Food

July 09, 2025

I made some final harvests from my garden today.  That included all my carrots (Daucus carota) and red onions (Allium cepa), along with a continuation of my cucumbers (Cucumis sativus).  I grow enough vegetables to keep our family stocked with fresh produce during the season and have begun to can and freeze my produce for later.  Still, there is a surplus which gives me the opportunity to share with friends and family.  There always seems to be an overabundance of some vegetables.  I have tried to compensate this year by growing a greater variety of produce and even staggering when I plant.  I also planted this year’s crop with the intent of sharing a portion of the produce with our local food bank.

When I went online, I found a food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger.  This is usually done through food pantries and soup kitchens, but some food banks distribute food directly with their food pantries.  St. Mary’s Food Bank was the world’s first food bank, established in the US in 1967.  Now thousands of food banks have been set up all over the world.  Their numbers grew rapidly in Europe after the global increase in food prices which began in late 2006, and as the 2008 financial crisis began to worsen economic conditions.  The inflation and economic crisis of the 2020’s has exponentially driven low and middle-income consumers to get at least part of their food from a food bank.

Some US cities have organizations that provide dog and cat food for pets whose owners qualify for food assistance.  Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen in Lawrenceville, Georgia is considered the largest pet food aid agency in Georgia, distributing over 800,000 pounds (362874 kg) of dog and cat food in 2012.  Daffy’s was started in 1997 by Tom Wargo, a repairman who was working in an elderly woman’s home when he noticed her sharing her Meals On Wheels lunch with her pet cat because she could not afford cat food.  Daffy’s was one of seven non-profit organizations recognized by Barefoot Wine in 2013 through a US$10,000 donation and by being featured on labels of the vintner’s Impression Red Blend wines.  Pet Buddies Food Pantry in Atlanta, Georgia is another establishment that provides food aid for pets.  The St. Augustine Humane Society in St. Augustine, Florida, distributes over 1,600 pounds (726 kg) of pet food each month to families who are experiencing economic hardship and cannot afford to feed their pets.

THOUGHTS: While food banks are a vital resource for those who are food insecure, they have also led to a rise in obesity and diabetes.  Many foods offered to clients in food banks are high in processed sugars and salts and low in vitamin and mineral content.  The low nutritional quality of foods available to clientele at food banks has led to further health effects. A study showed 33% of American households visiting food pantries had diabetes.  When you grow and share locally grown fruits and vegetables you can help alter this trend.  Community gardens are another way to help.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.