This Labor Day many hard working families are needing the help of foodbanks because of the high prices at grocery stores. Labor Day would be a great time to support your local foodbanks, most of which are struggling to keep up with demand.
During the summer donations typically go down for foodbanks. There are not as many food drives like you would see during the holiday season.
At this time of year the shelves at foodbanks may be close to empty. At the Bread and Roses food pantry in Lawrence, Massachusetts the demand has gone up so much that “every night our pantry is empty.” Foodbanks need a strong pipeline of donations to keep up with increasing need.
The phrase “Bread and Roses” refers to the 1912 textile mill strike in Lawrence where oppressed workers rallied to demand higher pay and safer working conditions. The workers could not even afford bread with their low wages and malnutrition became a crisis in their community, especially for infants. To be suffering in hunger and treated with such disrespect was traumatic.
A poem by James Oppenheim read “Hearts starve as well as bodies: Give us Bread, but give us Roses.”
Every human being has a right to basic food and to be treated with kindness and respect. That ideal can inspire our fight to end hunger today.
To see where you can donate to a local foodbank you can go to the Feeding America web site. At their site you can also see information about hunger rates in your area and state. You can also check with nearby churches who may have their own foodbank helping families.
Labor Day can also be a good time to remind your elected officials about the importance of supporting foodbanks. Whenever there are cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) it’s foodbanks that are forced to try and make up the difference. But they cannot keep up.
In addition to foodbanks elected officials must also support the free school lunch programs and the WIC program. WIC stands for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. It helps low income mothers obtain fresh nutritious food and health care for their children.
According to the Food Research and Action Center “The program’s fruit and vegetable provision allows families to purchase more produce in the grocery store, providing greater access to critical nutrients that support healthy growth and development.”
It’s important that the Congress fully fund WIC so infants do not become malnourished and sick. Hardworking families sometimes need services like foodbanks and WIC to feed their children and get through tough times.
Labor Day would be the perfect time to support foodbanks and give hard working people some help coping with high food prices.
William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.” His writings have been published by the Washington Post, Newsweek, History News Network and many other outlets