Demand for food bank services is up in Richmond area
Alternative content
Central Virginia Food Bank
A look inside the Central Virginia Food Bank.
Eva Russo / Times-Dispatch
Anne Cullison and Jay Stearns collect items for the food closet at The Church of the Holy Comforter in Richmond.
The economy may be improving, but many people continue to seek help through the Central Virginia Foodbank.
Hot-line calls increased 50 percent over the previous year -- from 2,834 to 4,281 people -- in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, said Richard Schultz, executive vice president for the FeedMore umbrella organization.
Food distributed during the quarter increased about 30 percent, from 2.9 million to 3.9 million pounds.
Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia has seen a 17 percent increase in the number of meals delivered to homes of senior citizens, from 253,000 in the previous year to 297,087 in the year that ended June 30. Meals on Wheels is a partner with the Central Virginia Foodbank through FeedMore.
The Kids Café, which provides hot meals for at-risk children in after-school and summer programs, increased 18 percent during the summer.
Between seniors and children, the Community Kitchen is cooking 4,000 to 6,000 meals a day, he said.
"When the economy takes a downturn, our demand is up," Schultz said.
Improvement in unemployment numbers typically lags behind the recovery from a recession, and that's what is happening now, he said.
Despite some good news recently from Wall Street, "that unemployment number is the one we look at. It's still going up," he said. When people have lost jobs and income, "it takes a long time to recover from that."
He's encouraged, however, by community reaction.
"Richmond is an incredible community and always responds to the need," he said. "We have seen an increased number of food drives and financial support. People are stepping up to help."
Because of economic conditions, Homeward also expects a record number of participants in this year's Project Homeless Connect on Nov. 19 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, said Tiffany Taylor-Minor, spokeswoman for Homeward.
The organization is recruiting 1,000 volunteers to help an anticipated 750 homeless people navigate among 40 service providers ranging from barbers and beauticians to government agencies. Last year's service fair had 575 people seeking aid, Taylor-Minor said.
"Anecdotally, we are seeing an increase in demand for services," she said. In July, a one-day count found 1,061 people experiencing homelessness, which was a 10 percent increase over the previous summer's total. A January count found 1,150 homeless people, a 7.2 percent increase over the previous year.
Warren Hammonds, community resources manager for Meals on Wheels, said he's always on the lookout for ways to forge relationships where the need exists.
"I just have to dream up the program, how wonderful it is for those that it's serving, and how much greater need is out there," he said.
Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or
.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
I understand and respect your opinion. I just feel differently. I have been blessed by a life that has never forced me to be on assistance, but I do know that if I was unable to provide even a birthday cake for one of my four kids, it would devastate me. I too think direct giving is a better option. However since the loss of community with everyone moving and the loss of extended family (our generation would never live with grandparents or extended family if not forced to)we have to use what is available. While not perfect at least it keeps people from starving.
qhgirl-
You are obviously educated enough to make the right choices in food, diet, and exercise. That goes to my “education” point. Many poor people think fruit loops is a good cereal. They just don’t know what they are putting in their bodies. Also, it costs more money to get tomatoes, fruit, vegetables, than the Dollar Menu at McDonalds. Plus, the time to cook it all is a factor. I am not making excuses for anyone because there are lazy, shiftless people out there drinking soda by the liter and chomping down Big Macs. But there are some people who want to do the right thing but do not have education, access, or resources. Many of the grocers on the Southside sell inferoir foods and if you don’t have a car what are you going to do?
I know the cake issue seems petty and mean.. but really.. I have to tell our kids all the time that we can’t afford certain things because times are tight.
It is public assistance.. it should be enough to keep you alive.. but not enough to satisfy you so much that you will settle to live on it indefinitely.
The money that people on SNAP get comes out of the paychecks of hard working americans. Many of those americans may be skipping the cake for their kids so they can pay their due in taxes.
If a charity/church wants to hand out cakes to the poor.. that is fine. My husband and I personally provide food and other items to families in our area who are in need.. so I don’t have a problem with voluntarily assisting people.. problem is that the govt is forcing it upon me.. that I have a problem with.
I would like to address the birthday cake comment. I believe that even poor people would like to provide a special treat for their children on their special day. I wouldn’t flag a birthday cake as something excessive for someone on public assistance to purchase. But then that’s just me.
dubious..
Actually you can eat well by selecting in season fruits and vegetables. Rice, Beans, Pasta are all economical. Last night I had a healthy balanced meal of sirloin with baked potato and salad.. cost per person was under 2 dollars.
Dinner the night before was chili over rice.. cost per serving was less than a dollar. (we ate it for dinner, breakfast the next day and lunch… plus I still have some in the fridge)
McDonalds would have cost more to feed us.. plus the gas money to get there.. it really is more of a laziness issue. If you plan your meals.. you should be able to eat a healthy diet.. even on food stamps.. I know people will say it isn’t much.. but if they have kids.. they often get fed at school in addition to the snap benefits.. lunch.. and sometimes even breakfast.
Plus, it is diet and exercise.. you would think they have time to at least exercise (which is completely free… just go for a walk.. I don’t belong to a gym.. walk 2.5 miles a day on my lunch hour).
I actually think they should completely do away with food stamps.. instead give only food to people. They should get an allotment of food that makes up a balanced diet for their family unit. If they want better than the basic provisions.. they should work to earn money to buy it themselves. I have seen way too many premium steaks, oysters, birthday cakes being bought with food stamps (I was a cashier in college)... I don’t think anyone is entitled to buying these luxuries (and yes a birthday cake is a luxury) using money that is coming out of the american people’s wallets and not their own.
You will note I am not advocating starving anyone.. just provide them food for survival.. I don’t see why they are entitled to anything more.
qhgirl-
In this country, poor people eat poor quality food, which is the main reason for obesity, not overconsumption of food.As long as it is cheaper to eat $1 McDonalds menu versus a balanced, nutritious, home cooked meal, obesity isn’t going anywhere. Additionally, 90% of the food at grocery stores is unhealthy for some reason or another, either loaded with sodium, sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, etc. Eating “right”, costs money and you have to be educated to know what to eat and what to not eat in addition to that. This has nothing to do with laziness. It is all about education, acccess to good foods, and the money to buy them.
Earlier this year, a woman with a friend would pick up food from Trader Joes to take to the Food Bank. Trader Joe’s discarded their outdated food and of course donated it to the Food Bank which I thought was a Noble Cause.
The food she would pick up was bread, cheeses, dairy products including steaks of all kinds as well. Anyway, after several months, someone called the company to let them know that she was picking up the food and taking it to the Food Bank except for the steaks.
She was keeping them for herself and/or reselling them to her friends. The Food Bank people did not do anything as she was working for a church organization outside of Richmond. However, after that incident, the Food Bank now sends their own truck to pick up the food from this place.
I sincerely doubt that only illegal immigrants are engaging in the practice of selling food stamps for money…
Take a look at our “poor” population.. drive through those neighborhoods and you will see that a good number of them have succumbed to the obesity epidemic. Guess if you sit on your tail and don’t work and get free food you gain a ton of weight.. The only thin ones seem to be the one’s walking around like drugged out zombies.
Sounds similar to the ones that abuse the foodstamp and WIC programs. They get the foodstamps, and sell them for money and/or drugs.
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement