Jump to content

Food bank

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 92.23.172.181 (talk) at 16:05, 14 December 2012 (→Africa). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Volunteers pass out food items from a Feeding America food bank

A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger.

In the United States and Australia, food banks usually operate on the "warehouse" model. They act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller front line agencies; and usually do not themselves give out food directly to the hungry. After the food is collected, sorted, and reviewed for quality, these food banks distribute it to non-profit community or government agencies, including food pantries,[1] food closets,[2] soup kitchens, homeless shelters, orphanages, and schools.

Outside of the US and Australia, the "front line" model is common. Such food banks give out most or all of their food directly to the end users. For both models, the largest sources of food include for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have excess food that they cannot sell. Some foodbanks receive a substantial proportion of their food from individual donors, including their volunteer workers. There is considerable overlap with food salvage, food rescue and gleaning, although not with freeganism or dumpster-diving.

The world's first food bank was established in the US in 1967, and since then many thousands have been set up all over the world. In Europe, which until recently had little need for food banks due to extensive welfare systems, their numbers grew rapidly after the lasting global inflation in the price of food which began in late 2006, and especially after the 2007–2012 global financial crisis began to further worsen economic conditions for those on low income.

The growth of food banks has been broadly welcomed, most especially by those on the right of the political spectrum, but also by many on the left, who see them as evidence of active community that is independent of the state. However, academics and commentators have expressed concern that the rise of foodbanks may erode political support for welfare provision. Researchers have reported that food banks can be inefficient compared with state run services, and that some people feel ashamed at having to turn to them.

Standard model

With thousands of food banks operating on six of the seven continents there are many different models.[3]

A major distinction between food banks is whether or not they operate on the "front line" model, giveing out food directly to the hungry, or whether they operate with the "Warehouse" model, supplying food to intermediaries like food pantries, soup kitchens and other front line organisations.[4] In the US, Australia and to an extent in Canada, the standard model is for food banks to act as warehouses rather than as suppliers to the end user, though there are exceptions. Some food banks will charge a small "shared maintenance" fee for the food to help defray the cost of storage and distribution. In other countries food banks usually do hand out food parcels direct to hungry people, providing the service that in the US is offered by food pantrys.

Another distinction is between the charity model and the labour union model. At least in Canada and the US, Food banks run by charities often place relatively more weight on the salvaging of food that would otherwise go to waste, and on encouraging Voluntarism. Whereas those run by unions can place greater emphasis on feeding the hungry by any means available, on providing work for the unemployed, and on education, especially on explaining to users their civil rights.[5]

In the US, cities will often have a single food bank which acts as a centralized warehouse and will services several hundred front line agencies. Like a blood bank, that warehouse serves as a single collection and distribution point for food donations. A food bank operates a lot like a for-profit food distributor, but in this case it distributes food to charities not to food retailers.

For many US food banks, most of their donated food comes from food leftover from the normal processes of for-profit companies. It can come from any part of the food chain, e.g. from growers who have produced too much or whose food is not sufficiently visually appealing; from manufacturers who overproduced; or from retailers who over-ordered. Often the product is approaching or past its "sell by" date. In such cases, the foodbank liaises with the food industry and with regulators to make sure the food is safe and legal to distribute and eat.

Other sources of food include the general public in the form of "food drives" and government programs that buy and distribute excess farm products mostly to help support higher commodity prices. Food banks can also buy food either at market prices or from wholesalers and retailers at discounted prices, often at cost. Sometimes farmers will allow food banks to send Gleaners to salvage left over crops for free once their primary harvest is complete. A few food banks have even taken over their own farms, though such initiatives have not always been successful.[6]

Many foodbanks don't accept fresh produce, preferring canned or packaged food due to health and safety concerns, though some have tried to change this as part of a growing world wide awareness of the importance of nutrition. As an example, in 2012 London Food Bank (Canada) started accepting perishable food, reporting that as well as the obvious health benefits, there were noticeable emotional benefits to recipients when they were given fresh food.[7]

Summer can be a challenging time for foodbanks, especially in regions where school children are usually given regular free meals during term time. Spikes in demand can coincide with periods where donations fall due to folk being on holiday.[8] [9]

North America

History

The world's first food bank was the St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance in Arizona, founded by John van Hengel in 1967.[3] According to sociology professor Janet Poppendieck, hunger within the US was widely considered to be a solved problem until the mid-1960s.[10] By the mid sixties, several states had ended the free distribution of federal food surpluses, instead providing an early form of food stamps which had the benefit of allowing recipients to choose food of their liking, rather than having to accept whatever happened to be in surplus at the time. However, there was a minimum charge and some people could not afford the stamps, leading to severe hunger.[10] One response from American society to the rediscovery of hunger was to step up the support provided by soup kitchens and similar civil society food relief agencies - some of these dated back to the Great Depression and earlier. In 1965, while volunteering for a community dining room, van Hengel learned that grocery stores often had to throw away food that had damaged packaging or was near expiration. He started collecting that food for the dining room but soon had too much for that one program. He thought of creating a central location from which any agency can receive donations. Described as a classic case of "if you build it they will come", [11] the first food bank was created with the help of St. Mary's Basilica.[12] Food banks spread across the United States, and to Canada. By 1976, the precursor to Feeding America had been established. As of the early 21st century, their network of 200+ foodbanks provides support for 90,000 projects. Other large networks exist such as Ample Harvest, which lists some 33,000 food pantries that can utilise overproduction of fresh produce.[10][13]

It was not however until the 1980s that U.S. food banks began to enjoy rapid growth. A second response to the "rediscovery" of hunger in the mid sixties had been extensive lobbying of politicians to improve welfare. Until the 1980s, this approach had greater impact.[10] In the 1970s, U.S. federal expenditure on hunger relief grew by about 500%, with food stamps distributed free of charge to those in greatest need. According to Poppendieck, welfare was widely considered preferable to grass roots efforts, as the latter could be unreliable, did not give recipients consumer-style choice in the same way as did food stamps, and risked recipients feeling humiliated by having to turn to charity. In the early 1980s, president Reagan's administration scaled back welfare provision, leading to a rapid rise in activity from grass roots hunger relief agencies. Poppendieck says that for the first few years after the change, there was vigorous opposition from left, who argued that state welfare was much more suitable for meeting recipients needs. But in the decades that followed, food banks have became an accepted part of America's response to hunger.[10][14] Demand for the services of US food bank increased further in the late 1990s, after the "end of welfare as we know it" with President Clinton's Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.[15] In Canada, foodbanks enjoyed a period of rapid growth after the cutbacks in welfare that took place in the mid-1990s.[5] As early as the 1980s, food banks had also began to spread from the United States to the rest of the world. The first European Food bank was founded in France during 1984. In the 1990s and early 2000s, food banks were established in South America, Africa and Asia, in several cases with van Hengel acting as a consultant.[16] In 2007, The Global FoodBanking Network was formed.[3] [17]

Post 2007 financial crisis

Following the 2007–2012 global financial crisis, and the lasting inflation in the price of food that began in late 2006, there has been a further increase in the number of folk requesting help from US and Canadian food banks. In 2012, Gleaners Indianna Food bank reported that there were now 50 million Americans struggling with food insecurity (about 1 in 6 of the population), with the number of folk seeking help from Food banks having increased by 46% since 2005.[18] According to a 2012 UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study, there has been a 40% increase in demand for Californian food banks since 2008, with even married couples who both work sometimes requiring the aid of food banks.[19] Dave Krepcho, director of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando has said that even college educated professional couples have begun to turn to food pantries.[20]

By mid 2012, US food banks expressed concerns on the expected difficulty in feeding the hungry over the coming months. Rapidly rising demand has been coinciding with higher food prices and with a deacrease in donations, partly as the food industry is becoming more efficient and so has less mislabelled and other slightly defective food to give away. Also there has been less surplus federal food on offer.[21] Additionally, there have been recent decreases in Federal funding, and Congress have been debating possible further cuts, including potentially billions of dollars from the Food stamp programme.[22][23][24] In September, Feeding America launched Hunger Action Month, with events planned all over the nation. Food banks and other agencies involved hope to raise awareness of the fact that about one in six Americans are struggling with hunger, and to get more folk involved in helping out.[25] [26]

United Kingdom

There has been rapid growth in the provision of foodbanks since hunger in the UK became a prominent issue after the financial crisis, and austerity that followed it from late 2010. Almost all UK food banks are co-ordinated by The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity based in Salisbury which serves as the UK's only food bank network. In 2004 Trussell only ran two two food banks.[27][28] Before the financial crisis, food banks were "almost unheard of" in the UK.[29][30] In 2007 / 2008 there were only 22 food banks in the Trussell Trust Foodbank Network; by early 2011, The Trussell Trust supported 100. As of May 2012, they had 201. By August, 252. The rate of increase has been rising rapidly. In 2011, only about one new food bank was being opened per week. In early 2012, about two were being opened each week. By July, The Trussell Trust had reported that the rate of new openings had increased to three per week. In August, the rate of new openings spiked at four per week, with three new food banks being opened in that month for Nottingham alone. By October 2012, the rate of increase had fallen back to about two or three per week. [31][32][33][34][35] [36] Close to half of those needing to use foodbanks have had issues with their benefits, though many have low income jobs, but struggle to buy food after making debt repayments and other expenses. Demand for food banks is expected to increase even further when cuts to welfare come into effect in April 2013; several councils have began looking at funding foodbanks to increase their capability, as cuts to their budgets mean they'll be less able to help vulnerable people directly.[37][38]

Most UK foodbanks are hosted by churches. They operate on the "frontline" model, giving out food directly to the hungry. About a third of their food comes from supermarkets, with much of it donated by individuals. The Trussell Trust had aimed to provide short term support for people whose needs have not yet been addressed by official state welfare provision; those who had been 'falling into the cracks in the system'. The Trussell franchise has procedures which aim to prevent long term dependency on their services, and to ensure that those in need are referred to qualified outside agencies. The charity suggests that the credit crunch caused an upsurge in the number of people needing emergency food. Since 2010, demand for foodbanks continued to increase, and at a more rapid rate, partly as austerity began to take effect, and partly as those on low incomes began to draw down savings and run out of friends of whom they were willing to ask for help. Unlike soup kitchens,[39] most UK food banks are unable to help people who come in off the street without a referral - instead they operate with a referral system. Vouchers are handed out to those in need by various sorts of professional, such as Social workers, health workers and housing officials. The voucher can typically be exchanged at the food bank for a package of food sufficient to last three days. A small number of foodbanks have been set up outside of the Trussell system, in part as they don't like having to turn away folk without referrals. There is also FareShare, a London based charity which operate some 19 depots which operates on the US style warehouse model. Rather than giving out food directly to individuals, FareShare distributes food to over 700 smaller agencies, including some Trussell foodbanks, but mainly to smaller independent operations like soup kitchens and breakfast clubs.[27][31][32][33][40][41] [42]

People who turn to food banks are typically grateful both for the food and for the warmth and kindness they receive from the volunteers. However sometimes food banks have ran out of suppliers by the time they arrive. Some find it humiliating to have to ask for food, and that the packages they receive don't always seem nutritious. Some food banks have tried to respond with innovative programmes; London street food bank for example has began asking donors to send in supermarket vouchers so that those they serve will be able to chose food that best meets their nutritional needs.[28] [33][43][44]

Britain's prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed the efforts of food banks; Caroline Spelman, his Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has described food banks as an "excellent example" of active citizenship. Labour MP Kate Green has a different view, feeling that the rise of food banks reflects folk being let down by the State Welfare system, saying "I feel a real burning anger about them ... People are very distressed at having to ask for food; it's humiliating and distressing." [33]

Worldwide

Since the 1980s foodbanking has spread around the world. There are over 20 countries with active foodbank groups under the umbrella of the Global Foodbanking Network. Countries in the global network include Australia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the UK. There are also several countries with foodbanks but which have not yet joined the network, either as they don't yet meet the required criteria or as they have not applied.[45][46]

An alternative facility offering food to the hungry can be found worldwide wherever there are sizable Sikh communities. Long before foodbanks were invented, Langar (Sikhism) has been making free vegetarian food available to Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike.

Reactions

The rise of food banks has been broadly welcomed. Not only do they provide a solution to the problem of hunger that doesn't require resources from the state, but they can be viewed as evidence of increasing community spirit and of active, caring citizenship. In the UK for example, Patrick Butler, society editor for The Guardian, has written that the rise of foodbanks has been most enthusiastically welcomed by the right, but also by many on the left of the political spectrum, who were often "nervously excited" about them.[47] However there has been considerable concern expressed by some researchers and politicians. Drawing on the United States's experience after the rapid rise of food banks in the 1980s, American sociology professor Janet Poppendieck warned that the rise of food banks can contribute to a long term erosion of human rights and support for entitlements. Once food banks become well established, it can be politically impossible to return responsibility for meeting the needs of hungry people to the state. Poppendieck says that the logistics of running food banks can be so demanding that they prevent kind hearted people from having time to participate in public policy advocacy; yet she also says if they can be encouraged to lobby politicians for long term changes that would help those on low income, they often have considerable credibility with legislators. As of 2012, senior US food banks workers have expressed a preference to remain politically neutral, which political activists have suggested may relate to their sources of funding. [14][47] [48]

Rachel Loopstra from University of Toronto has said foodbanks are often inefficient, unreliable and unable to supply nutritional food. She said a survey in Toronto found that only 1 in 5 families suffering from food insecurity would turn to food banks, in part as there is a stigma associated with having to do so. Elizabeth Dowler, Professor of Food & Social Policy at Warwick University, said that most British people prefer the state to take responsibility for helping the hungry. Hannah Lambie-Mumford, from Sheffield University, echoed the view that some users of food banks find having to ask for food humiliating, and also that food banks volunteers should be encouraged to advocate for long term solutions to the underlying causes of poverty and hunger.[14][27][43][47]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ In the US (and to a lesser extent in Canada) a food panty is usually a small building or perhaps a suite of rooms in a larger building, which hands out packages of food direct to people in need. The term is rarely used outside of the United States, as elsewhere food banks themselves will directly supply the needy as well as possibly providing a warehouse function for other aid agencies. If the establishment offers hot food, then they are often called a food kitchen.
  2. ^ Found mainly just in the US, a food closet is functionally similar to a food pantry, although it will never be a dedicated building, instead it will just be a small room in a larger structure such as church or community hall.
  3. ^ a b c "History of Food banking". The Global FoodBanking Network. Retrieved 2012-06-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ These front line organisations can be private or public, religious or secular. The type and nature of the recipient agency varies depending upon the policies of the food bank, the nature of their community, and the local laws where they operate.
  5. ^ a b Graham Riches (1986). "passim, see esp. Models of Food Banks". Food banks and the welfare cisis. Lorimer. ISBN 0888103638.
  6. ^ Elizabeth Henderson and Robyn Van En (1986). "Chapt 19". Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture. Chealsea Green Publishin. ISBN 193339210X.
  7. ^ Ian Gillespie (2012-07-17). "How to produce results". London Free Press. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  8. ^ Lexi Bainas (2012-07-11). "Students swell summer demand for food banks". Canada.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  9. ^ Tracy Agnew (2012-07-11). "Food banks struggle during summer". suffolk news herald. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  10. ^ a b c d e Janet Poppendieck (1999). "Introduction, Chpt 1". Sweet Charity?: Emergency Food and the End of Entitlement. Penguine. ISBN 0140245561.
  11. ^ Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant (2007). "Chpt 3". Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits. Jossey-Bass. ISBN 0470580348.
  12. ^ History of St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance
  13. ^ Ample harvest homepage
  14. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference WarwickConf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Debra Watson (2002-05-11). "Recession and welfare reform increase hunger in US". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 2012-09-06.
  16. ^ FirstFoodbank history page
  17. ^ Patricia Sullivan (2005-10-08). "John van Hengel Dies at 83; Founded 1st Food Bank in 1967". Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  18. ^ Gleaners Indianna Food bank Retrieved 2012-07-18
  19. ^ Alex Ferreras (2012-07-11). "Thousands More in Solano, Napa Counties are Turning to Food Banks". Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  20. ^ Tim Skillern (2012-08-23). "Going hungry in America: 'Distressing,' 'humbling' and 'scary'". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  21. ^ Several food banks receive federal food surpluses as part of the Emergency Food Assistance Program. As the price of food has been high throughout 2012, Federal authoritys have been buying less on the market, and so have less to give away to Food banks.
  22. ^ Roger Clark (2012-08-21). "City Food Banks Face Federal Funding Shortage". NY1. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  23. ^ Debra Duncan (2012-08-23). "Food banks cope with funding cuts, drops in donations, higher demand". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  24. ^ Marisol Bello, USA TODAY (2012-09-09). "Food banks run short as federal government hands out less". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2012-09-10. {{cite news}}: Text "FRONTPAGE" ignored (help); Text "newswell" ignored (help); Text "p" ignored (help); Text "text" ignored (help)
  25. ^ Anti-hunger efforts under way in area Beloit daily news. 6 Sept 2012
  26. ^ Food banks spotlight hunger awareness Amarillo globe news. 7 Sept 2012
  27. ^ a b c Hannah Lambie-Mumford (2011-11-11). "The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network: Exploring the Growth of Foodbanks Across the UK" (PDF). Coventry University. The Trussell Trust. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  28. ^ a b "On the breadline: Foodbanks". University of Sheffield. 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  29. ^ Frazer Maude, Sky News (2012-04-21). "One Food Bank Opening In UK Every Four Days". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  30. ^ Churches had been providing food to the hungry for decades using a similar model, though on a much smaller scale than has been the case since 2008, and they werent called food banks.
  31. ^ a b Rowenna Davis (2012-05-12). "The rise and rise of the food bank". New Statesman. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  32. ^ a b Helen Carter (2012-06-25). "Food banks: 'People would rather go without and feed their children first'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  33. ^ a b c d Amelia Gentleman (2012-07-18). "Food banks: a life on handouts". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
  34. ^ "Food banks quadruple in Nottingham". ITV. 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  35. ^ Declan Harvey (2012-08-30). "Demand from emergency food banks is 'still rising'". BBC. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  36. ^ David Model (2012-10-30). "Britain's hidden hunger". BBC. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  37. ^ Patrick Butler (2012-08-21). "Breadline Britain: councils fund food banks to plug holes in welfare state". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  38. ^ Paul Mason (2012-09-04). "The growing demand for food banks in breadline Britain". BBC. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  39. ^ Soup kitchens will typically feed anyone if they have food available, but they can often only provide a single meal. A food bank on the other hand will typically give a package of food sufficient to last for several days.
  40. ^ Caspar van Vark (2012-06-20). "How to set up a food bank in your local community". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  41. ^ "Food banks across the UK: help us create a directory". The Guardian. 2012-06-25. Retrieved 2012-06-29.
  42. ^ Greg Morgan (2012-09-27). "Food bank: We need more food to feed UK's hungry". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  43. ^ a b "More people turning to food banks". BBC. 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  44. ^ London Street Foodbank
  45. ^ The Global Foodbanking Network
  46. ^ Elaine How (2012-09-30). "Taiwan to enjoy support from international food banking network". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  47. ^ a b c Patrick Butler (2012-08-21). "Food banks: Lambeth holds its breath, and its nose". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  48. ^ Phyllis Korrki (2012-11-08). "Food Banks Expand Beyond Hunger". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Food_bank&oldid=528027259"