Thanksgiving......in Need of Plenty
By Denise Lavoie
The Associated Press
S T A M F O R D, Conn., Nov. 19 ? For most Americans,
Thanksgiving will be a time to celebrate family,
food and abundance as the nation basks in a
thriving economy.
Still, more and more families this year will line up at
soup kitchens and food banks for the traditional turkey,
stuffing and pumpkin pie.
Despite the booming economy, the demand for food
nationwide has far outpaced donations.
?Our requests for help are at an unprecedented level,?
said Nancy Carrington, executive director of the
Connecticut Food Bank.
Other Side of the Tracks
?It really is ironic,? said Dave Krepcho, executive director
of the Daily Bread Food Bank, which serves southeast
Florida.
?You?re surrounded with appreciated stock and
people buying luxury automobiles and SUVs ? and they
can?t possibly imagine somebody living on the other side
of the tracks.?
Many providers say the increased need largely has
been driven by welfare reform, which over the past three
years has removed 1.7 million families from the rolls, but
also left many unable to afford enough food for their
families.
?People are feeling that the economy is good and
unemployment is at an all-time low, but the stark reality is
that the people who were getting General Assistance are
off it, and those people are still needing food,? Carrington
said.
Cities Face Increased Demand
The government disputes that suggestion.
?We don?t have any real hard evidence that the
changes in welfare have resulted in a greater hunger or
greater need for food banks,? said Michael Kharfen, a
spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
He said the agency is trying to work with states to let
former welfare recipients know that they may still be
eligible for food stamps.
Meanwhile, cities deal with the increased demand.
In Dallas, food donations have increased about 5
percent throughout this year, but the number of people
asking for food is up about 15 percent, according to the
North Texas Food Bank.
In Atlanta, donations this year are down 15 percent,
but the demand has increased 30 percent over the past 18
months.
And in Wichita, the Kansas Food Bank Warehouse
has distributed 37 percent more food this year than it did
in 1998.
Donations Not Keeping Up
?The level of giving is not keeping up with the level of
demand,? said Evan Davidson, the warehouse?s general
manager for state operations. ?Right now, we?re making it
by, but we?re very close to having to tell people there?s
nothing for them.?
America?s Second Harvest, the nation?s largest
domestic hunger relief organization, says many of its 189
member food banks are reporting sharp increases in
demand for food this year.
?When I go to meetings, I ask them to raise their hands
if their need for food is up, and almost every hand goes
up,? said Deborah Leff, Second Harvest?s president and
chief executive officer.
With Wall Street enjoying a record year and
unemployment at a 30-year low, some providers are
surprised that the level of food donations hasn?t increased
more rapidly.
Some cities, such as Roanoke, Va., Atlanta and
Surprise, Ariz., have even seen their donations decrease
this year. And even though cities such as Evansville, Ind.,
Dallas and Los Angeles, have had increases in total
donations, they also are facing increased demand.
Is Welfare Reform to Blame?
Providers who blame welfare reform say many people
who have been taken off government assistance get
minimum-wage jobs that don?t pay them enough to afford
necessities, including food.
When the federal welfare reform law went into effect in
August 1996, there were approximately 4.4 million
families receiving welfare benefits. In March 1999, that
number had been cut to 2.7 million, according to the
Health and Human Services Department.
Even in Connecticut, among the richest states in the
country, thousands of people rely on food pantries and
soup kitchens. Last year, the Connecticut Food Bank
distributed 15,000 turkeys for Thanksgiving. This year, it
has had requests for 17,000, with hundreds more on a
waiting list.
Wanda Kendrick, a single mother from Stamford, has
been on and off welfare for the past seven years. In
January, her benefits will run out for good, and she
already is worried about how she will afford an apartment,
day care and food for her four kids, even if she is able to
land a full-time job.
?To go to a soup kitchen to get food, to me, I would
almost feel like I?m handicapped,? she says, ?but I feel
like I?d have to because I won?t make enough money for
food for all my kids.? |
