bureaucracy. He does that only to the extent that it is

absolutely necessary.



Recently, what he found to be necessary, was private fund-raising, even though

his bank DID (past tense) get most of its money from the county. (Bucks County,

that would be) -



But when the county said "no more", he got on the airwaves and got private donations.



I'm sure a discussion with J.C. would be very helpful.

[quote name='michaelr' date='11 August 2009 - 07:53 PM' timestamp='1250034838' post='3443']

i am not familiar with the government intervention in pantries. I am but a lowly donator. I usually deal with the smaller FB's and one larger one in Tacoma. The Tacoma bank deals with mostly clean and sober homes. I am sorry, and i hope you find the help you need Bear.

[/quote]



Yes. It seems Bear is talking about the "delivery infrastructure" -



And, I mean, this is also why they have "community clinics", and why people use them instead of going to hospitals.



Here's an example - from New York ('cause I lived in Manhattan for 12 years) -



The shelter system. It is the ULTIMATE delivery vehicle, because you can walk into any shelter and get a hot meal.



BUT, no one does it. Most homeless people avoid shelters like the plague. Why?



It's because they SUCK! People would TEN times rather brave their local food bank, than tangle with a gubmint shelter.



Even if the pickins at the food bank happen to be sparse that day.



So, like, my advice would be to take a very practical view to this - you gotta get ON THE GROUND, and actually

experience the experience of the homeless and starving, WHILE they're out there looking for a meal.



Unless you've done that, you REALLY SHOULDN'T BE MAKING BUREAUCRATIC DECISIONS ON THIS TOPIC. Capiche? (no offense)....



This question, can not be answered from a desk.



And that, fortunately, is the sum total of my input on this. I haven't been a customer in a food bank in many

many years - I and my family are quite blessed in that regard - BUT, we came close a little while ago, thanks to

that asshole George Bush (may he rot in hell) -



But, I spent an entire YEAR homeless and dependent on food banks and such - IN New York City, IN the middle of

winter, and IN lower Manhattan where the conditions are.... "less than optimal" for homeless people. So, I do have

SOME experience to back up my opinion on this matter.

OK.

So I have gotten through the initial write-up of two of the food pantries that I have looked at. The intent is to compile 11 of these in total for a 'grant' report; you know, give a good summary of the pantry so potential donors know what they are donating to.



B’nai Raphael Chesed Organization – Visited 8/11/09



The overarching essence of B’nai Raphael is that it strives to be a food pantry that is independent in both thought and practice. The pantry’s main purpose is to help fight hunger in the local Jewish community, and as such, is kosher; if Raphael receives un-kosher food from his benefactors, he redirects it towards the many other food pantries in the community.



Raphael Chazin, the founder of B’nai Raphael, as well as a trucking business (What is the name of his trucking business?), in (year of founding) wanted to help his community, and saw that he could be most effective in opening up a food pantry. There are 11 paid part-time employees (Check this fact with him), with the rest of the staff being volunteers (ballpark estimate of volunteers during a given week). He finances his operation with 80% of its operating budget of $600,000 per year from his own finances and 20% from contributions from individuals, businesses, and groups within the community.



In order to prevent abuse and ensure the maximum availability of supplies, people must register with the pantry, and receive identification signaling that they are approved. Among the recipients are 1800 local families, local churches and synagogues, and many other people who have applied and been accepted.



B’nai Raphael is a very efficiently run organization. Raphael receives most of the food from city harvest and the local food banks – from these sources, he is able to turn $1 of his money into $10 worth of food, if the food were to be priced at the standard market rates. A shopping cart full of food gotten from B’nai Raphael by a registered recipient costs the organization $5.85, whereas it would cost over $100 at a local supermarket.



There is a great diversity of healthy choices available for consumers at the pantry: there are big refrigerators full of juice, milk, and eggs; there are crates and storerooms full of vegetable; there is fresh bread; there are grains and cereals; there are vast selections of canned goods; and there is even a selection of medicine such as cough syrup.



If B’nai Raphael received more funding, it would use any additional funding to purchase more food, hire more workers, and to expand its operation. Currently the pantry moves around 4 million pounds of food per week, and always needs more and better food. The problem has become especially acute recently since it has expanded to serving 1800 families in 2009 from 800 families in 2007. Another problem is the lack of space – with not enough workers or space, empty boxes and crates are ever-present in both the customer room and the storage room. The result is the creation of excessive clutter and massive inefficiency at a time of peak demand. With extra funds, additional workers could be hired and service expanded, helping to most efficiently combat hunger throughout the community.

---

Our Lady of Refuge – Visited 8/12/09



(Overarching Idea)

The idea that drives the food pantry at Our Lady of Refuge is that institutions which exist in the community for the benefit of the community should help the community in all possible ways. In 1988, the people at Our Lady of Refuge decided that they would open up a food pantry at their church to serve the needy members of their community, who are primarily of Caribbean and Latin American descent.



The food pantry is open once a week and gives out bags of food to those who come and want it. Prior to its opening once a week on Wednesdays, people must go to a worker who stands outside the church handing out slips of paper with numbers on them – only those people with numbers are allowed to get food from the pantry, and the lower numbers are allowed to receive their bags of food before those with higher numbers.



On a weekly basis, there are usually around 230 people given bags of food. This number includes those who are seeking food for their families, or for themselves, or people who have not been able to find steady work. One example of a bag of food is: half a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, canned chicken, canned vegetables, canned fruits, and packaged or boil-ready beans.



The food pantry receives its funding primarily from the federally funded Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), the federally funded Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), grants from the New York City Department of Health, and contributions from individuals within its parish. In a given year, Our Lady of Refuge spends about $50,000 on food, with the money that is received from grants being directly paid to food banks, which in turn send the food to the pantry – the pantry rarely sees the money itself.



There is a lack of healthy options available, and a lack of staple foods, such as juice, eggs, milk, rice, cereal, or pasta. There are almost no fresh vegetables, fruits, or meats, and if there are, it is the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of supplies exist in cans. There is some rice, cereal, and pasta, but not enough to give every person a selection, so it is not given out on a regular basis. There is a shortage of canned or dried milk and no fresh milk. Eggs are not regularly available, and are only available by the discretion of the food bank. Overall, much of the food is canned and unhealthy, there is a severe shortage of fresh food, and there is not enough supply of staples.



If Our Lady of Refuge received more funds, it would allocate those funds for better food in greater quantities, storage and refrigeration units. As mentioned before, there is a lack of fresh and nutritious food. Additionally, it would ideally purchase and install two walk in refrigeration units, as well as shelving, with the intent to consolidate and organize its storage situation.

In my area food pantries do cooperate with each other and even get good donated to them through a much larger umbrella organization.



It does make me nervous that a government organization would be taking an interest in getting involved with the food pantries. As just one example, how will the government interact with religious based pantries?

[quote name='lakeman' date='12 August 2009 - 07:54 PM' timestamp='1250121291' post='4239']

In my area food pantries do cooperate with each other and even get good donated to them through a much larger umbrella organization.



It does make me nervous that a government organization would be taking an interest in getting involved with the food pantries. As just one example, how will the government interact with religious based pantries?

[/quote]



LoL are you serious here?

The first food pantry that I went to was founded by this orthodox jew and serves kosher food. The food pantry that I went to today was at a church. The one that I'm going to tomorrow is called 'Valme Ministries'.



Before the office started trying to coordinate things, there was minimal coordination between two. There is still minimal coordination.



I'm not going to f'in justify anything that I've been doing to you.