Farmers, food banks create partnership

In this trying economy, Americans are facing more than the prospect of losing their jobs. They’re being hit hard by high food prices and other difficulties, which is leading them to seek out other resources such as food banks for assistance.

Sadly, supply is not keeping up with this surge. Because of the current recession and higher food costs, food banks have seen a steady decline in donated packaged foods from manufacturers and grocery stores, which are historically their biggest donors.

Due to an increased need, food banks also require support from additional vendors. Ross Fraser, a spokesman for Feeding America, formerly America’s Second Harvest, reported a 30 to 40 percent rise in demand from a year ago. Feeding America’s is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Its network of more than 200 distribution centers serves all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

To tackle the rising demand, many food banks and nonprofits are trying to partner with farmers, fishermen and schools while continuing partnerships with their usual allies.

Ohio food banks are benefiting from a first-time partnership between the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH).

FHFH is a non-profit organization whose mission is to fight human hunger and deer overpopulation by contributing deer meat to church pantries, the Salvation Army, community food banks, emergency assistance programs and children's homes.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank, which serves agencies in 20 counties, received a truckload of 800 pounds of animal meat from the FHFH earlier this month, according to a Columbus Dispatch article.

“It’ll make a substantial difference,” said Evelyn Behm, Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s vice president of strategic initiatives. “Our pantries are always in need of protein.”

In other parts of the country, fishermen in Southern California have donated boats, bait and deck hands for a deep-sea fishing excursion, which helped supply FOOD Share, Ventura County’s food bank.

In Vermont, the Foodbank plans to close on the purchase of a 20-acre farm by May, according to Judy Stermer, the food bank’s spokeswoman. The purchase will do more than add food to the needy. It will prevent commercial development, preserve farmland and restore the farm as a working farm to provide a center for agricultural education efforts and community activity. According to an Associated Press article written earlier this year, Foodbank officials plan to farm the land for root crops, renovate the aging barn into a four-season facility that can serve as a community meeting place, a winter farmer's market and an educational exhibit that focuses on the link between agriculture and hunger.

"Our intent is to raise 150,000 pounds of produce on the farm (annually) and make it available -- first and foremost -- locally in the Mad River Valley and Washington County and then to other food shelves and pantries around the state," said Doug O'Brien, CEO of the Barre Town-based food bank. “The short-term gain is significant, and the long-term gain is we'll continue to have the fresh produce and the educational opportunities to better understand the issue of hunger."

Fortunately, along with these new partnerships, there are still many programs and corporations, including grocers and food manufacturers, who have stepped in to help. Their contributions are usually in the form of money and transportation services. Last month in an Associated Press article, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. stated it will donate more meat and dairy products plus $2.5 million, while Kraft Foods, Inc. will fund a $4.5 million mobile pantry program.

Partnerships across the country are helping in large and small ways and every bit helps. What else can be done to help the hungry during the recession? Please comment below.

High Prices a Problem for Corporations, Consumers Alike

Everyone from the CEOs of huge corporations to stay-at-home moms are feeling the squeeze of the high cost of living. Soaring food and fuel prices are leaving their mark in grocery stores, on the roads and in homes across the United States.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently estimated that food prices will climb 4.5 to 5.5 percent this year and another 4 to 5 percent in 2009. Many are scrambling to find new ways to survive in this volatile economy. The “trickle-down” effect has become obvious.

With the increased cost of living, many farmers are losing money with each chicken and cow they sell. Grain farmers are hurting from rising fertilizer and fuel prices as well. When those at the source of our food supply are hurting, the high cost of inputs are sure to be passed on to the consumer.

“It costs $1,000 to fill up some farm tractors every time they pull up to the diesel pump with an empty tank,” said Mark Schneidewind, Illinois Farm Bureau manager for Will County. In an Aug. 22 article in the Morris Daily Herald, he explained that anhydrous ammonia, a common fertilizer, has risen from $200 per ton to more than $1,000 in the past two years.

Like farmers, food manufacturers also must tighten their belts. Though often seen as responsible for hiking prices, companies like General Mills are suffering, too. According to an Aug. 8 Wall Street Journal article, to save dwindling profits, General Mills and other companies like Pilgrim’s Pride, Sara Lee and Tyson Foods have been forced to charge more for smaller boxes of cereal, cartons of ice cream and jars of mayonnaise.

The next place increased prices have a significant impact is in the grocery aisles and the wallets of families across the U.S. Already driving less, opting out of their usual activities and switching to more fuel-efficient cars, moms and dads are watching their food purchases closely. Even children at school can feel the effects of the market. Schools in many states are being forced to raise the price of all lunches, including their “low-cost” meals and are reducing the variety of foods they offer.

“We were so used to getting into the car and going places, trying new things,” said Jennine, a suburban New York mother of two. “I try to drive only as necessary so I can make a tank of gas stretch for two weeks. You have to think about how you do food shopping and where you are taking the kids.”

On the upside, makers of items like bicycles and wood-burning stoves are enjoying increased sales. Online and bulk shopping are also on the rise.

“High energy prices are forcing consumers and businesses to reconsider both short-term and long-term decisions, from where to go on vacation to where and how to organize product lines,” said Scott Horsley in his Aug. 13 NPR article. “Some of these changes will be long-lasting.”

The endless cycle of finger pointing is obviously not helping anyone solve the problem of higher prices. What is the solution? Are these market conditions here to stay? Let me know what you think.