Food Banks Need Help

[Dr. Shane]

Demand At Food Banks Up, Even In Well-Off D.C. Suburbs

As the national unemployment rate nears 10 percent, more and more people are turning to food banks for help keeping food on their plates. Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity, reports that demand at food banks across the United States is up 30 percent from last year...

The amount of food given out depends on the size of the family. A family of six with an emergency referral via Fairfax County social services received 158 pounds of food in the form of milk, eggs, bags of bread, carrots, oranges, and three boxes of non-perishable canned goods -- enough to last the family for about a week.

The canned goods in the boxes are paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which received $100 million in stimulus funds to buy food for food banks and another $50 million for food storage over the next two years, according to Daly. The stimulus money is a big boost to the USDA's $250 million a year food bank program.

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[Neil D]

I wonder how many are living in tent citys?

[Dr. Rich]

Good post shane, for the last 5 years I have been donating my time working at the food bank once or twice a month. You are right and it would be a good thing for others to help out here. Thanks.

[Dr. Shane]

I wonder how many are living in tent citys?

I think the point of the story is that it isn't just the homeless or lower classes but many that have been well established in the middle class are using food banks.

[Neil D]

Yeah, but it causes me to think that there are many who have lost thier homes, and are living out in tents to get by....along with gettting food....

[Dr. Rich]

Yes shane, last year we saw many come to the food bank that would not even think to come before. Many have lost their homes and their jobs and it is really sad. My main job now is fighting foreclosures for these people and you can read what 'we' are doing at www.livinglies.wordpress.com I was teaching other lawyers what I learned and now many know how to battle this hugh problem. But you know, I believe it is going to get much worse and find myself thinking about if I should tell people what I know or not--in regards to what is going to happen. People don't like people who bring bad news.

[Dr. Rich]

You might want to start a food ministry there and work toward getting a law passed that allows the ministry to gleen fields after harvest like I am working on here in California. After all, aren't we supposed to do as Jesus did?

[phkrause]

Food gets a second chance

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

America tosses 94 billion pounds of its food each year. But many local organizations and volunteers are redirecting that food and turning it into meals for people in need. Why it matters: As nearly 50 million Americans struggle with food insecurity — lack of consistent access to nutritious food — these local groups are tackling two problems at once: food waste and hunger. 🍲 Zoom in: Cincinnati has a robust food rescue network. Local organizations recovered 17,629 tons of food in 2024 — the equivalent of 29 million meals, Axios Cincinnati's Kristen Swilley reports. Our Daily Bread, Cincinnati's largest soup kitchen, has relied entirely on rescued and donated food from restaurants and businesses throughout its 41 years of operation. Demand has doubled since 2016. "We literally could not do what we do without rescued food," executive director Georgine Getty says. 🧑‍🍳 In Portland, Ore., nonprofit Urban Gleaners says it rescues nearly 1.2 million pounds of food annually and distributes it to more than 8,500 families across the region each week, Axios Portland's Meira Gebel writes. The group even hosts events inviting local chefs to make gourmet dishes out of food that would have been discarded. 🎡 In Minnesota, a group called Loaves and Fishes rescued food that didn't get sold at the Minnesota State Fair, CBS reports. The food collected from fair vendors included french fries, cheese curds and bags of milk. ⚽ In Philadelphia, 20,000 pounds of surplus food from the World Cup was delivered to families in need. Many other host cities organized similar efforts. The stadium donated nearly 14,000 pre-made meals, which included salads, wraps, cookies, chips and gluten-free options. Those meals had been made for players and staff from teams including France, Brazil, Croatia and Haiti, Axios Philadelphia's Mike D'Onofrio reports. Find your Axios Local city for news about your community.