Top of Utah Voices:
Let's take note of our neighbors' food needs throughout the year

By GINA L. CORNIA
Guest Commentary
Tue, Nov 27, 2001

I read with dismay shortly before Thanksgiving that the Utah Food Bank was still short over 11,000 turkeys for emergency food pantries to distribute for Thanksgiving. Utah communities have always responded to the "turkey call" and generously given turkeys and other donations so low-income families can have a traditional meal.

Our communities did respond and the Utah Food Bank met and exceeded their goal of raising enough turkeys for Thanksgiving. There will be a similar need for donations for the Christmas holiday. But what of the days and weeks after the holidays? Many of these same families will have bare cupboards.

Over the past few weeks Utahns Against Hunger has observed that many emergency food pantries are critically low on food, some to the point of either adjusting hours or handing out less food to individual families so the food will stretch further.

Hunger is a chronic problem in our state, each week thousands of families line up to get groceries from emergency food pantries. The Utah Food Bank, acting as a central warehouse for most of the 70-plus pantries across the state, has trouble meeting the constant demand for food. Several times a year, the call goes out to restock the shelves of local food pantries or the Utah Food Bank.

Should this be our primary response to hunger? No. While the emergency food network provides an invaluable service to low-income families, our response should be broader than buying groceries for the most current food drive. Should we still donate food? Yes. But what more can be done?

Utahns must support existing programs that are designed to meet the needs of low-income individuals and families. In fiscal year 2000, there were over 17 million free or reduced-price lunches served in Utah schools; the number of free or reduced-price breakfasts was less than a quarter of that, at just over 4 million.

Utah school districts must start serving school breakfasts. The philosophy that families should eat together in the morning and that parents should be feeding their kids is fine in theory. However, in reality many kids go to school hungry and have difficulty learning. If more schools offered school breakfasts, kids would do better in school.

The summer food program is another example of how communities can reduce hunger in their neighborhoods. The summer food program replaces school meal programs during the months kids are not in school; it fills a gap that some families cannot -- breakfast and lunch. These meals are provided at sites that are accessible in low-income neighborhoods.

Yet, there are huge gaps throughout the state where the summer food program is not offered. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program provides food vouchers for pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as nutritionally at-risk children up to the age of 5. This program provides cheese, milk, beans and other nutritious foods for these groups.

And finally, there is the food stamp program, a federally funded program that helps households meet the nutrition needs of their families. Over the past few years, there has been a decline in the use of Food Stamps while the use of emergency food pantries has skyrocketed.

Why is this the case? Utahns Against Hunger believes it is because the food stamp program is a complex and difficult program to negotiate. In Utah, the Department of Workforce Services administers the program and could do more to make it accessible. Recent federal options, if adopted by the state, would make it possible for more families to get food stamp benefits.

With recent layoffs and plant closings, the food stamp program becomes more critical than ever. Food stamps and unemployment insurance are two of the best weapons states have against a recession. They both give families spending power, as well as have a stabilizing effect on communities.

Donate that turkey and bag of groceries to your local food bank. It is our generosity and compassion that will make the holidays meaningful. But when you think of hunger on ordinary days, please think to support public policy that has a more permanent impact on hunger. Not only the programs mentioned above, but also better wages, more affordable housing and more accessible health care. And, as you and your families sit down and enjoy your holiday meals, be thankful.

Gina L. Cornia is executive director of Utahns Against Hunger in Salt Lake City.