...“Informational Essay on Food Pantries” Information Essay On Food Pantries Have you ever worried about where your next meal was going to come from? According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “The number of homeless in Ohio is on the rise” (The Regional Food Bank of Ohio is a food pantry where anyone has a special concern for the poor, elderly, lonely, homeless, and hungry. It is a place where people from all walks of life can come together to share a hot meal and visit and enjoy each other’s company. Figure 1 Figure 2 Increase in poverty percentage in Ohio Poverty Percentage by State Hunger has affected millions of families across the United States. Many economic issues are the Cause of poverty, the use of food pantries and soup kitchens, and the disbursement of food stamps. The number of people that would receive food from a food pantry went from 250-300 all the way up to 2500-3000; this big of an increase had been related to the recession (Greenburg, Michael. American Journal of Public Health, 2010, vol.100 issue 11, p2021-2022.) Low-paying jobs are sending men and women home with only enough money on their paychecks to be able to pay rent. Due to the increasing rate of people coming into food pantries, the amount of food that the federal and state government was able to supply had to be dropped by 2/3’s due to budget...
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...Food Bank Essay Experience at the Houston Food Bank My Exciting day all began Saturday afternoon at 1pm, I had just arrived on time at the main entrance of the “Houston Food Bank”. The food banks sliding doors parted as I walked in the direction of a young lady who was smiling and taking everyone’s queue code to enter as a volunteer. As I approached my 1pm group, our team leader was giving everyone insight about the food bank and a guided tour. Our group walked all the way to the doors in the back where we started unwrapping large pallets of food in boxes and started to break them down and sort them. Every single minute I was there, I witnessed everybody performing with positive attitudes. Everyone was willing to listen to one another’s advice and ideas as well as always engaging in the work. Service learning is a method of teaching that combines classroom instruction with meaningful community service. This form of learning emphasizes critical thinking and personal reflection while encouraging a heightened sense of community, civic engagement, and personal responsibility. Volunteerism is the reliance of volunteers working towards helping a specific social, or educational duty in the community. This is similar to community service, because by definition of both terms, both groups of people take time out to help a community. Community service differs from volunteerism by catering to organizations which does not just benefit a community, but also an institution. Having been...
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...people that you see on the side of the street? The truth is that there is a new picture that should come to mind when you think of people not having enough to eat. In the United States, 1 out of every 6 families struggle with hunger. Millions of hard-working families, many that have children and are caring for seniors are struggling to make ends meet and often go several meals or even days without food. This speech is to provide some facts on this issue and persuade you to maybe take a step to help make an impact on hunger issues in your community. Due to the recent decline in the economy the statistics are staggering and are mind-boggling. The organizations Feeding America and NoKidHungery.org state: • 16.7 million children and 2.8 million seniors lived in food insecure households. • In 2010 the top 5 states with the highest rate of food insecure children under the age of 18 were D.C, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida • 62% of American teachers regularly see children who come to school hungry. Many of these children rely on school meals as there only source of food. • Hunger is most common in larger cities but is still prevalent in rural areas For those of us who have never had to worry about where their next meal is coming from these may just be words and you may not able to relate to the effects that being hungry have on a person. Hunger affects a person’s mental and physical health, a child’s development as well as their ability to learn. I’ve been there...
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...August 18, 2013 “Food Banks, how they help people in need” The population of the state of New Jersey is, 8,801,624. The current rate of unemployment is 9.5%, which means that almost 880,000 people face the question each day of “how am I going to feed my family today?’ As the director of Community Food of New Jersey is a hard task, you have to be prepared each day to face the challenges of feeding families in need. Majority of the people that are served by food banks, have children. The biggest challenge of about serving so many needy families is knowing that without the programs we (the food banks) run many of these people would not be getting any of the nutrition that they need on a daily basis. (FeedingAmerica.org) In the world today there are people who never have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. However, there are other who face those woes every day. Food banks are one of the options people have to help feed their families. The community food bank of New Jersey, along with our partner agencies, feed an estimated 900,000 people throughout the year in the state of New Jersey alone. There are also many other options available to New Jersey residents including the WIC program for pregnant woman and their children and SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program). But it is still hard for many residents to make ends meet and provide enough food with enough nutritional value for their families. The rising cost of putting food on the table is becoming...
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...when food stamps are not enough to cover your monthly food costs? Some go hungry while others depend on a local food pantry. “Food pantries are private emergency providers that gives bags or boxes of unprepared groceries to clients in varying amounts.” (Berner, Ozer, Paynter, 2008) Food pantries play a major part in the lives of those who are faced with hunger. They give out only enough food to last 3-4 days, however, every little bit helps. Economic, population, process, and benefits are all factors pertaining to food pantries. Food pantries rely on donations from local businesses and non-profit organizations. In the state of New Jersey a woman who started a food pantry at her church states, about 250-300 people would come each month to receive food. It was not gourmet dining (canned tuna, vegetables, tomatoes, spaghetti, rice, peanut butter, dried beans, and so on) but the people appreciated the gift and the church could manage the distribution with a handful of dedicated volunteers. (“Food Pantries, Poverty, and Social Justice”, 2010) Below is a picture showing bagged food ready for distribution. Donations from the state and federal government helped make it possible to help more families. It was stated that participation grew from 250-300 monthly to 2500-3000 monthly. “The federal subsidy made it possible to provide a more balanced supply and the pantry was able to obtain juices, chicken, turkeys, and other proteins.” (“Food”, 2010) Some people turn to food stamps...
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...Company Q has a reputation to secure in the community. Company Q is hoping to not only keep their current clientele but also build more of it. By donating day old food the store is able not only save on publicity costs, but use the tax benefits for food donation to help with cost. To keep and build clientele the company needs to get their name out in the public eye. To do so Company Q also needs to build their reputation as a company that cares. If a business seems empathetic to the public’s needs more people will support and recommend using Company Q’s services. It gives a consumer the feeling of helpfulness and of giving back. The consumer feels good about supporting a store that cares about the local community. Radio, television, and online and print advertisements all serve to draw customers to supermarkets. Advertising among the top four supermarket chains (Kroger Co., Albertson’s Inc., Safeway Inc. and Publix Super Markets, Inc.) ran combined annual totals of $1.9 billion in the early part of the 21st century (http://www.msgcpa.com/files/Grocery.pdf). When donating food to a local food bank companies are able to save money on those costs. The food banks often times maintain public campaigns and benefit celebrations that advertise sponsors of not only money but also goods. With the food banks doing the advertising of the company’s generosity Company Q is able to project a positive community image and save on advertising costs. When it comes to allowable deductions...
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...instead of working to change policy, re-staff, and implement new procedures to fit the high crime rate area shows a laziness and lack of initiative. The recent addition of health-conscience products is a great step in the right direction, but years of requests from customers should not have been necessary to get the ball rolling. Lastly, the denial of the local food banks request for day old food donations seems, from the outside, to be quite distasteful. Company Q stands to make some changes in their stance towards social responsibility in order to act more ethically. The stores in high crime rate areas that were closed resulted in a substantial loss of jobs for those neighborhoods. While this is not necessarily a problem related to Company Q’s business practices, they could absorb it and attempt to make some changes for the betterment of the area. It is possible to attempt to make the stores more secure and the staff more trustworthy and reliable to cut down on losses. These areas could also be a good opportunity for Company Q to reach out into the community and attempt, at least in some way, such as job fairs, food drives, or health seminars, to better the community. These types of events are chances to...
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...they face everyday. This public problem is hunger, a situation that has continually been very apparent around the world and more specifically in the United States. According to research from the national food bank organization “Feeding America,” one in six Americans face hunger each day. With this statistic there is also data collected in 2014 in which states that forty-eight million Americans are facing hunger and “food insecurity,” or the lack of access at times to provide food to all members of the family. While we recognize that the United States holds a vast majority of millions of people, the problem is not so much in the lack of food, but rather due to the presence of poverty. After the 2008 recession, more than fifteen percent of the United States population lives in poverty and as a result, struggle to provide the necessary supplements, costs and expenses. These are serious numbers and hunger has put many lives at stake. We as humanity understand the importance and simply the need for food, as it is what allows us to survive, grow, and work efficiently in our societies so that it too may prosper. The questions surrounding what we can do to help combat growing hunger issues ranges from the awareness of hunger to major changes in the administration of both federal food programs and policies alike. As we further discuss the detrimental impact of hunger on the lives of Americans, we will also observe policy alternatives that could be the very key to...
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...Ethical Analysis of Company Q Business ethics is defined as the choices and actions businesses make that reflect their values. Not only are businesses expected to perform in a manner that benefits their stakeholders and shareholders, there is now an expectation that businesses will support the communities in which they operate. Company Q is a small grocery store chain operating in a major metropolitan area. A recent analysis of its ethical culture shows there are areas that could use improvement. Recently, the company decided to close several stores. These stores were located in areas of the city considered to be high crime and the stores consistently lost money. While this can be considered an ethical decision because it protects the profits of the company, many may not see it that way. Many may view this as an unethical decision because closing the stores affects the community in which they operated. The decision to close the two stores affects not just the company but supplies, contractors, and increases unemployment. The decision also affects the community because of lost taxes, which pay for community programs and improvements. Business must take into consideration all of these factors. In addition to closing these stores, Company Q is also taking steps to retain consumers while increasing profits. The company has decided after many requests to begin carrying high margin organic items. This decision is beneficial to Company Q in two ways. First, the new organic...
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...stores in high crime areas of the city will be directly attributed to noninterest in the wellbeing of their city regardless of profit generation. Management’s unwillingness to assist local food banks through donation of day old products indicates a decided lack of concern for the people of the community, and the reasoning for that decision shows a complete lack of trust in the staff of their stores. Company Q did offer a solution to public feedback by offering some health conscience foods but has done so in a very limited capacity as well as at a high markup. As a small chain competing in a large metropolitan market Company Q has placed themselves at a disadvantage by appearing to be unconcerned for their neighborhoods, those in need, and their community at large. The first recommendation for Company Q to increase their social responsibility understanding would be to address the company’s unwillingness to donate day old food items. At this point because Company Q is unwilling to donate these items they are showing no concern for the environment, those in need in the community, or their employees. Company Q should revisit this policy to make changes. The company could safely donate day old food to local food banks to improve their image in the community. By deciding to donate these food items they are reducing their waste, feeding those in need and showing trust in their employees. While the company appears to be suffering lowered revenue this small step would not cost the...
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...retail business. The admission of not donating the day old food to a local food bank stems from an inherent distrust of their employees. The current distrust will become more tangible as the managers and employees are not treated with the respect they are earning and will certainly breed unhappy employees which will in turn result in lower sales. Another one of the issues regarding the public service of Company Q is the closing of the two unprofitable stores in high crime areas. If the closure was done without analysis of why the stores are unprofitable, the surrounding community would suffer in regards to availability of merchandise . Offering some high margin health conscious items without surveying the viability of these items is also an issue. Company Q can take some planned, simple steps in resolving these issues with a manageable, well thought out ethics program. Recommendation One Company Q could create a program to donate the expired day-old items to the local food bank. This program would become the responsibility of the store manager and include processes that ensure the donation becoming regular and committed. The donation would become a positive public relation shift from the current process of just disposing of the items. Employees who work in the stores are also members of the local community, who would benefit from the donation not only with goodwill but perhaps as a member of the food bank. In...
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...leaders took us into a sorting room where we had to separate and sort items from big boxes into smaller banana boxes. The items range from cereal to drugs to toys and other household products. Items such as water, soda and items that were too big to go into the banana boxes were placed into different boxes. Once a banana box has been filled, it is covered and carried to the packaging unit for proper packing and storing. We did this for about an hour until one of the leaders pulled the UHD students out of the room as it was getting too crowded. The UHD students were then moved to a separate unit where we had to further group the items packed into banana boxes into different categories which includes non-food products, drugs, condiments and soda, dry foods and snacks. Expired food items were placed into a separate container to avoid giving them out. We worked in this unit until the end of the period. Working at the Houston Foodbank taught me a number of things. Firstly, I got the opportunity to work effectively with people from different places and backgrounds to complete various tasks. Secondly, I had to pay attention to details and listen carefully to the instructions given so as to ensure that I was putting the right product/item in the correct container/box. I also had to work quickly but efficiently within the given time-frame....
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...Food insecurity- (not knowing when or how the next meal will be obtained) is only one facet in the operation a Food Pantry which distributes food to various groups of people of a community. A food pantry or commonly known as a food closet, food shelves or local food bank are non-profit organizations that provide assistance to communities in need. Their main focus is to assist people of various groups to maintain a healthy life. You will be surprised to see the groups within the community affected by food insecurity. Food insecurity, defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is a limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. Children are the number one victims of food insecurity because their family has to make the hard decisions whether to pay bills or to feed their child in a manner that is healthy. On a national average, 15.9 million children suffer from food insecurity. Food insecurity in children can hinder not only their physical health but their state of mind as well. Most children in a food insecurity environment might have a difficult experience in the performance of normal learning objectives in school. Low income families make up a very small percentage of food insecurity’s total population because most low income family has at least one working adult. Most people believe that people living in poverty, the homeless,...
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...seem to be concerned about corporate social responsibility and their overall attitude about it seems like it’s not a top priority. Two of their stores had to be closed down in crime ridden parts of a city due to sales being very low which makes sense since the company does not have the resources to keep their doors open. After years of their customers wanting health conscience and more organic products Company Q started selling them at high mark ups. They took advantage of the demand from their customers of such products and marked them up so the company can make more money. When Company Q was approached by local food banks about donating day old products that were not sold, they decided they would rather take the loss and throw the items away. The food or products that were a day old were going to be wasted anyway so instead of putting them to good use in a food bank they opted to just throw them away in fear of fraud. Company Q is causing a divide in their relationship with the local community that they do business in because of the decisions that are being made regarding corporate social responsibility. They flat out do not care about the society in which they are making money in because of these choices to not support the local community. Company Q’s outlook on their corporate responsibility can cause more damage to them...
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...Food Banks-Solution or Obstacle “What we have done… is to continue down a road that never comes to an end (p.800).” Mark Winne, the co-founder of a food bank in Hartford, Connecticut, takes a unique perspective on food banks in his thought provoking article “When Handouts Keep Coming the Food Line Never Ends” published in the Washington Post on November 18,2007. Instead of focusing only on the benefits of food banks and the good that they provide, Winne poses the argument that food banks are sidetracking the needed efforts to eradicate the root cause of hunger, poverty. Although Winne made some valid points about the problem facing Americans and made me re-examine my previously held beliefs about food banks, I would have to disagree with his claim that food banks are adding to the problem; food banks are not trying to end hunger or poverty they are trying to help the hungry and impoverished. Winne begins by discussing the increased awareness that many have during the holidays to donate to their local food banks providing needed food for those who are food insecure. This need though does not end when the clock strikes midnight, millions of American’s stand in line at soup kitchens, food banks, and food stamp offices every day. He reasons that if we do not adjust our commitment to food donation, “the cycle of need—always present, rarely sated, never resolved--will continue (p. 798).” Next Winne points out that emergency food programs are such a dominant institution in this county...
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