Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Food Shortage at Charitable Food Banks

Just a quick post regarding a very troubling story in the LA Times about the food shortage at local food banks/pantries.

As I mentioned several posts back, I am working on putting together a network of local gardeners to donate their excess produce to those who need it, or to "Plant a Row for the Hungry" another great campaign by the Garden Writers of America.

This article clearly points out there's a need to help. Here's an excerpt:

"The supply of donated food is at its lowest level in recent memory, largely because of a steep decline in government surpluses. In California, since 2002, donations of cheese, canned corn and beans, all longtime food bank staples, have been cut by more than half, from nearly 100 million pounds a year to 40 million. The difference, say officials from the California Assn. of Food Banks, translates into 44.7 million fewer meals for hungry people around the state.

But just as food bank cupboards have grown emptier, more families are asking for help putting dinner on the table, providers say.The problem is acute in Los Angeles, where housing and transportation costs, both of which rose sharply over the past year, gobble up much of a low-income family's budget.

The number of Los Angeles County households whose food supply is shaky increased 17% between 2002 and 2005; hungry families with children grew at an even faster clip, according to a report released last fall by the county department of public health."

The rest of the article can be found here, http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-foodbank21jan21,1,2216788.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=5&cset=true

Please, contact me if you would be interested in joining me in helping get fresh food to those who need it.

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