Foundation Journal

While the news of a judge blocking the voter ID regulation in South Carolina is encouraging, a law requiring fingerprints for Food Stamp/SNAP application in New York is still on the books. Opponents of the voter ID laws claim these regulations are in violation of the Voting Rights Act because they target minorities, thus reducing their likelihood of voting. The voter ID regulations in South Carolina and other states are simply laws chasing fraud where it does not exist or is misguided because of the negligible number of cases. Simply put: these regulations, like the fingerprinting requirement, are targeting poor people in unjust ways. As the Food Research and Action Center noted in their recent news digest, a January 1, 2012 New York Times editorial argued for ending the practice of fingerprinting SNAP applicants. “Especially at a time when so many families are struggling, the Bloomberg administration should drop the [fingerprinting] requirement that leads to many New Yorke...

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.

Visual art has the potential to capture the imagination of both the artist and viewer. Public art, especially painted murals, occupy a special place that not only captures the imagination, but also the history and struggles of people wherever you see this art form. Mural projects that document popular history and culture, plus involve people in creating the work hold a special place in the hearts of the participants. Two mural projects in different parts of the world -- Gaza and Topeka -- fit this mold. At a reception for Harvesters food assistance agencies held in Topeka on July 12, 2011, I spoke with Delores with Turnaround Topeka and first learned about a mural painted on a 900-foot wall in Topeka. Delores joined the reception after coordinating a mass distribution of donated food to 1000 Topeka area residents at the Expo Center. "The Road From Brown V. Board"   Lead Artist - Dave Loewenstein . Assisted by KT Walsh and students from Marty Moreno's Advanced Ar...

Representatives of Hunger-Free Minnesota, an important statewide Minnesota initiative on hunger, held a press conference today ( streamed live on UStream ) in Minneapolis. The conference was preceded by a recorded segment which included first-person accounts by people that have recently sought food assistance. These stories documented strong emotions experienced by a range of people receiving food assistance, including veterans, immigrants, a financially-strapped teacher, elderly people, a person making ends meet after a job loss, a woman facing home foreclosure after a divorce -- all people not typically considered as needing food assistance. After the recorded segment leaders of a coalition of food and health corporations, along with leaders from non-profit emergency assistance organizations, spoke about the Minnesota initiative to fill a gap of 100 million meals. Emery Koenig, a senior vice president with Cargill, spoke about efforts to increase the storag...

Food banks traditionally have operated under the premise of providing temporary food assistance to low-income and working poor families. The economic crisis, which started in 2007, caused a significant increase in families and individuals seeking food assistance from job loss and foreclosure. Food pantries served by Harvesters, the Kansas City area food bank, saw a 40% increase in food distribution. This dire situation has evolved into a chronic condition with as much as 25% of people in communities seeking food assistance from various sources like pantries, soup kitchens, and Food Stamps/SNAP benefits. The economic crisis has shifted the need from extremely poor to working poor people. If a chronic condition of hunger in the U.S. is not enough to convince people to change their perception of the growing need for food assistance, then a devastating tornado season may help people understand the need for government assistance. A recent account by a USDA public relations worker sha...

From left: Jono Anzalone with FEMA and Karen Haren, with Harvesters. A press conference was held at Harvesters food bank in Kansas City on Thursday, May 26, 2011 with Jono Anzalone, Regional Voluntary Agency Liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Margaret Larson, Disaster Services Specialist with the Feeding America, and Karen Haren, president of Harvesters. At least two television stations and a reporter with the Kansas City Star were in attendance. Anzalone emphasized the importance of working through designated agencies like Harvesters to deliver assistance most effectively. He stated that 6000 people have registered to volunteer at Missouri Southern State University, the Joplin tornado relief coordination site. The influx of concerned people was straining the resources of the very community that was dealing with devastation from the tornado. He further encouraged people to donate money to organizations designated by the state of Missour i  or regis...

A line snakes down the street as people line up outside Birmingham's Boutwell Auditorium seeking supplemental food assistance offered people who suffered losses in the April 27, 2011, tornadoes in Alabama. (The Birmingham News/Michelle Campbell) Today I had several people ask what they could do to help people affected by the Joplin tornado devastation. One person responded that "mercifully" no one he knew lived in Joplin, but he was concerned about providing disaster relief. Food Relief and Action Center documented two recent cases -- in Alabama and North Dakota -- where victims of storms were provided food assistance through the SNAP/Food Stamps program. The Alabama case show one example of the quickest way to provide relief is through the government program; a keen way to shared responsibility to disaster relief. 500 county health workers were needed to process SNAP benefit applications, which shows how great the need for basic food assistance is in t...

Mary Sanchez, writing for the Kansas City Star on May 4, 2011, highlighted the predicament former Missouri drug convicts face when trying to live outside prison walls. Missouri is one of nine states where a person can commit murder, rape, aggravated assault, armed robbery, any number of violent crimes and, after serving time, still be allowed food stamps. But be an ex-felony drug offender? No way. Those folks have a lifetime ban on receiving food stamps. This item was part of the Missouri legislative session in 2009 when Missouri food assistance advocates visited Jefferson City. Legislators just couldn't do the right thing and remove this burden from people that have paid their time for the crime. Sanchez makes a good case for allowing former felons to receive the food assistance benefit. Providing the benefit would allow these people to lead a somewhat dignified life as they find employment, housing, and other basic services. She argues that providing access to this essent...

Harvesters food bank in Kansas City has been around for 30 years now and the organization acknowledged 25 years of service and accomplishments of the president Karen Haren during an all-staff meeting today. Karen attributed the success and growth of the food bank to "staying on mission and the great staff and volunteers." The ceremony reflected on the increase in food distributed over the 25 years. In 1986, 4 million pounds of food was distributed and $100,000 were raised to purchase food. In 2010, 35 million pounds of food was distributed and $3 million was raised for food purchase. This represents a nine-fold increase in food distributed in and around Kansas City over the 25 years. The large increase in the numbers of food distributed is bittersweet for most people in the food assistance business because an increase in food distribution means they are provided relief yet the demand still grows. It's a sad commentary on this most wealthiest nation that has so many wo...

Small nonprofits struggle with maintaining their programs and services on a number of levels, and sometimes the seemingly huge problems, like a broken furnace, remind workers and staff that some problems are easy to solve. The Kansas City Indian Center , until recently named the Heart of America Indian Center, is no different. The organization delivers important social services to clients, yet holds a vision to expand its reach into the Native American community. On Friday, January 14, 2011, while completing a service project supported by Harvesters food bank in Kansas City, I arrived to learn that their furnace had been replaced after a worker discovered high levels of carbon monoxide. The center was back in stride, not only after a furnace replacement, but also after recent staff turnover. New executive director Steve Jackson took time out of his schedule to describe changes needed to the phone and voice mail systems. The organization recently hired Gayl Edmunds, a new counselor w...

Lance Morgan , the keynote speaker on October 7, 2010 during Feeding America's Central Region food bank conference in Omaha, outlined the economic development success on the Winnebago reservation. He stressed how Ho-Chunk Inc. and other businesses on the reservation transformed a community with 65% unemployment and widespread alcoholism into a "rural economic miracle." Morgan described how Ho-Chunk and other enterprises have not only contributed significantly to tribal programs, but offer a different approach to economic development, such as through it's low loan rates for rez cars and houses. The low rates have driven out predatory lenders for cars, a loan policy which has devastated many low income workers. This approach provided borrowers with the means to maintain jobs and "changed the landscape and what's possible in our world," Morgan stated. "It changed the whole dynamic within our community. Lance Morgan, speaking at Feedin...

photo: Tammy Ljungblad / Kansas City Star In my quest to learn about the food cycle in the United States and here in the "bread basket" of the Midwest, I took a tour of the Kansas City Board of Trade (KBOT). The tour provided insights into the methods of commodity trading in one of the nation’s three large sites. A communications professional and former trader introduced herself, shared a “Voices of Vision” video, then led a group of personal investors to a viewing area above the trading floor. The video highlighted the success of the wheat growing capability of the US and the Midwest. The facilitator noted how problems with Russian wheat production, excess moisture in Europe, and dry climate in Argentina and Australia have elevated the price of wheat in recent months. This price increase is evident despite the highest volume in wheat production in the history of KBOT since 1856. In a seeming self-serving comment, the facilitator emphasized these were heady days for t...

Following the success of films about out-of-control food industries like "Super Size Me," "Food Inc," and "Fast Food Nation," the upcoming film " Dive! " takes an angle on food waste and hunger in USA. The film seems to capture not just the desperation of recovering food from dumpsters, but the magnitude of the waste problem. Harvesters food bank has had a long-time food rescue program, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the food rescue program was one of the original programs at the food bank. This film is part of KC Film Fest this Saturday, April 17, 2010. Dive! Trailer from Compeller Productions on Vimeo .

A group of 30 people from Harvesters and area food agencies traveled to Jefferson City for Harvesters’ Advocacy Day. The group met up with other food bank workers and agencies from Missouri food banks. We started with a short meeting hearing from Rep. Bob Nance, a Republican author of legislation to increase supplemental food stamp assistance for elderly. Bob Nance encouraged workers in food banks to continue serving a vital community need – providing emergency food aid. Brian Colby with the Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance addressed the food bank group. He emphasized that food banks are on the front line of the economic downturn by focusing on the safety net of food assistance. He noted that food stamps provide an economic benefit to local communities by injecting funds into people’s hands to purchase food. The group heard from Jan with the Ozarks Food Bank and Karen Haren with Harvesters. After the brief gathering, individuals were invited to visit with legislators. I had four...

The International Food Aid Conference took place on April 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. This was truly a unique opportunity to attend a conference with 30 countries represented without leaving my hometown. On the first day of the conference, I attended the "United Nations Association Symposium on Food Security." The symposium was organized by the Greater Kansas City United Nations Association and was free and open to the public. The symposium was organized by the KC chapter of United Nations Organization. It’s an opportunity for advocacy as Jay Sjerven, president of the organization, highlighted the profile of food prices and the impact on poor people. There were four industry experts on the panel. Tony Hall, former US congressman from Dayton, Ohio , US Ambassador to the UN, and author of Changing the Face of Hunger (http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Face-Hunger-Conservatives-Republicans/dp/0849918693/ref=ed_oe_p), explained how a 1984 trip to Ethiopia transformed his p...