Transiting my way into the thoughts I have had about my time at the food pantry, I would like to say they are mostly positive. I say mostly because there are a few things that I want to critique with what I have learned with my time spent there and also within the few articles I have found based on the food pantry and the obesity epidemic in America. According to The Dietary Quality of Food Pantry Users: A Systematic Review of Existing Literature by Anja Simmet, Dipl.-Ges.oec.*; Julia Depa, MSc; Peter Tinnemann, MD, MPH; Nanette Stroebele-Benschop, PhD, “... the dietary intake of most food pantry users does not meet recommendations.”
Before I jump ahead too far, I would like to use the definition of a food pantry or food bank provided by this article; usually collect food, including perishables, and provide bags for the users to take home. They usually let users come once a month or even once a week. This article also found, in their
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A food pantry users information is good for an entire year, so essentially a person only has to use the pantry once a year, but they can use it for up to 12 times a year (depending the location). But depending how many times a person uses the food pantry, will have a large part in their dietary intake. This could make the research found, inadequate to the dietary quality of a regular user. I say this because a person that uses the pantry only once a year, won’t be a good fit within the research.
The food pantry I volunteered at was in Decatur County in Iowa. This county in Iowa happens to be the poorest according, to Gwen Simpson, the director of the Decatur County Food Pantry. A person or family that wants to use the food pantry can come in whenever it is open (three times a week to be exact), and fill out paperwork, with a proof of address and go “shop”. A person can use the pantry up to once a month, but they can come three days early if they
... a dinner meal can become a luxury. Soup kitchens sometimes become overcrowded and unable to serve everyone in need. As a result, malnutrition is not uncommon among these underprivileged families.
According to the “Hunger and Poverty Fact Sheet” on Feeding America’s website, in 2014 there were over 48 million Americans living in food insecure households, which included 32 million adults and 15 million children. For over 35 years, Feeding America continues to be in the forefront in solving this crisis by providing food to people in need through a nationwide network of food banks. In the late 1960s, Van Hengel established the nation’s first food bank and years later established the first national organization of food banks, Second Harvest. Second Harvest was later called America’s Second Harvest the Nation’s Food Bank Network and in 2008, the national organization changed its name to Feeding America.
A community health assessment of the Hillside-Quadra area was performed and considered various aspects of the community, including the population, the socioeconomic environment, and health and social services. Personal communication with some of the residents determined that food insecurity is of major significance for many in the community. “Food insecurity exists within a household when one or more members do not have access to the variety or quantity of food they need due to lack of money” (Statistics Canada, 2015). Community kitchens (CK), are easily adapted to an IFK concept, have been implemented by two communities within Victoria (Appendix B; Personal Communication) and are capable of serving as a public health initiative that benefits the communities they serve (Iacovou et al.,
Food shopping when you are poor in America doesn't mean taking the minivan out to Costco; it can mean walking to the only "supermarket" in the neighborhood, often a small corner retail operation with high markups on food and household supplies.With so many people in poverty it is questioned if giving the poverty aid is even a solution as stated by David Cheal in his book New Poverty: Families in Postmodern Society, “Throwing money at social problems is no longer
I also recently volunteered at the Cleveland Food Bank by packing lunches for under privileged children and sorting non-perishable foods for those in need. Prior to participating in volunteer services for the day, we were required to watch a video that explains the purpose of the Cleveland Food Bank and why there is a need for continuous support. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank works to ensure that everyone in our communities has the nutritious food they need every day. The mission of the Cleveland Food Bank is to alleviate hunger by providing food and support to community organizations that feed the hungry. Many people depend on the support because of their financial situation, life changes, and possible mental or physical limitations. The Food Bank acts as a storage unit and distribution facility for smaller agencies and organizations such as schools, homeless shelters, churches, and day
As noted by Wolfe, Frongillo, & Valois, (2003) hardships such as functional impairments, chronic health problems and money are major causes of food insecurity among the elderly. The US Department of Agriculture 's Continuing Survey of Food provided data on dietary intakes and behaviors were obtained from the elderly. There data showed that that lower-income elderly consume significantly fewer calories than higher-income elderly, fewer servings of major Food Guide Pyramid food groups, and most nutrients. Additionally, 6% of elderly households report some degree of food insecurity. Interventions have been established to reduce rates of food insecurity among the elderly.
While Soup Kitchens are a way to feed the poor or homeless, it not a program that effectively helps the homeless onto their feet, it simply keeps them fed. (www.merriam-webster.com) These do help the unsheltered homeless population though. While there are shelters, not everyone has access to them or some even chose not to go. In the city of Los Angeles, there are about 27,000 homeless people who are unsheltered, that’s 1 in 378. There are various factors that cause homelessness; these include a decline in public assistance, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, job loss, divorce, low wages, poverty, severe depression, physical disabilities or mental illnesses. From the year 2011 to 2012, the number of homeless people skyrocketed. In New York City alone, there are more homeless people in the year 2014 than there were in the recession of the 1980s. (www.studentsagainsthunger.org)
“Food Deserts” as defined by the CDC, are “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In simpler terms, a food desert is a community with little to no grocery stores. Many reports show that neighborhoods with less access to neighborhood grocery stores have a higher risk for obesity and unhealthy diets unlike neighborhoods where residents have better access to neighborhood grocery stores. The “USDA estimates that 23.5 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income areas that are than one mile from a supermarket. Of the 23.5 million, 11.5 million are low-income individuals in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Of the 2.3 million people living in low-income rural areas that ...
Food insecurity is an issue faced by millions of Americans every day, and the biggest group affected by this is working families with children. Food insecurity is so big that the United States government has now recognized it and provided a definition for it. The United States government has defined food insecurity as “a household level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food” (USDA.gov). Food banks and anti-hunger advocates agree that some of the causes of food insecurity are stagnant wages, increase in housing costs, unemployment, and inflation of the cost of food. These factors have caused food banks to see a change in the groups of people needing assistance. Doug O’Brien, director of public policy and research at Chicago-based Second Harvest says “’we’ve seen a real shift in who we serve. A decade ago, it was almost always homeless, single men and chronic substance abusers. Now we have children and working families at soup kitchens’” (Koch). These families that are feeling the effects of food insecurity will not be only ones affected by it, but all of America. Studies have shown that there is a link between food security, performance in the classroom, and obesity. If this issue is not faced head on, America will have a generation of children not fully prepared for the workforce and high health insurance rates due to obesity health issues.
In order to determine the prevalence of households that are food insecure, “The Food Security Supplement is administered annually to about 45,000 households as part of the monthly, nationally representative Current Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The supplement has been conducted annually since 1995.” (Health Indicators Warehouse, 2013). The survey was developed by the USDA in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control, and asks participants questions about their confiden...
In efforts to eliminate hunger in the Austin Community, Hope Church operates a food pantry that provides food and supplies to local residents within the 60651 and 60644 postal zip codes. The Pantry is operated by a friendly volunteer staff who’s there to be a blessing to others! The hope food pantry is a non-profit organization which distributes food to a variety of community agencies which serve the people in need. Last year alone, over 1 million pounds of food was distributed throughout our community. The hope food pantry also host special events to raise money and food for our community. For every dollar raised, the food pantry can provide ten meals to the needy.
For more than 130 years, The Salvation Army has helped women, children, elderly men, families, and addicts overcome hard times. The Gospel Rescue Missions also help anyone and they do not mind age, religion, race, origin or color. With programs all over the country, The Department of Veterans Affairs target to help homeless veterans and those who depend on them. Another organization is Feeding America, who are a hunger relief charity and they take the lead with helping with the homeless. They provide food assistance to 25 million people throughout the country with low income, which includes elderly and the youth. All across the country there are homeless shelters that provide free clothing and warm food; some shelters even have different areas for the men, women, and women with children to sleep. This helps to ensure comfort and safety to everyone. Some even find employment and medical services (Homelessness in America). There are some who still live on the streets and have no options, whether there is no room at a shelter, they have no hope, they are addicted, etc. sometimes the better option for some people is to resort to the
Rosenbaum, D. & Neuberger, Z. (2005, August 17). Food and nutrition programs: Reducing hunger and bolstering nutrition. Retrieved from http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=510
As part of my project “Be still” in my Design Research class where I have to sit or stand still for a short amount of time and later write about what I observed, I decided to go to the food court area of Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City on a Sunday afternoon. As it was Sunday afternoon, I could see lots of people in the food court. The advantage of that place was that the area was full of people so it would provide me the good opportunity to observe the atmosphere and people. At the start, I felt very comfortable doing it. I was standing behind a table.
Where does the food pantry get its food? They have four sources of where they get their food. The four sources are food drives, food rescues, food banks, and they purchase some of their own food. The food drive consists of individual donations, which are usually canned goods. The food rescue consists of charities building relationships with local businesses around their area. The businesses or restaurants that they build relationships with will help donate their edible