New Survey Underscores Urgent Need for Farm Bill as Demands Are Up, Food Down

More Hungry Americans Bend To Nation's Food Sir Joseph Banks For Help CHICAGO, May 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Food Banks across America
are reporting a important addition in the figure of people seeking
emergency nutrient assistance, at the same clip they are experiencing dwindling
food inventories, forcing many nutrient banks, soup kitchens and nutrient pantries
to cut back nutrient statistical distribution and set trading operations to ran into demands. Meanwhile, United States Congress is expected to vote on the Farm Bill this week, which
President Shrub have threatened to veto. Enactment of the measure would
dramatically better the state of affairs facing low-income Americans and
emergency eating organisations by providing more than support for federal
nutrition programs, including the Emergency Food Aid Program (TEFAP)
and the Food Postage Program. In a "Local Impact" study of 180 nutrient banks, conducted by America's
Second Crop between late April and early May 2008, 99 percentage of
respondents reported an addition in the figure of people being served today
compared to one twelvemonth ago. The norm addition reported was between 15 and
20 percent. More than 90 percentage of the respondents cited increasing food
and combustible terms as a primary factor drive the additions in need. Other
factors included inadequate nutrient postage benefits, unemployment,
underemployment, and rent or mortgage costs. "We dwell in a state where no 1 should travel hungry, and hungry
Americans are facing the worst modern times they have got seen in recent years," said
Vicki Escarra, president and main executive director military officer of America's Second
Harvest - The Nation's Food Depository Financial Institution Network. "Our nutrient Banks and their
agencies are so incredibly strapped to ran into the demands of more than people
turning to our system for aid right now. If we make not see a Farm Bill
enacted as quickly as possible to convey contiguous alleviation to this tragic
situation, our state will witnesser a calamity for low-income men, women
and children." More than 80 percentage of the nutrient Banks surveyed indicated an inability
to adequately ran into the demands of hungry people without having to reduce
the amount of nutrient or their operations. Nearly 55 percentage of nutrient banks
surveyed reported that their agencies, including soup kitchens and food
pantries, have got reduced or are considering reducing the amount of food
offered to clients. Nearly 50 percentage of nutrient Banks have got or are considering
reducing the assortment of nutrient made available to federal agencies owed to diminished
supplies. And, nearly 44 percentage of nutrient Banks reported that they have got or
are considering film editing back the amount of nutrient made available to their
agencies. Food Banks have got experienced about a $200 million diminution in USDA
commodities entering the charitable nutrient statistical distribution system because a
healthy farm economic system have required less intercession from the federal
government to purchase excess nutrient to back up farmers. As a result, there is a
growing tendency among nutrient Banks of buying food, rather than relying
solely on donated nutrient sources, to feed people who necessitate help. More than 45
percent of nutrient Banks surveyed reported that they have got or are considering
diverting finances from other countries to buy nutrient in order to feed people
in their community. The Farm Bill would get replenishing this critical
food beginning by providing $250 million a twelvemonth for TEFAP and indexing the
amount for inflation. "I've seen a batch of empty shelves around the country, and it is not
hard to conceive of in this weakening economic system how stretched nutrient Banks are to
find food," said Escarra. "This coupled with such as big additions in the
number of people we necessitate to feed have left nutrient Banks to do very difficult
choices. Unfortunately, in some cases, federal agencies are shutting down or
turning clients away. This is why we necessitate a new Farm Bill now." Anecdotes from the study included narratives of former givers now
standing in line to have got nutrient assistance; children saving nutrient they get
through decreased priced or free school luncheon and breakfast so they would
have something to take place to eat for dinner; and parents losing their
jobs because they chose to feed their children and then could not afford to
pay for transportation system to work the adjacent day. (See below). "I commend the United States Congress for providing major new investings in federal
nutrition programmes in this Farm Bill, and I urge on the President to
reconsider his resistance to this statute law and mark it into law," said
Escarra. For foregrounds of the national summary and local studies from all of
the nutrient Banks respondents, delight visit
. America's Second Crop - The Nation's Food Depository Financial Institution Network is the
largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organisation in the United
States. Through its web of more than than than than 200 member nutrient banks, America's
Second Crop annually supplies aid to more than 25 million people
in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million
seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia River and Puerto Rico. Each
year, America's Second Crop secures and administers more than than 2 billion
pounds of donated nutrient and grocery store merchandises to back up eating programmes at
approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies, including nutrient pantries,
soup kitchens, exigency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To larn more, delight visit . The followers are selected quotation marks from web nutrient Banks regarding the
food crisis: --Capital Area Food Depository Financial Institution of Lone-Star State (Austin) The whole hungriness alleviation system is teetering right now and it have the
potential to catch if things acquire much worse. It's hard to conceive of what the
next few calendar months are going to look like. We are really bracing for a
challenging summer. --Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank The local populace system studies that children are hoarding their free and
reduced terms luncheons so they can convey it place and have got something to eat
at night. --Roadrunner Food Depository Financial Institution (Albuquerque) The nutrient larders we function study that they are turning people away and
running out of food. They are distributing more than nutrient than ever before, but
individual clients are receiving less. We have got not been able to go on to
meet the need. We are doing well raising funds, but disbursement it on
increased costs. We necessitate to purchase more than food, but they money is just not
there. Our federal agencies are despairing -- they either have got to turn clients away
or direct them away with very little. --Second Crop Food Depository Financial Institution of Southeastern Buckeye State (Logan) The word I would utilize is "disastrous." I have got been doing this since 1984
and last twelvemonth was absolutely the worst twelvemonth in footing of not having enough
food. Food costs, public utilities and medical measures are through the
roof...someone life on minimal wage, I don't cognize how they are even
surviving today. We were the safety network when things were bad, but we can't
be the safety network [much longer]. We make not have got adequate food. We can never
come up with adequate nutrient to countervail what is happening to these families. Some of the larders we function have got been forced to close. People are doing
everything they are supposed to do, but it falls short. --East Lone-Star State Food Depository Financial Institution (Tyler) One of our clients, a 38-year old female parent with three handicapped children
had to take between purchasing nutrient for her household and putting gas in her car
to acquire to work. She had just taken a new job, closer to place to salvage on
gasoline. She bought the nutrient and then was fired from her occupation because she
didn't do it in. We have got got to do day-to-day concern determinations that we haven't
had to do in 20 years. The terms of gas have made us reevaluate our bulk
rice and edible bean program. We've stopped the programme because it's not cost
effective because of the terms of nutrient and gas. For our approaching summer
feeding program, we have got to size up our beginnings for merchandises like milk. The terms of milk have gone up significantly, but the government
reimbursement for this programme have stayed the same. --Food Depository Financial Institution of the Rocky Mountains (Denver) Families and people that have got never before are suddenly seeking
emergency nutrient assistance. We are seeing an increased figure of clients. Many federal agencies have got said that they are running out of resources to handle
the increase. Hungry people are going without [food]. If the trend
continues we will have got a hard clip keeping up with the demand. We are
worried that we will not be financially able to go on to assist those in
need. --Second Crop Food Depository Financial Institution of Center Volunteer State (Nashville) People that used to be givers have got go clients. About 30 percentage of
calls in the last few calendar months are from people that used to donate and now
are asking for our help. --Food Depository Financial Institution for Monmouth and Ocean Counties (New Jersey) Eighty percentage of the nutrient we give to our soup kitchens and food
pantries is now transported by the nutrient bank. They simply can't afford the
transportation cost. We don't cognize if we will enough finances to buy food
to ran into further need. Demand for nutrient have addition up to 40 percent. Food contributions are down, pecuniary contributions are down, and we will have got to
start rationing food. --Second Crop Food Depository Financial Institution of North Central Buckeye State (Lorain) I don't believe we are meeting the need. Our Gap Analysis demoes we're
only meeting 25 to 30 percentage of the need. We've had a large loss of jobs. People can't happen occupations except those paying lower limit wage. There are no jobs
to be had, even for people with college degrees. --Toledo Northwestern Buckeye State Food Bank There's an addition of up to 50 percentage over last twelvemonth of clients
seeking food. We've had to increase the buying of nutrient by over 35
percent because contributions are down. --Huntington Area Food Depository Financial Institution (West Virginia) We are feeding 85,000 to 90,000 in a 17-county tri-state area. Many
companies have got left our service country or closed down, leaving over 50,000
people unemployed. --Freestore Food Depository Financial Institution (Cincinnati) Agencies used to give 7 years worth of nutrient for each household member. Last
summer made it 6 years because demand is so high. We're seeing more than working
families and workings mediocre than usual...working people that just can't
stretch their budget. The people we function are the most gracious and
appreciative. Their endurance accomplishments would prove almost everybody in this
country. I inquire at their capacity and I wonder what the bounds to that
capacity is. --Food Depository Financial Institution of Alaska In Last Frontier we have got experienced a immense addition in the cost of
distributing nutrient to distant countries where it is desperately needed. We talked
to a adult male the other twenty-four hours who said he only had enough money to pay for gas, to
go to work or pay for food. --Food Depository Financial Institution of the Albemarle (Elizabeth City, NC) Higher gas and nutrient terms are driving more than people to seek help,
especially seniors, the handicapped and the workings poor. --Food Depository Financial Institution for Westchester, Inc. (New York) We are seeing seniors and other people who have got never accessed the
emergency nutrient system. --Mississippi Food Network (Jackson) It have go much harder to get nutrient than ever before. The cost of
doing concern will eventually do us to have got to do drastic alterations in
the manner we operate. --Toledo Northwestern Buckeye State Food Bank We've increased purchased nutrient by 35 percent. Our clients can't afford
enough nutrient to feed their families. --Second Crop Food Depository Financial Institution of Clark, Champagne and Mount Logan Counties
(Springfield, Ohio) We've lost two concerns recently in the area. 250 occupations are gone and
the town isn't that big. People are stretching their budgets on food, rent,
utilities and gasoline. --Greater Berks Food Depository Financial Institution (Reading, Penn.) One of our federal agencies administers out of a Christian church garage. There used to
be a smattering of people showing up for help, now the lines travels all the way
down the street. Clients are continually calling for aid because their
food postage benefits don't purchase as much at the grocery shop store. One of our
elderly clients who acquires a CSFP box of nutrient states that she loves the program
because it go forths her with adequate grocery store money to purchase something particular --
like a caput of lettuce.