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Monday, June 23, 2008
"Shortages, Prices Hit California Food Banks as Schools Recess"-Bloomberg
As California schools let out this month, food banks in the state face record demand for free meals from families pressed by food price inflation and economic hardship.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties has requested extra donations, saying 115,000 children may go hungry in the region. The San Francisco Food Bank has been forced to find new sources to distribute enough food for 66,000 meals a day, a 16 percent increase from last year.
...
In a survey by America's Second Harvest, a national hunger relief organization, the Food Bank for Monterey County in Salinas, California, reported a 63 percent jump in clients during the past four months, while distributing six items per bag compared to the 18 it used to provide.
There is so much empty space in the Fresno Community Food Bank's distribution center ``you could drive a truck through it,'' Wilkie said....
Some things are hard to grasp; then there's this:
The federal government has reduced donations to California food banks by 59 percent, to 30.9 million meals last year from 75.7 million in 2002, according to the California Association of Food Banks.
What is this crap? --- From the CA food bank report of EOY '07
On the Decline: The USDA food supply has been declining because much of the food provided is purchased by USDA in order to
provide price support to agricultural markets ("bonus"). Because farm prices have been relatively high in recent years, USDA has
purchased less food and therefore has had less food to supply to food banks and people in need.
Market economies at their best.
Wonder if the mega-churches can step up to the plate and pick up the slack?
Wonder what I'll do about it...
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