Food Shelf

by Erik Hare

When times get tough, everyone pulls back on spending a little bit.  When there’s less to go around, it’s only wise.  Unfortunately, one of the things that people cut back on are donations – and a time when most people are struggling is a time when some people are having trouble surviving.

Those who are in real trouble can always find a good meal for their family at a Food Shelf.  The largest one in Saint Paul is at Neighborhood House on the West Side, serving 460,000 pounds of food in 2007 to 6,700 visits.  To make use of it all you have to do is show up, but as you might imagine 98% of those who do are living below the poverty line.  The anecdotal report that I hear is that visits are up between a quarter and a third over last year.  That’s a lot of additional need that they have to meet.

The food that they distribute comes from a lot of sources. Neighborhood House gets most of their through direct donations of food or money from direct donations.  Other food shelves around Saint Paul take advantage of a number of sources, including Second Harvest.  This is a distribution center which serves 59 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin, bringing food to communities that need it for their own Food Shelf.  Some of their programs include the Food Rescue Program, which works with grocery stores and restaurants to take surplus food to those who need it

The systems that are set up are great, but as the need is increasing the donations are actually dropping.  Contributions are off about 3 percent so far this year, probably because things really are tough all over.  The United Way stepped in recently to fill part of the gap, but the funding is only temporary.  More is needed all the time to keep the poorest of Saint Paul fed.

Whether you live in Saint Paul or anywhere across the US, the story is roughly the same everywhere.  Please look up the nearest Food Shelf and make a donation – either food or money as you can.  The economy is tough on everyone, but it’s even tougher on people who don’t know how they are going to feed their kids.  A little bit from everyone can add up to a lot that helps those who need it the most get through hard times.  It’s the least we can do.