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The Roanoke
Times
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/139677
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By Jessica Marcy
Pam Irvine started to become aware of dwindling food supplies at the
Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank about three months ago.
The food bank's executive director noticed the warehouse becoming
increasingly bare. Empty space filled the area where groceries once stood.
She began to call food banks across the nation to see if they could help
out. But they also reported decreased supplies.
Aware of the approaching holiday season, she said she became really worried about
a month ago.
Irvine said
Second Harvest is not taking in enough food and that an increased demand is
causing the groceries they do get to move out the door much more quickly. Last
year, for the first time, the food bank distributed more pounds of food than it
received.
"The demand is so much greater," said Kitty Tabor, the food
procurement manager. "Everybody wants to have a Thanksgiving and Christmas
meal, and we're trying desperately to make that happen."
Second Harvest held its largest annual distribution event Tuesday morning to
provide agencies with food for the upcoming holiday season. Kroger donated
100,000 pounds of fresh produce for the "Produce Frenzy."
Such donations are especially important this year as food banks across the
country struggle with empty shelves.
The situation has been caused by increases in requests for emergency food
and a decline in surplus commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA provides food banks with a steady supply of canned goods and basic
food items, as well as surplus commodities that are purchased by the government
when farmers have an excess of crops. The latter has declined by more than 50
percent in the past year alone, according to the National Anti-Hunger
Organization.
An updated version of the Farm Bill, which has passed the U.S. House of
Representatives and is awaiting a vote in the Senate, seeks to remedy the
shortages by increasing mandatory federal support for food banks and pantries
from $140 million to $250 million. Every five years, Congress renews and
adjusts the bill, which provides funding for agriculture and other related
programs such as food stamps. The bill was last enacted in 2002.
Until the new bill is passed, though, food banks will continue to struggle.
"Every day that the Farm Bill is not passed, we don't have food on our
shelves," said Dave Bethel, director of operations at Second Harvest.
"Empty shelves mean empty stomachs."
In recent years, the food bank has received 24 percent of its supplies from
the USDA, Bethel
said. He emphasized that the agency provides the best and most consistent
supply of canned meats and vegetables from brand names such as Green Giant, Del
Monte, Dole and Castleberry's.
Donations by church groups, individuals and companies such as Kroger and Food
Lion provide the rest of the bank's supplies.
Looking around the warehouse, Bethel
pointed to empty aisles. He said that normally three aisles would be designated
for USDA commodities. On Tuesday, less than half an aisle was stocked.
From July 1 to Nov. 12, USDA shipments were down 40 percent from last year, Bethel said.
"When one of our teammates is not playing, it hurts," Bethel said about the
government. "We do rely on each other. We certainly feel it when they are
not helping us."
That need could be felt by the roughly 75 people from 30 different agencies
who attended the Produce Frenzy.
Second Harvest serves 26 counties and 10 cities primarily in Southwest Virginia. About 350 member agencies distribute
food from the bank.
Chattie Giles, a pastor in Martinsville,
noticed that the USDA list of supplies was especially skimpy Tuesday. She
remembers how they used to offer sliced white bread and meat. But this time the
list was especially short and only offered beef stew, noodles, juice, mixed
vegetables and applesauce. Still, she was excited about the Kroger produce.
Jim Cameron, the coordinator of Lake
Christian Ministries
near Smith Mountain Lake,
also eagerly awaited food. He normally supplies 200 Thanksgiving baskets, but
he thinks this year he will need close to 225. He attributed the rising demand
to rising gasoline prices, layoffs and slowdowns in construction during the
winter months around the lake.
Meanwhile, Mildred Johnson described the tough situation for people who
visit her monthly pantry at the First Assembly of God in Clifton Forge.
"We don't hardly have anything there to employ people," Johnson
said. "We don't have any plants coming in, so we're just hurting."
Shortly after 9 a.m., Bethel
stood in front of the group wearing a Thanksgiving tie decorated with a turkey,
napkin, knife and fork.
"We don't have to get all jammed up," he shouted to the group that
waited with shopping carts. Sweet potatoes, onions, cucumbers and bananas
awaited inside.
Still, Tabor emphasized that much more food needs to come. She is pushing a
project called Holidays from the Heart
Food Drive that seeks donations from churches,
businesses, schools and individuals.
"We need food drives coming in from anywhere we can get," Tabor
said.
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