Changing Face of Food Banks

 

Food banks are present on six different continents today thanks to the idea of John van Hengel, an Arizona native that saw it as wasteful for grocery stores to throw away food that was near expiration date, had damaging to the packaging, or was just not visually appealing to the consumer. For van Hengel and others who supported the creation of food banks, the idea of wasting food when there were needy people in the community who could use the food was a major injustice.

Surprisingly, the system of food banks started in 1967 and not earlier when food insecurity was a common reality for many families, even in North America and Europe. How food banks run vary, but they are commonly not-for-profit, charitable organizations that distribute food to individuals, families or other charities that follow through with distribution to the needy. Many believe that donations come from for-profit organizations like supermarket chains and farmers but this process is changing, at least in North America, according to interviews conducted from California to British Columbia.

 

Food banks are not federal institutions but are heavily reliant on funding and other forms of support from federal agencies. For those who need food but are ineligible or disheartened by the application processes for food stamps and other government programs, food banks are an easier option, as the only information needed is an identification card and utility bill that proves a person’s residence. From the interviews it was revealed that there are two major types of food banks in North America: one, where staff prepares food parcels for people and the other, where recipients wheel around shopping carts and staff allows them to pick two-to-three items from the shelves.

 

Food banks receive food through either purchasing it or through donations. Some for-profit stores are active in this charity by donating non-perishable food items that will not sell or pulling perishable ones off of the shelf in advance before they spoil. This, however, is becoming less common as food banks rely on monetary donations or federal assistance to purchase foods for distribution throughout the community. Foods are often purchased from bulk, low-budget grocery stores in order to stretch out their purchasing power and provide larger amounts of non-perishable items to the community.

 

Churches, sporting events, food drives, and similar charitable events are conducted to stock local food banks. In Western Washington, there are annual high school sports games called ‘food balls’ that bring in monetary and food donations for food banks. From California to British Columbia, postal carriers collect donated foods from households one or two weeks out of the year. These are, once again, small compared to the contribution the federal government makes towards the upkeep of food banks. Aside from monetary and direct food donations, the federal government also contributes food that is gleaned from regional agricultural zones. I was told of oranges present at a food bank in Western Washington coming from Arizona orchards that were picked by prison labor.

 

There is also the misnomer of too many people living well off of the dole, which is, taking advantage of these handouts by not working or profiting from food banks. During the interviews, there was never a person coming in with a luxurious car, wearing lavish clothes or jewelry. People who came in to receive their food parcels or shop around for their food were walking in off the street, biking in, mothers with their children, the elderly, and people of modest means.

Not all donations at the food banks go directly to those in need. Some foods continue through a chain of charity, reaching organizations like homeless shelters, churches and youth groups who either use the food to prepare meals, or distribute the donations at fixed times or particular events. As can be expected, there are certain stigmatisms and biases of people who appear at these gatherings or distribution points. They can be cajoled by others for accepting such charity and possibly feel too ashamed themselves to appear for such assistance. These situations make outreach difficult and food banks are aware that the numbers they serve underrepresent all those who are in need of food assistance.      

 

To remedy this situation food banks are now considering selling some of their donations, at a lower cost compared to discount food stores like Grocery Outlet, Cash & Carry, ALDI, and Bottom Dollar. The money made from such sales will go into the purchase of more donations and food bank operating costs. What is interesting about the outreach model is it is still a not-for-profit goal, but it may cut into the clientele that discount food stores now serve. Food bank employees do not like the comparison but with the numbers of poor people growing in the United States and the success of ‘no-frills’ supermarkets in securing a niche in the food service market, they will either be serving side-by-side with the discount grocery stores or competing with them for customers.