This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/16/shutdown-food-banks-snap-changes

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
We run food pantries in American cities. Have any questions for us? We run food pantries in American cities. Have any questions for us?
(about 5 hours later)
Herman Carnie and Charles Meng are on the front lines of poverty in America. They direct food banks that serve thousands of families each week. Charles Meng heads the Arlington Food Assistance Center in a suburb of Washington, and Herman Carnie is director of food acquisition at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. They are opening up today about their typical work day, the people they serve and how what happens in Washington can impact America's poor. Post questions below in the comments and they will check back later in the day.Herman Carnie and Charles Meng are on the front lines of poverty in America. They direct food banks that serve thousands of families each week. Charles Meng heads the Arlington Food Assistance Center in a suburb of Washington, and Herman Carnie is director of food acquisition at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. They are opening up today about their typical work day, the people they serve and how what happens in Washington can impact America's poor. Post questions below in the comments and they will check back later in the day.
Do you have a story? Help us report on America's food banks.
1. What's your typical day like?1. What's your typical day like?
Charles Meng (Arlington, Virginia): The typical day starts with our drivers picking up perishable and non-perishable food donations from the various grocery stores, bakeries and specialty stores which are delivered back to the Arlington Food Assistance Center warehouse. Our daily distribution begins with the arrival of our volunteer team to stock our shelves, sort donations that arrived overnight and assist our families in choosing the foods they need. While distribution begins at 9:30am, a line has normally formed by 8AM. Our mornings are very busy while the afternoon brings more individual and team volunteers to repackage produce and other foods that we buy in bulk, rice beans, and oatmeal. For example, every Wednesday night our chicken bagging team repackages bulk cases of chicken into 3 lb packages. Another dedicated volunteer team picks up food donations from the two nearby and very generous Trader Joe's grocery stores.Charles Meng (Arlington, Virginia): The typical day starts with our drivers picking up perishable and non-perishable food donations from the various grocery stores, bakeries and specialty stores which are delivered back to the Arlington Food Assistance Center warehouse. Our daily distribution begins with the arrival of our volunteer team to stock our shelves, sort donations that arrived overnight and assist our families in choosing the foods they need. While distribution begins at 9:30am, a line has normally formed by 8AM. Our mornings are very busy while the afternoon brings more individual and team volunteers to repackage produce and other foods that we buy in bulk, rice beans, and oatmeal. For example, every Wednesday night our chicken bagging team repackages bulk cases of chicken into 3 lb packages. Another dedicated volunteer team picks up food donations from the two nearby and very generous Trader Joe's grocery stores.
Herman Carnie (Chicago): No two days are the same. I'm responsible for managing our food sourcing, inventory and transportation teams. Our facility is a 268,000 square-foot warehouse and distribution center located on Chicago's southwest side. It's a massive effort across the board for our organization to run smoothly. I arrive at 5:30am when the building opens and attend a 6am meeting where we review routes and assignments with our truck drivers. From that point forward my focus is on sourcing food and managing inventory.Herman Carnie (Chicago): No two days are the same. I'm responsible for managing our food sourcing, inventory and transportation teams. Our facility is a 268,000 square-foot warehouse and distribution center located on Chicago's southwest side. It's a massive effort across the board for our organization to run smoothly. I arrive at 5:30am when the building opens and attend a 6am meeting where we review routes and assignments with our truck drivers. From that point forward my focus is on sourcing food and managing inventory.
Donations are the primary way we receive food. Shelf-stable food donations have dwindled in recent years, so we make a concerted effort to contact food manufacturers. If we get a call that there's a truckload in Cook County, we make plans to get the food. A phone call can change your day. We manage our inventory across 18 core food categories. If we're short on any item, we look to purchase. Healthy options are the biggest thing. It's a balancing act – we provide food for children so we're looking for nutritious items that kids will enjoy. At the same time, we also serve older adults, so foods that are easy to open and prepare are a necessity.Donations are the primary way we receive food. Shelf-stable food donations have dwindled in recent years, so we make a concerted effort to contact food manufacturers. If we get a call that there's a truckload in Cook County, we make plans to get the food. A phone call can change your day. We manage our inventory across 18 core food categories. If we're short on any item, we look to purchase. Healthy options are the biggest thing. It's a balancing act – we provide food for children so we're looking for nutritious items that kids will enjoy. At the same time, we also serve older adults, so foods that are easy to open and prepare are a necessity.
2. How many people does your food bank typically help?2. How many people does your food bank typically help?
Charles Meng: Currently we are serving 1,517 families each week – that is 3,531 individuals, a third of whom are children under the age of 18. At the start of the recession, we were serving about 650 families each week. At our peak in February, 2012 we were serving 1,707 families each week – an increase of 262%.Charles Meng: Currently we are serving 1,517 families each week – that is 3,531 individuals, a third of whom are children under the age of 18. At the start of the recession, we were serving about 650 families each week. At our peak in February, 2012 we were serving 1,707 families each week – an increase of 262%.
Herman Carnie: We provide food through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. In the community we serve, more than 860,000 people are food insecure. This means 1 in 6 people is unsure where their next meal will come from. People are hungry all year-round. I volunteer every month at a pantry, and I see that many of the other people volunteering are now in line for food, too – they need the support. More people are in need of work.Herman Carnie: We provide food through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. In the community we serve, more than 860,000 people are food insecure. This means 1 in 6 people is unsure where their next meal will come from. People are hungry all year-round. I volunteer every month at a pantry, and I see that many of the other people volunteering are now in line for food, too – they need the support. More people are in need of work.
3. What's the craziest/most unexpected thing that's ever happened to you while on the job?3. What's the craziest/most unexpected thing that's ever happened to you while on the job?
Charles Meng: A local women suggested, in all seriousness, that we find hunters who could kill and dress the deer foraging in her backyard so that we could serve it to our families. I referred her to the local animal welfare league.Charles Meng: A local women suggested, in all seriousness, that we find hunters who could kill and dress the deer foraging in her backyard so that we could serve it to our families. I referred her to the local animal welfare league.
Herman Carnie: Four years ago, a donor came up with the idea of planting 20 acres of sweet corn to give to us. In the first year, we harvested 71,366 pounds of corn with the help of a farmer and our volunteers. We've now added five acres of squash, and have harvested more than 625,000 pounds of food total. In a few hours the corn and squash goes from the field into the hands of people in need.Herman Carnie: Four years ago, a donor came up with the idea of planting 20 acres of sweet corn to give to us. In the first year, we harvested 71,366 pounds of corn with the help of a farmer and our volunteers. We've now added five acres of squash, and have harvested more than 625,000 pounds of food total. In a few hours the corn and squash goes from the field into the hands of people in need.
4. What do you wish politicians and more of the public would understand about poverty and hunger in America?4. What do you wish politicians and more of the public would understand about poverty and hunger in America?
Herman Carnie: Any cut to programs affects people in a huge way, especially with SNAP (food stamps). We can't fill that gap, and the need won't go away. Every food stream that we have now will be tapped to a higher level. We have a team that helps to sign people up for SNAP. It's hard-working people who are just trying to make ends meet. There actually are a lot of people who are eligible for SNAP who don't know it's available. A lot of it is tied to red tape.Herman Carnie: Any cut to programs affects people in a huge way, especially with SNAP (food stamps). We can't fill that gap, and the need won't go away. Every food stream that we have now will be tapped to a higher level. We have a team that helps to sign people up for SNAP. It's hard-working people who are just trying to make ends meet. There actually are a lot of people who are eligible for SNAP who don't know it's available. A lot of it is tied to red tape.
Charles Meng: Hunger has a pernicious effect on all who suffer from it – children go to school hungry cannot focus on their studies as they need to, the elderly skip meals or go to the local fast food establishment where everything is high salt, high fat and high sugar, parents must work two and three jobs just to make ends meet but they never do meet, and pregnant mothers who do not have the resources to feed themselves and their growing child. The effects are a huge burden carried by our schools, our medical care system and our economy through higher costs, service demands and in numerous other smaller and larger ways.Charles Meng: Hunger has a pernicious effect on all who suffer from it – children go to school hungry cannot focus on their studies as they need to, the elderly skip meals or go to the local fast food establishment where everything is high salt, high fat and high sugar, parents must work two and three jobs just to make ends meet but they never do meet, and pregnant mothers who do not have the resources to feed themselves and their growing child. The effects are a huge burden carried by our schools, our medical care system and our economy through higher costs, service demands and in numerous other smaller and larger ways.
5. What makes for a really good day on the job?5. What makes for a really good day on the job?
Charles Meng: The best part of my job is being thanked by our grateful clients. And, it is not frequently on the job but rather on the street, or in a store where a cashier will stop me and say "thanks for what you do".Charles Meng: The best part of my job is being thanked by our grateful clients. And, it is not frequently on the job but rather on the street, or in a store where a cashier will stop me and say "thanks for what you do".
Herman Carnie: Our team volunteers in the community a few times each year. This is an opportunity for us to see how grateful they are for the food they receive. It pulls it all together.Herman Carnie: Our team volunteers in the community a few times each year. This is an opportunity for us to see how grateful they are for the food they receive. It pulls it all together.
6. Has the shutdown had an impact on your organization or the people you serve?6. Has the shutdown had an impact on your organization or the people you serve?
Charles Meng: In the last two weeks of September, we saw an increase of 96 families. We cannot tell yet if this is just because of the change in seasons or attributable to the government shutdown. However, while we are serving 1,500 families each week, we have over 2,500 active referrals, which means that any economic change, whether it be gas and food prices or a shutdown, will cause more families to come to us for help rather quickly.Charles Meng: In the last two weeks of September, we saw an increase of 96 families. We cannot tell yet if this is just because of the change in seasons or attributable to the government shutdown. However, while we are serving 1,500 families each week, we have over 2,500 active referrals, which means that any economic change, whether it be gas and food prices or a shutdown, will cause more families to come to us for help rather quickly.
Herman Carnie: Not yet, but the shutdown could affect the people we serve if it doesn't end soon. We often ask ourselves: how do we continue to fill the widening gap.Herman Carnie: Not yet, but the shutdown could affect the people we serve if it doesn't end soon. We often ask ourselves: how do we continue to fill the widening gap.
7. What do you think will happen when food stamp benefits are reduced on 1 November?7. What do you think will happen when food stamp benefits are reduced on 1 November?
Charles Meng: Any reduction will drive more families to come to AFAC for help. Here in Arlington the average SNAP benefit is $28.21 a week ($4 a day). That is not much for a family of four to live on. We provide supplemental groceries – fresh fruit and vegetables, mike, eggs, chicken, fish, a number of staples, cereals and an assortment of canned goods.Charles Meng: Any reduction will drive more families to come to AFAC for help. Here in Arlington the average SNAP benefit is $28.21 a week ($4 a day). That is not much for a family of four to live on. We provide supplemental groceries – fresh fruit and vegetables, mike, eggs, chicken, fish, a number of staples, cereals and an assortment of canned goods.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.