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Emergency Food Relief – A Response to Capitalism’s InequitiesHunger advocates throughout the world are mourning the death of John Van Hengel,founder of the modern food bank. In 1967, Van Hengel persuaded food businesses todonate surplus goods to the soup kitchen where he volunteered. When the soup kitchenreceived more food than it could use, they redistributed it to other communityorganizations. His idea grew into America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank  Network, the nexus for over 200 food banks and food rescue organizations thatcollectively distribute 1.941 billion pounds of food to 23 million Americans in 2004.This is an honorable endeavor, given the tremendous over-production and over-consumption of food and other products in the United States.Food banks are large warehouses that distribute food to 501c(3) nonprofit organizationswithin a specific geographic region. Organizations that receive product from food banks,called member agencies, include food pantries, which provide food directly to people inneed, soup kitchens, after school programs, senior centers, and residential treatmentcenters. In addition to food distribution, many food banks engage in complementaryactivities such as culinary training, grassroots organizing, and advocacy.Food producers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers utilize the food bank network todispose of products that cannot be sold on the market. Donated food products includeoverruns, discontinued products, seasonal foods, food with damaged packaging, perishable food approaching the sell by date, and aging produce. In exchange for their contribution, donors receive a tax write-off and, usually, good publicity. Hundreds of corporations donate cash or products to America’s Second Harvest and its local affiliates.According to America’s Second Harvest’s 2005 Annual Report, Altria Group, Inc.,ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foods, Inc., The Kroger Co., and The Pampered Chef, Ltd., madethe largest financial contributions in 2004 (between 1,000,0001 and 9,999,999 each).Many individuals and community groups also donate food and/or money to the food bank network. Through food drives, groups including the National Association of Letter 
 
Carriers, congregations, and service clubs encourage their patrons to clean out their  pantries at home and contribute unwanted non-perishable food for the cause. Money thatis donated to food banks is used to pay staff and overhead, purchase additional food itemsat wholesale, and transport food to member agencies.There are a few other types of community-based emergency food assistance programs.Food rescue organizations collect and distribute prepared and perishable foods to peoplein need. These products include baked goods, catered foods, and cafeteria leftovers.Gleaning programs pick fruits and vegetables that machines miss and donate them tofood banks. Food not Bombs is a voluntary organization whose members prepare andshare free vegetarian food with people who are hungry, complemented by anti-war, anti- poverty, and anti-globalization protests.In addition, the federal government has instituted several food distribution programs thatare administered by the United States Department of Agriculture. The purpose of these programs is two-fold: to support American farmers and to feed people in need. ThroughThe Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the government purchasescommodities in order to control agriculture prices and stabilize farm income. These products, which include milk, beef, and fruits and vegetables, are then packaged anddistributed to emergency food providers, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, andshelters, through the food bank network. Individuals who receive this food must meetincome eligibility guidelines determined by each state. Agencies who provide the food toindividuals are not permitted to accept payment. The emergency food distributionnetwork is intended to be a stop-gap measure to temporarily relieve and prevent hunger.These programs complement other federal nutrition programs. The largest and mosthighly utilized of these are The Food Stamp Program, the National School LunchProgram, and the Special Supplementary Program for Women, Infants, and Children(WIC). The Food Stamp Program, our nation’s first line of defense against hunger, provides over 25 million Americans with a monthly cash grant, based on income andfamily size, that can be used to purchase groceries using a debit card. The National
 
School Lunch Program subsidizes all participating schools’ meals, regardless of familyincome, and increases this subsidy so that families under 185% of the federal povertylevel are able to pay a reduced price for lunch and those under 130% of the federal poverty level do not pay anything toward the cost of the meal. Many schools also participate in the School Breakfast Program, which similarly provides funding so that anadditional meal can be provided for free or at a reduced price. WIC provides coupons to pregnant and postpartum women, and children under 5 that can be redeemed in grocerystores for certain pre-selected foods.The provision of emergency food relief to needy Americans is indicative of a caring andcompassionate society. Individuals, community groups, food companies, and legislatorswork together to ensure that people in need are able to meet their most basic needs.However, all of these sources of food also represent artifacts of our excessive, unjust, andinefficient capitalist system. And although the food distribution network prudently provides food to people who would otherwise not have sufficient access, it does noteffectively address the underlying cause of hunger: poverty.While it is wonderful and appreciated that corporations share their excess with charitablefood relief organizations, that money is surely a product of measures taken to ensurecorporate profitability, including worker exploitation and environmental degradation.The principles upon which corporate enterprises operate naturally lead to low-wageemployment and a certain level of unemployment, leaving many people destitute andhungry.Product innovation and technology drives much of the supply for food banks. New products replace those that are no longer in fashion. Technology expedites the process of  bringing new foods to the market. Because foods have a limited shelf life, supplyconstantly rotates so that safe foods are available. In order to ensure sufficient supply onthe global market, excess food products are produced. Of course, there is someunreliability in the harvesting of agricultural goods; crop yields vary from year to year.
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