Foundation Journal

Without access to the Internet many individuals fall behind, even for simple tasks like completing job applications. Fortune 500 companies like Wal-Mart and Target require online applications. The main reasons people have limited access to fast-speed Internet, according to a New York Times article on broadband expansion , are: "The cost of Internet services and the cost of computers; not knowing how to use a computer; and not understanding why the Internet is relevant." A recent editorial in the St. Joseph News-Press advocated for expansion of public-private partnerships in Missouri with an emphasis on use of federal economic stimulus funds. The benefits of high-speed internet, from health care to education to business, long have been known. Rural residents quickly grasped the importance of the information pipeline. It gives families and young professionals the option to live in a small town and still connect to jobs in larger cities or even around the world.

I stopped for coffee at a restaurant on Michigan Avenue in Chicago a few blocks from the conference I was attending when a couple stopped by under an awning on a sunny day. "You don't love me. That's the message I get," said the woman, who I clearly heard from 20 feet away. He responds in hushed tones that I can't hear. "We won't be able to work through it today," she added. Just as quickly they disappear before I can take a picture. A woman in a motorized wheelchair makes an appeal for donations for Streetwise , a magazine helps "homeless and impoverished men and women of Chicago." "Good morning, good morning, good morning. Streetwise," she rattles off to passersby. "Looking-good, sounding-good Streetwise," she repeats as people walk from the subway station and pass by on their way to work or make deliveries. I spoke briefly with the woman, who said she had been homeless for six years, but added donations had

An annual report released in September 2011 by the US Census documented their findings on the growth of poverty in the US. The report reveals a startling -- though somewhat expected because the information reflects a prior year -- rise in the poverty rate. What the report does not reveal are the local, even personal, impact of poverty. Take Kansas City as an example. Ken at a Midtown Kansas City food pantry mentioned that over the past year he's seen "larger families" show up for food assistance, meaning unemployed members of a family are moving in together. Younger, 20-something children are moving back in with their parents, Ken mentioned. Perhaps predicting a future, even larger, decline in food assistance options, Ken mentioned some Missouri food pantries may be seeing funding cut for through the Community Service Block Grants.

During a workshop at a food bank conference held October 3-5, 2011 in Chicago, David Lee, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy with Feeding America , acknowledged a “perfect storm” is brewing that could have a devastating impact on poor and working families. He was referring to the combination of continued, high unemployment, a significant increase in the need for food assistance, and proposed cuts in Federal support for food assistance programs. David Lee (photo: Feeding America) The proposed cuts to TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) in the agriculture appropriations bill for FY2012, which starts October 1,  represent a 43% reduction from the previous year. “This is terrifying stuff,” mentioned Lee . The proposed House of Representatives version of the 2012 Farm Bill “slashed nutrition” by 20%,  he said, adding that this includes a “terrible, terrible cut to WIC,” the popular program available to lower-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and child

The process of "onboarding" -- bringing new employees into an organization -- at food banks is a hot topic because of the rapid growth of food banks to meet the growing need in communities. Despite the increased size of food banks and expansion of workforce, some organizations have actually reduced the size of their workforce, such as the Fresno food bank and Feeding America, the national organization of over 200 food banks. Organizations commit themselves to large capital campaigns to gather resouerces  - financial, in-kind, and volunteer time – to fund new buildings. The Houston Food Bank conducted a $55 million capital campaign to fund their new building which came online in August 2011. Harvesters raised $11 million in 2004 capital campaign to move into their new 200,000 square foot facility at that time. Food banks have developed sophisticated organizations – not unlike for-profit companies – that have clear divisions of labor, namely, operations, accounting, fund de