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.

An Upcoming Police State

More and more local municipalities in the United States are seeing ex-police officers running for office. Most of these candidates in both their law enforcement and political careers promote a policy known as ‘zero tolerance,’ where minor infractions of the law are prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law. The thinking behind such a policy is that in order to prevent grave crimes from occurring like murder, forms of assault, illegal trafficking and grand theft, it is necessary to punish (to the furthest extent of the law) those who commit lesser crimes like breaking windows, graffiti, disturbing the peace, loitering, public drunkenness, or disloyal opposition (verbally disrespecting a police officer). The fines and time served for committing such small violations are increasing through new legislation and the general public, in general, is unaware and indifferent to the change. However, many voters believe or are told to believe that a clean street will nurture pure minds that uphold the law and report any deviant activity, keeping their neighborhoods safe from crime. 

The popularity of such a program rests well on the coattails and hysteria of September 11. More and more, Americans support candidates that are ‘tough on crime’ and are diverting public spending from institutions like public education, food assistance and health to security and law enforcement. Ask a recent graduate from a college or university who the three most active job recruiters are and he/she will say homeland security administrations, police departments and prisons. The financial crisis, however, struck a blow to this growth temporarily. States had no choice but to release some prisoners, often inmates that are in jail for marijuana possession or other minor offenses. But the US economy will eventually rebound, not necessarily to the prosperity known n the later half of the 20^th Century, but certainly to the point where it continues to be a major consumer of goods from China and other developing nations. When it does, what government exists at the local, state, and federal levels, will continue dismantling what social safety nets remain and increase spending on law enforcement.

The trend of diverting revenues to law enforcement instead of social programs is a reversal of the social safety nets set up in the 1960s and 1970s. These decades witnessed a counter-culture movement, a revolution that changed significantly how people thought about life, law and society. Though not all followed the movement, it was a time when people questioned the War in Vietnam, the intolerance and injustice of Jim Crow laws in southern states, gender roles, and in general how people treated others. It was a revolution that preached tolerance, acceptance of difference and began questioning the power structures in education, business, law, and politics. The counter-culture movement had its shortcomings and those who were a part of it, if asked today, will likely admit it never completed its objectives. Americans today, in fact, resemble the post-WW II generation that purchased many goods and feared the Soviets, only now the products come from overseas and the terrorism has replaced the Soviet threat.

There is a revolution coming in the United States. It is not based on ideas and thinking from the 1960s and 1970s, however. It is one of greater law enforcement and intolerance towards deviance and protest, eventually profiling and targeting all who are excluded from the wealth and power in this country. It is a state where the privileged are protected and the poor are punished, where the punishments grow more severe and are used in cases where people break the law under duress more and more. Those who can afford decent counsel are likely to walk away from their crimes while those who are represented by overworked, public defenders serve time and are slapped with hefty fines. The poor will be impoverished further and likely to commit more crimes with little opportunity and a growing hatred for authority. Law enforcement agencies commonly have the slogan ‘to protect and serve’ but this is not for the common good. Their services are for those who are part of the political and economic elite who live in gated communities or streets commonly patrolled by public and private police agencies. The rest, however, have the pleasure of living in fear of what activity will land them into a situation of being questioned by the police, detained, and possibly arrested in the emerging police state that is the United States.    

The Loss of Community After Katrina

A visit to the Lower 9th Ward almost six years after Hurricane Katrina is revealing to how humans exacerbated the crisis. Before the hurricane, the neighbourhood was no utopia. It had its share of poverty, unemployment, crime, alcoholism and drugs. But despite all this when talking to the residents, there was a sense of community and people knowing each other, a state that no longer exists among the people who live there now.

The Lower 9th Ward is struggling with its new identity and purpose. For the moment, it is a mixed patchwork of plots of land where houses once stood but were demolished and are now susceptible to weeds and grass, homes that are now restored, and homes called by local's the 'Brad Pitt' houses as he did contribute funds and coordination with architectural firms to build homes where homes were demolished (see the photo below). Occasionally it is possible to see a home that remains from the hurricane's damage that has not been razed to the ground.

The future of the lower 9th Ward is still undecided. It was the home of predominantly African Americans but given the desires of developers and city planners to gentrify and add value to land, there is concern that African Americans will be pushed further to the fringes of New Orleans and deprived of their land rights and ability to rebuild their community in the Lower 9th Ward.

List of Necessities? An Innovative Mind is All One Needs

I am about to go from California to Ohio, with the clothes on my back and a bag in tow. Many people have asked me before what items are important for such a trip, especially if one is walking, hitch hiking and freight train hopping. Honestly the first thing one needs is a sober mind and sharp wits in order to respond to any challenges or snags that come along. After that, it is up to the discretion of the person about to journey. Everyone has their own ideas as to what is essential and what is not. In truth, everything else can be found or improvised. Though I do suggest having a decent set of clothes on one’s back and a bag of essentials that is not heavy or cumbersome to move around.  To appease the curious who ask about individual items, I went through my pockets and bag to itemize all the things I have on me:

Large Items
1 Sports Bag, dimensions 12” by 12” by 26”
1 Case containing 13 Maps of northern, central and southern routes of BNSF Railroad
1 Tarp, dimensions 68” by 78”
1 Yoga Mat, dimensions 20” by 74”
1 Tent, suitable for three to four people
1 Sleeping Bag, 4 degree C tolerance
1 Ranger Blanket, dimensions 48” by 60”

Smaller Items in Bag
5 Markers, dark to black in color (for making signs)
1 Eye Mask, 1 Pair of Ear Plugs, 1 Nose & Mouth Mask (for sleeping and pollution)
1 Lunch Pail, with Pirate Emblems on it (can you tell this is a luxury item?)
1 Plastic Liter Bottle for Water
1 Bag of Dried Fruit
2 Re-chargers for an iPod Touch and Video/Camera
2 Pairs of Spare Socks
2 Pairs of Spare Underwear, 1 Pair of Thermal Underwear
1 Extra Shirt and 1 Extra pair of Pants
1 Wool Hat
1 Backpack Bag
1 Book, Oscar Wilde Short Stories (Never read it and wanted to give it a go)
1 Bottle of Mouth Wash, 8.5 ounces
1 Bottle of Anti-Histamine Lotion, 3 ounces
1 Bottle of Liquid Soap, 6 ounces
1 Bottle of Sunblock, 2 ounces
12 Samples of Cologne/Perfume from Department Stores
24 Aspirin/Ibuprofen
1 Bottle of Hand Sanitizer, 3 ounces
1 Tub of Toothpaste, 2 ounces, Toothbrush and Toothbrush Holder
4 Lip Balms
1 Mirror from Make Up Holder
1 Tweaser
1 Toe Nail Clipper
1 Small Sewing Kit
1 Hairbrush
2 Small Tins of Shoe Polish, Black
2 Razors
1 Pack of Dental Floss
1 Small Pack of Toothpicks
1 Washcloth
20 postcards and postcard stamps
1 Bi-fold Folder with Documents and Articles I am working on

Smaller Items on My Possession (Clothing and Pocketed Items)

1 Baseball Cap
1 Jacket
1 Long Sleeve Shirt
1 Pair of Pants
1 Pair of Underwear
1 Pair of Socks
1 Pair of Boots
1 Bandana
1 Pair of Gloves
1 Small Flashlight
1 Pair of Binoculars
1 Utility Tool (with fork, spoon and knife)
1 Pair of Sunglasses
1 iPod Touch (Found in Scarborough, Ontario)
1 Video/Camera
1 Wallet (IDs, Cash, an additional Razor Blade)

All these things I am willing to lose, have stolen, or I can always give away to others that may be in need. Possessions come and go. The experiences along the way and the stories created from such adventures do not.

Landfills Eat Better than Many of the World’s Poor

FAO, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted every year globally. Given that we have reached a population of 7 billion people, this means that for every person on the globe, 168.83 kilograms (371.43 pounds) of food are wasted every year. One does not need higher education to understand that such a waste is not only inefficient but also an injustice. 1.2 billion people experience malnutrition and famine each year, most of them being children. To give this problem some clarity, every three minutes 700 children die from illnesses induced from famine and malnourishment. If the number of those living with food insecurity (1.2 billion) is alternatively used instead since they could certainly use the food that is wasted, this would mean that the world’s poor watch 984.85 kilograms (2166.67 pounds) of food go to waste every year. Landfills have better diets than the poor.   

According to FAO, industrialized and developing world countries divide evenly between the amounts of food wasted worldwide. Where they differ is in the causes for the food waste.  People in the developing world have food going to waste because of a lack of, or poor infrastructure (roads, markets) and storage capabilities. People in the industrialized world watch food go to waste because of overproduction and cosmetic reasons (particularly with produce) as there are certain expectations how vegetables, food, dairy products look like. Despite the efforts some corporations make to reduce food waste and pass on foods to needy organizations like food banks and other charitable organizations, the pervasive problem of food waste continues as documented in the videos above and below this blog.       

Certified B Corporation

Our foods are becoming more and more tattooed with labeling that is supposed to reflect social and environmental responsibility. For instance, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic and Fair Trade Certified labels are growing in their presence on foods shelved in high end grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Also among these is the Certified B Corporation label, which is used to identify a food company that is socially and environmentally sustainable to potential customers. Consumers who have the means to buy such foods are likely to spend a little more, believing that their purchasing power shapes and influences food companies to not use genetically modified organisms or dangerous pesticides, to pay farmers a fair price for their produce, to use a minimum of amount of energy and natural resources in their packaging, and/or create little or no pollution and waste.

On a recent dumpster diving mission to a tea company plant that uses all of the above labels on its packaging, it was discovered that pounds of Black, Chai, Chamomile, Peppermint, Ginger, Lemon and Fennel were thrown out in large plastic bags. Four bags were found with these various tea assortments with two bags salvaged by the divers. The bags were then brought back to one of the dumpster-diver’s residence where the teas could be sorted through and salvaged for future use. As the divers sifted through the tea, it was discovered that most of the bags were damaged through the machinery responsible for packaging the tea. On average one out of forty bags was perfect and not damaged by the machinery. But as the divers sorted the perfect bags out, they found it wasteful to throw out the thousands of bags that remained, a few of these without tea but many still containing enough tea to salvage. Thus, they pulled out glass jars with lids to sort out and collect the tea that was in the punched, cut or slightly shredded bags.

The result amounted to pounds of tea … enough to keep the divers from buying tea for decades or at least enjoy until it until turning stale. Even if the tea is not consumed it can be used alternatively for composting. Still, reflecting on the fact that only 50% was salvaged from the bins that night and the amount of packaging and tea that was both salvaged and wasted brings into question the ‘sustainability’ of this tea company and other foods that meet the regulations to become a Certified B Corporation. The tea could have gone to food banks for gleaning; it could have also gone to workers or poor communities who might want the tea but instead was headed for the local landfill.

Certified B Corporation is a non-profit organization that has a logo similar to the Copyright Symbol: ©, only the B takes place of the C. From what is posted at their website: http://www.bcorporation.net/ , the B is informally short for ‘Benefit,’ implying that the standards the organization upholds for companies bearing the label are good for both society and the environment. From the point of view of the people who dumpster-dived the tea factory and found a considerable amount of waste of both tea and packaging, Certified B Corporation is more about good marketing than holding companies to sustainable social and environmental practices. It is quite possible that the tea factory makes contributions in other ways, but from the point of view of people who sifted through their waste, Certified B Corporations have a long way to go before achieving ethical and sustainable practices.

Drink Coke … Receive Cancer Treatment

Someone I know recently approached me with a plea. The person asked if I could collect as many Coca-Cola product caps as possible for a friend of his/hers who has a daughter suffering from cancer. He/she said (and I quote), “For a thousand bottle caps, the father can receive one cancer treatment for his daughter.” What else could I do but go around areas where bottles are recycled and gather as many caps as possible.

The Coca-Cola Corporation has for the past several years offered people who drink their product a reward of entering codes on the caps of their products. Those who do can accrue points from entering the codes on the inside of caps to enter sweepstakes for prizes or, cash in points for rewards for things like electronics, household appliances, clothing, etc. Coca-Cola can afford to do this as the amount of points is considerable for these products, and for a person to collect the needed points for an item involves large product consumption. The company makes their money, and the truth is, not all who buy Coca-Cola products take part in the rewards as it takes time and patience to enter and amass the needed points for the products or contests that are offered.

There are a couple possibilities as to why this person told me the father needs the Coca-Cola product caps. One is, he/she is lying and just wants me to do the legwork in collecting caps for him/her. They know I collect caps although I have not purchased Coca-Cola products in years. What I do is go around to recycling stations and collect the caps off of bottles and enter the maximum amount week by week. Like I said before, this takes patience and routine in order to gain from the company’s promotion. While I do not support Coca-Cola through purchasing their product, I have no qualms in profiting from their giveaways.   

A second possibility is that the person and the father are not lying but there is some unscrupulous individual at the hospital that is extorting Coca-Cola product caps for cancer treatment. This certainly sounds farfetched but should we dismiss such a possibility when people are more and more focused on material things and are so ingrained in a high consumption society? After all, it is not uncommon to see on the news channels people trampling one another on Black Friday to purchase one product or another. People wait in long lines to purchase iPads and iPhones. It is too soon to dismiss the idea that, informally, people in the health professions are also seeking out free stuff.

I would not be surprised, given peoples’ resistance to universal health care in the United States, we continue in a direction where the Coca-Cola Company eventually offers health care treatments for consuming their product. A simple search on the internet of cancer treatment with Coca-Cola products does not retrieve such offers as ‘trade in your Coke caps for cancer treatment’ (yet), but the constant drinking of Coca-Cola products may lead to such serious health problems like pancreatic, bone and breast cancers. We have a tendency to allow the ‘arsonists to put out the fires’ in our politics … why not with the international corporations that appear so benign as well?

This sick story, whether it was true or a fabrication, has a sad ending. I collected over 250 bottle caps from Coca-Cola products before this person told me not to do it anymore. He/she told me that the father’s daughter passed away. I did not question this person’s story. I only offered my condolences. I leave it up to those who read this Blog whether or not this was a tale of a liar who gained a considerable number of Coca-Cola points or if this is the sad state of affairs we are headed in when it comes to health care in the United States. My advice is to drink no Coca-Cola products but do take part of their giveaways in order to fight the unforeseen cancer known as the international corporation.