A food bank or foodbank is a nonprofit and charitable organization that distributes food to those who have trouble buying enough to avoid starvation.
In North America and Australia, food banks typically operate on "warehouse" models. They act as food storage and distribution depots for the smaller frontline; and usually they themselves do not give food directly to the hungry. Once the food is collected, sorted and reviewed for quality, these food banks distribute it to nonprofit communities or government agencies, including nursing homes, food cabinets, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, orphanages , and schools.
Outside of North America and Australia, the "front line" model is often found. Such food banks provide most or all of their food directly to the end user. For both of these models, the largest sources of food include nonprofit growers, producers, distributors, and retailers who in normal business have excess food they can not sell. Some food banks receive most of their food from individual donors, including their volunteers. There is a lot of overlap with food saving, food saving, and gathering.
The world's first food bank was established in the US in 1967, and since then thousands have been established worldwide. In Europe, which until now have little need for food banks due to the widespread welfare system, their numbers are rising rapidly after rising global food prices beginning in late 2006, and especially after the 2007-08 financial crisis began to deteriorate. economic conditions for those with low incomes.
The growth of food banks has been widely accepted, especially by those on the right of the political spectrum, but also by many on the left, who see them as evidence of an active community independent of the state. However, academics and commentators have expressed concern that the rise of food banks could erode political support for the provision of prosperity. Researchers have reported that food banks can be inefficient compared to state-run services, and that some people feel embarrassed about having to use them.
Video Food bank
Standard model
With thousands of food banks operating around the world, there are many different models.
The main difference between food banks is whether they operate on a "front line" model, feeding directly to the hungry, or whether they operate on a "warehouse" model, supplying food to intermediaries such as pantry food, communal kitchens and other frontline organizations. In the US, Australia, and so far in Canada, the standard model is for food banks to act as warehouses rather than as suppliers to end users, although there are exceptions. In other countries, food banks usually distribute food packages directly to hungry people, providing services in the US offered by nursing food .
Another difference is between the charity model and the trade union model. At least in Canada and the US, food banks run by charities often place more weight on the salvation of food that would otherwise be in vain, and on encouraging volunteerism, while run by unions could place greater emphasis on giving eat hungry people with anything. means available, to provide jobs for the unemployed, and to education, especially in explaining to users their civil rights.
In the US, cities will often have a single food bank that acts as a centralized warehouse and will serve several hundred frontline agents. Like a blood bank, the warehouse serves as a single collection and distribution site for food donations. A food bank operates much like a non-profit food distributor, but in this case it distributes food for charity, not to food retailers. Often there is no fee for charity, but some food banks charge a small "maintenance" fee to help finance storage and distribution costs.
For many US food banks, most of the food they donate comes from the food left over from the normal process of nonprofit companies. It can come from any part of the food chain, e.g. from farmers who have produced too much or whose food is not visually appealing enough; from overproduction producers; or from over-ordered retailers. Often the product approaches or passes its "sell by" date. In such cases, the food bank deals with the food industry and with regulators to ensure food is safe and legal to be distributed and eaten.
Other food sources include the general public, sometimes in the form of "food drives", and government programs that buy and distribute excessive agricultural products primarily to help support higher commodity prices. Food banks can also buy good food at market prices or from wholesalers and retailers at discounted prices, often at a cost. Sometimes farmers will allow food banks to send gleaners to save the rest of the plants for free once their main harvest is over. Some food banks even take over their own land, though such initiatives do not always work.
Many food banks do not accept fresh produce, prefer canned or packed foods due to health and safety concerns, although some have tried to change this as part of a growing world consciousness about the importance of nutrition. For example, in 2012, London Food Bank (Canada) began receiving stale food, reported that as well as clear health benefits, there was a real emotional benefit to the recipients when they were given fresh food.
Summer can be a challenging time for food banks, especially in areas where school children are usually given free food regularly over a period of time. The surge in demand can coincide with the period in which the donation fell because the people were on vacation.
Maps Food bank
North America
History
The first food bank in the world is the Food Bank St. Alliance. Mary in Arizona, founded by John van Hengel in 1967. According to sociology professor Janet Poppendieck, famine in the US was widely regarded as a problem solved until the mid-1960s. By the mid-sixties, some states had ended the free distribution of federal food surplus, instead providing the earliest forms of food stamps that had the benefit of allowing recipients to choose food to their liking, rather than having to accept whatever was going on in excess at the time. However, there is a minimum cost and some people can not afford to buy stamps, which causes severe hunger. One response from American society to reinvention of hunger is to increase the support provided by public kitchens and food aid agencies of similar civil society - some of which are dated back to the Great Depression and earlier. In 1965, when volunteering for the community dining room, van Hengel learned that grocery stores often throw away food that has damaged the packaging or is almost out of date. He started collecting the food for the dining room but soon had too much for one program. He thinks to create a central location from which each agency can receive donations. Described as a classic case "if you build it, they will come", the first food bank was created with the help of St. Basilica. Mary. Food banks are spread throughout the United States, and to Canada. In 1976, precursors to Feeding America were established. In the early 21st century, their network of more than 200 food banks provided support for 90,000 projects. Other large networks exist such as AmpleHarvest.org, created by CNN Hero and World Food Prizee nominee Gary Oppenheimer who enrolls more than 8,200 food pants (1 out of every 5 in America) in all 60 states that can take advantage of overproduction of fresh produce.
But it was not until the 1980s that US food banks began to enjoy rapid growth. The second response to the "rediscovery" of famine in the mid-sixties was an extensive lobby of politicians to improve their welfare. Until the 1980s, this approach had a greater impact. In the 1970s, US federal spending on famine relief grew by about 500%, with food vouchers distributed free of charge to those most in need. According to Poppendieck, welfare is widely considered to be better than grassroots efforts, because the latter is unreliable, does not give recipients the choice of consumer style in the same way as food stamps, and recipients at risk feel humiliated by having to turn to charity. In the early 1980s, Reagan's administration reduced welfare provision, leading to a rapid increase in activity from grassroots aid agencies at the grassroots level. According to a comprehensive government survey completed in 2002, over 90% of food banks were established in the US after 1981. Poppendieck said that for the first few years after the change, there was strong opposition from the left, who argued that the welfare of the state was much more suitable for meet the needs of the recipient But in subsequent decades, food banks have been a welcome part of America's response to hunger. Demand for US food bank services increased further in the late 1990s, following the "welfare end as we know" with Personal Responsibility and Clinton Employment Opportunity Act. In Canada, food banks experienced a period of rapid growth after cuts in welfare that occurred in the mid-1990s. In the early 1980s, food banks also began to spread from the United States to the rest of the world. The first European food bank was established in France during 1984. In the 1990s and early 2000s, food banks were established in South America, Africa and Asia, in some cases with van Hengel acting as a consultant. In 2007, Global FoodBanking Network was formed. Food aid for pets
Some US cities have organizations that feed dogs and cats for pets whose owners are eligible for food aid. For example, Pet Kitchen Soup Daffy in Lawrenceville, Georgia is considered the largest pet food agent in Georgia, distributing over 800,000 pounds of dog and cat food in 2012. Daffy Pet Soup Kitchen > i> started in 1997 by Tom Wargo, a craftsman working at an old lady's home when she noticed she shared her lunch lunch with her pet cat because she could not afford to buy cat food. Daffy's is one of the seven nonprofits recognized by Barefoot Wine in 2013 through a $ 10,000 donation and by becoming a flagship on the wine label Red Blend Vintner. Pet Buddies Food Pantry in Woodstock, Georgia is another example of a company that provides pet food aid.
After the 2007 financial crisis
After the 2007-08 financial crisis, and persistent inflation in food prices beginning in late 2006, there was a further increase in the number of people requesting help from American and Canadian food banks. In 2012, according to Food Banks Canada , over 850,000 Canadians need help from food banks every month. For the United States, the Gleaners Indiana Food bank reported in 2012 that 50 million Americans are struggling with food insecurity (about 1 in 6 population), with the number of people seeking help from food banks has increased by 46% since 2005. According to research by UCLA Health Policy Research Center 2012, there has been a 40% increase in demand for California food banks since 2008, with married couples working both occasionally needing food bank help. Dave Krepcho, director of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando, said that college-educated professional couples have begun switching to nursing homes.
By mid-2012, the US food bank has expressed concern about the difficulty expected in feeding the hungry over the coming months. The rapidly increasing demand coincides with higher food prices and with reduced donations, in part because the food industry becomes more efficient and has fewer mislabelled and other foods that are slightly damaged to be provided. Also there is less federal food on offer. In addition, there has been a recent decline in federal funding, and Congress has debated the possibility of further cuts, including billions of potential dollars from the Supplemental Nutrition Program (food stamp program). In September 2012, Feeding America launched Hunger Action Month , with events planned across the country. The food banks and other agencies involved hope to raise awareness that about one in six Americans are struggling with hunger, and to get more Americans involved in helping.
Europe
The first European food bank was established in France during 1984. The first Italian food bank was founded in 1989. Similar to the British experience, food banks have become much more common throughout continental Europe since the crisis that began in 2008, and mainly because of the savings began. shall enter into force by the end of 2010.
In Spain, food banks can operate on a warehouse model, providing surrounding public kitchen chains and other food aid agencies. The Federation of Spanish food bank federations (FESBAL) helped feed about 800,000 people during 2008-2011, according to the Carrefour Foundation. As of October 2014, Spain has 55 food banks in total, with the number dependent on them rising to 1.5 million.
In Belgium, food banks helped about 121,000 people during 2012. It was an increase of about 4,500 compared with 2011, the largest increase since the beginning of the 2008 crisis. Belgian food bank accounts for about 65% of all food aid provided domestically.
The number of food banks has increased rapidly even in Germany, a country that has gone through a relatively good crisis, and does not need to implement severe savings. In 2012, professor Sabine Pfeiffer of Munich University of Applied Sciences says there has been an "explosion" in the use of food banks.
Most Deprived Persons Program
While many European food banks are run by civil society without government assistance, there is an EU-funded project, Most Deprived People program (MDP), which specializes in providing food for marginalized people not covered by the system of benefits and who may be reluctant to approach a more formal food bank. Food is mostly given by Catholic churches. However, the EU will end funding for MDP by 2013. Similar to the US, the EU no longer expects the need to buy more food to help farmers, because with high global food prices, market surplus is now much less frequent, so there is less food available for distribution to food banks. In October 2012, the European Commission proposed a new Fund to replace the Program of the most deprived people .
United Kingdom
There are at least 2,000 food banks in the UK and demand continues to increase. Prof Jon May, of Queen Mary University of London and Independent Food Aid Network, said statistics show a rapid rise in the number of food banks over the past five years. "There are now food banks in virtually every community, from the East End of London to the Cotswolds.The spread of the food bank mapped out the growing poverty problem in Britain, but also a growing thrust among thousands of people across the country to try and do something about it". Although Foodbanks were rarely seen in Britain in the second half of the 20th century, its use began to grow, especially in the 2000s, and has since grown dramatically. Increased dependence on food banks has been blamed on rising unemployment in Britain, the 2008 recession and government austerity policies. These policies have included cuts to the welfare state and limited the total amount of welfare support that the family can claim. The OECD found that people answered yes to the question 'Has there been a time in the last 12 months when you did not have enough money to buy the food you or your family needed?' decreased from 9.8% in 2007 to 8.1% in 2012, leading some to say that the increase is due to more food bank awareness, and Jobcentres referring people to food banks when they are hungry. Rachel Loopstra, a nutrition lecturer at King's College London and a food insecurity expert, said: "Recent national survey data show that 8% of adults experience not having enough money for food during 2016 - this number will probably be many times the number assisted by food banks.We need the monitoring of sustainable national surveys to understand the scale of food insecurity, who are at risk, and the implications for the health and wellbeing of children and adults. "Those who are short of food often lack other products they need such as shampoo and products basic hygiene. Some people have to choose between buying food and buying hygiene products.
In January 2014, there were nearly 1,000 food banks in the UK. The largest group that coordinates UK food is The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity based in Salisbury. About 43% of UK food banks are managed by Trussell, about 20% by smaller church networks such as Besom and Basics, about 31% independent, and about 4% run by secular food bank networks such as Tariff Sharing and Food Cycle .
Before the financial crisis, food banks were "almost unheard of" in Britain. In 2004, Trussell only managed two food banks, but in 2007-2008, there were 22 food banks on Trussell Trust Foodbank Network and in early 2011, The Trussell Trust supported 100. By May 2012, they have 201. In August, 252. The rate of increase has increased considerably. In 2011, about one new food bank was opened per week. In early 2012, about two are opened each week. In July, The Trussell Trust reported that the new opening rate increased to three per week. In August, the new opening rate increased four times per week, with three new food banks opening that month for Nottingham alone. As of October 2012, the rate of increase has fallen back to about two or three per week. \ Most British food banks are organized by churches in partnership with the wider community. They operate with a "front line" model, feeding directly to the hungry. Over 90% of the food is donated by the public, including schools, churches, businesses and individuals. The Trussell Trust has aimed to provide short-term support to people whose needs have not been addressed by the provision of official state prosperity; those who have "fallen into the gap in the system". The Trussell Franchise has procedures aimed at preventing long-term dependence on their services, and to ensure that those in need are referred to eligible outsourcers. The charity shows that the credit crunch caused an increase in the number of people in need of emergency food. Since 2010, demand for food banks has continued to rise, and at a faster rate, partly because savings come into effect, and partly because low-income people are starting to reduce savings and run out of friends they want to ask for help. Unlike a common kitchen , most but not all food banks in the UK can not help people who come from outside without reference - instead they operate with a referral system. Vouchers are distributed to those in need by different types of front-line care professionals, such as social workers, health visitors, Citizens Advice Bureau, Jobcentres, and housing officials. Vouchers are usually redeemable at food banks for sufficient food packages for the last three days. The year until April 2013 saw nearly 350,000 referrals to the Trussel food bank, more than double the number from the previous year.
A number of food banks have been established outside the Trussell system, some are based on other secular religions, partly because they do not like having to turn people away without referrals, even though the Trussell Trust food bank helps clients in need without a voucher to earn money. one as soon as possible. There is also FareShare, a London-based charity that operates about 19 depots on US-style warehouse models. Instead of distributing food directly to individuals, FareShare distributes food to more than 700 smaller agencies, especially smaller independent operations such as public kitchens and breakfast clubs. Great emphasis is placed on reducing food waste and reducing food poverty. Fareshare operates on a business basis, hiring a number of managers to oversee operations with their volunteer forces. Employee costs account for more than 50% of their expenses in 2011 and 2012. In addition, charities that receive food are subject to shipping charges.
Another charity operating on US-style warehouse models and with the same emphasis placed on reducing food waste as well as reducing food poverty is the Oxford Food Bank, which has a single base delivering to about 30 charities in the Oxford area. Though a much smaller company than FareShare, it has a much lower pro-rata cost base for not hiring staff, with operations up to the level of directors run entirely by volunteers. This allows him to provide food at no cost to the receiving charity with all operating costs covered by grants and donations, which supply approximately Ã, Â £ 25 food with retail value for each Ã, Â £ 1 received in the donation. In December 2012, he also began distributing food to families in need directly with the help of local community centers and social services.
People who switch to food banks are usually grateful for food and for the warmth and kindness they receive from volunteers. However, sometimes food banks have run out of supplies by the time they arrive. Some people feel ashamed of having to ask for food, and that the packages they receive do not always look nutritious. Some food banks have tried to respond with innovative programs; London Street Foodbank, for example, has begun asking donors to send supermarket vouchers so that those who are served will be able to choose the foods that best meet their nutritional needs.
The Trussell Trust revealed a 47% increase in the three-day emergency supply provided by their food bank in December 2016 compared to the monthly average for the 2016/17 financial year. The public donation in December 2016 meant food banks were meeting increasing demand for the month, but donations in January, February and March 2017 all fell below the monthly average of 931 tonnes for the financial year 2016-17.
Despite lasting several years by various small charities around the world, 2017 saw a significant increase in media coverage and picked up from the reverse occurrence calendar. Campaign blogger Money Uk encourages people to give something to the food bank every day for 25 days covered by The Mirror The Guardian and Inews and others. Emma Revie of the Trussell Trust said, "because too many people live on water is a daily struggle".
The use of food banks has increased since Universal Credit started. Delay in giving the money force suit to use food bank, also Universal Credit does not provide enough to cover basic living expenses. Claiming Universal Credit is complex and the system hard to navigate, many claimants are unable to access the internet and can not access online help by claiming. A report by the Trussell Trust says, "Instead of acting as a service to ensure people do not face poverty, evidence shows that for the people with the lowest income... poor universal credit function can really push people into the tide. bills, debts and, ultimately, leads them to food banks.The people fall through the cracks in systems that are not made to hold them What small support is available is mainly offered by the third sector, whose work is commendable, but it can not be a substitute a real national safety net. "
Comparison with other countries
The use of food banks in Germany and France is allegedly much higher than in the UK. In 2014, 1.5 million people per week use food banks in Germany and, according to Toby Young, there are twice as many food banks in France as in Britain.
UK food bank users
According to a May 2013 report by Oxfam and Church Action on Poverty, about half a million Britons have used food banks. The Trussel Trust reports that their own food bank helped feed 346,992 people in 2012-13.
Almost half of those who need to use food banks have problems with their benefits. Sanction is one of the most frequent reasons for food bank referrals and there is criticism of sanctions imposed for false allegations.
A joint report of the Trussell Trust, the Church of England, and the charity organization Oxfam and Child Poverty Action Group found that food bank users were more likely to live in rented accommodation, single adults or single parents, unemployed, and have experienced "sanctions," in where their unemployment benefits were cut for at least a month
The delay in paying disability benefits of housing benefits and other benefits and general bureaucratic problems with benefits may force people to use food banks. Many more people who need food banks have low-income jobs, but struggle to buy food after making debt repayments and all expenses. Low-paid workers, part-time workers and those with zero-hour contracts are particularly vulnerable to financial crises and sometimes require food banks. As predicted, demand for food banks is increasing after cuts for welfare come into effect in April 2013, including the elimination of Crisis loans. In April 2014 Trussell reported that they had distributed 913,000 packets last year, up from 347,000 the previous year. Several councils have begun to seek funding for food banks to improve their capabilities, as their budget cuts mean they will be less able to help vulnerable people directly.
Sabine Goodwin, an Independent Food Aid Network researcher, said most food bank workers reported increasing demand for food aid. "Many feel they are firefighters, finding ways to deal with the logistics of feeding more people, without time to advocate changes that would eliminate the need for food banks in the first place."
UK Government
According to parliamentary reports of all parties released in December 2014, the main reason for increasing demand for UK food banks is the delay in paying benefits, welfare sanctions, and recent post-World War II trend reversals for the poor's revenues to rise above or in line with rising costs for housing, electricity bills and food. However, the government has responded by saying that additional use is likely due to more awareness of food banks because the proportion of paid benefits on time has increased from 88-89% under Labor, to 96-97% by 2014.
In 2013 the British government blocked EU funds worth £ 22 million to help finance food banks in the UK. MEP This disappointed worker, Richard Howitt, who helps in negotiating the fund. Howitt states:
It is sad that our government opposes this much-needed aid to food banks on the grounds that it is a national responsibility, when in reality it has no intention of providing the aid itself. The only conclusion is that the Conservative anti-European ideology is laid before the most destitute and deprived needs of our society.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the House of Commons in 2012 that he welcomes the food bank's efforts. Caroline Spelman, Country Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has described the food bank as an "outstanding example" of active citizenship. Labor MP Kate Green has a different view, feeling that the emergence of food banks reflect people who are let down by the state welfare system, saying "I feel a real outrage about them... People are very depressed about having to ask for food; sad. "Writer Cookery and poverty campaigner Jack Monroe writes that a food bank or voucher is" lucky people with a good doctor or health visitor who knows us well enough to admit that there is something really wrong. rightly wrong "and expressed concern for those lacking this support.
German
There are over 900 food banks in Germany, up from just 1 in 1993. In 2014, 1.5 million people per week use food banks in Germany.
French
In total, about 3.5 million people rely on food banks in France. One provider, Banque Alimentaire has more than 100 branches in France, serving 200 million meals a year to 1.85 million people.
Asia
Several places in Asia started using food banks; these include South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, ROC.
Singapore
In Singapore the concept of food bank is being pioneered by Food Bank Singapore.
India
Delhi Food Bank is an organization that feeds, empowers and transforms lives in New Delhi-NCR Region. They argue that their common ability can make the basic aspirations of universal access to food a reality. They strive to pursue this vision through quality and high standards for the process utilized by technology to get the right help for the right people at the right time.
Hong Kong
The first food bank in Hong Kong is Giving Hong Kong. The company was founded in 2009. Food Angel is also a food bank in Hong Kong.
Africa
The Egyptian Food Bank was established in Cairo in 2006, and less than ten years later, food banks adopted similar principles that spread to other Arab countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are charity food banks operating under a semi-commercial system different from the more common "warehouse" and "front line" models. In some rural LDCs such as Malawi, food is often relatively cheap and abundant during the first few months after harvest, but then becomes more expensive. Food banks in these areas can buy large quantities of food shortly after harvest, and then when food prices start rising, they resell them to the local people throughout the year at a price below the market price. These food banks sometimes also act as centers to provide small farmers and subsistence farmers with various forms of support.
Formed in 2009, FoodBank South Africa (FoodBank SA) is a network of South African national banks and a member of the Global Food Network. Vision FoodBank SA is "South Africa without hunger and malnutrition".
Worldwide
Since the 1980s, foodbanking has spread all over the world. There are more than 25 countries with active food bank groups under the umbrella of The Global Food Banking Network. Countries in international networks include Australia, Israel, Turkey, Russia, India, Taiwan, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and the UK. There are also some countries with food banks but who have not joined the network either because they have not met the required criteria or because they have not been implemented yet.
Alternative facilities that offer food to the hungry can be found all over the world wherever there is a sizable community of Sikhs. Long before the food bank was discovered, Langar had provided free vegetarian food for Sikhs and non-Sikhs.
Reaction
The emergence of food banks has been widely accepted. They not only provide solutions to the problem of hunger that does not require resources from the state, but they can be seen as evidence of an increasingly active and caring spirit of citizenship and citizenship. In the UK for example, Patrick Butler, community editor for The Guardian, has written that the rise of the food bank is most welcomed enthusiastically by the right, but also by many people on the left of the political spectrum, who are often "nervously excited " about them. However, there are major concerns expressed by some researchers and politicians. Based on the experience of the United States after the rapid growth of food banks in the 1980s, American sociology professor Janet Poppendieck warned that the rise of food banks could contribute to the long-term erosion of human rights and support for rights. Once the food bank becomes established, it is politically impossible to return the responsibility to meet the needs of the country's hungry people. Poppendieck said that the logistics of running a food bank can be so demanding that they prevent the kind-hearted people from having time to participate in public policy advocacy; but he also said if they can be encouraged to lobby politicians for long-term changes that will help those with low incomes, they often have enough credibility with legislators. In 2012, US senior food bank workers have stated the preference to remain politically neutral, which political activists have suggested could relate to their funding sources.
Rachel Loopstra of the University of Toronto said that food banks are often inefficient, unreliable and unable to supply nutritious food. He said a survey in Toronto found that only 1 in 5 families suffering from food insecurity would switch to food banks, in part because of the stigma associated with having to do so. Elizabeth Dowler, Professor of Food & amp; Social Policy at the University of Warwick, says that most British people prefer the state to take responsibility for helping the hungry. Hannah Lambie-Mumford, of Sheffield University, echoes the view that some food bank users find having to ask for embarrassing food, and also that volunteer food banks should be encouraged to advocate long-term solutions to causes of poverty and hunger.
Olivier De Schutter, a senior United Nations official assigned to ensure governments respect their duty to protect their citizens' rights to food, has expressed concerns over the emergence of food banks. He has reminded the governments of developed countries in Europe, the UK and Canada that they have a "duty to protect" their citizens from starvation, and suggested that abandoning such obligations to food banks could be a misuse of human rights.
See also
- Ag Against Hunger
- BALMEVG
- The instructions
- Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act
- Non-Bomb Food
- Gleaners
- Good Shepherd Food Bank
- Hopelink
- National Association of Letter Carriers # Annual food drives
- Northwest Harvest
Notes and references
External links
- Global Food Banking network - including resources to find food banks around the world.
- Hunger hunger in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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