Asbury Park Press, June 3, 2008: Hunger relief provides food for thought
By HARTRIONO B.
SASTROWARDOYO
Today is National Hunger Awareness Day.
The event, sponsored by Society of St. Andrew of Big Island, Va., was created in 2002 in an effort to raise awareness as well as to raise donations to end hunger in America.
As part of the observance, Ocean County Hunger Relief, which maintains a network of 35 food pantries, joined with radio station WKMK-FM, 98.5, Neptune, to set up five locations in Beachwood, Brick, Lacey and two in Toms River where people today can drop off food and money. Most of WKMK’s listening audience is in Ocean County, said Christine Novakowski, Ocean County Hunger Relief board member.
Ocean Hunger Relief has participated in National Hunger Awareness Day since its inception, though this is its first year partnering with the radio station, Novakowski said.
Although the organization wants food donations, Novakowski said, it hopes $2,000 will be raised from the general public alone.
“Wal-Mart will be presenting us with a check for $1,500, and Gateway Toyota will be giving $250,” Novakowski said.
Novakowski is optimistic despite the downward trend in food donations at food banks as well as a dearth of publicity about Hunger Awareness Day. Last year, people gave $200 unsolicited in 1 1/2 hours at a Foodtown supermarket, she said.
“It’s going to be successful. We’ll have a good turnout,” Novakowski said.
For some food banks in Monmouth and Ocean counties, however, the day is just another Tuesday.
“We ask for donations in our weekly bulletin; we’re not doing anything specific that day,” said Gina Opauski, coordinator of the food pantry at the St. Francis Community Center, Long Beach Township.
Ellen Koment, spokeswoman for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, said: “Every day for us is hunger awareness day.”
Nevertheless, “it’s a perfect day to put out a plea to the community to encourage everybody to run their own food drive. Summer is a tough time for food banks,” Koment said.
How New Jersey fares
Between 2003 and 2005, New Jersey ranked seventh lowest out of the 50 states in terms of “food insecurity,” a term meaning limited availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, according to a 2007 guide on hunger done by America’s Second Harvest, a Chicago-based network of 200 food banks. The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties, Neptune, is part of that network.
However, despite the availability of food, more than 750,000 people are annually served by food banks in New Jersey, according to the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey, Edison. Ocean County Hunger Relief says it assists more than 3,000 people each month.
Overall, because of the rising cost of fuel, which in turn affects the cost of food, demand at food banks has increased while supplies have decreased, resulting in cutbacks in distribution, according to a Second Harvest report last month.
“Visits are up 30 percent while donations are down 15 percent,” Koment confirmed.
About the day
National Hunger Awareness Day is observed the first Tuesday of June, although the origin of choosing such a day is unknown.
A U.S. Senate resolution designated June 10 this year as National Hunger Awareness Day, unrelated to the society’s effort. That measure also “authorizes the collection of food donations between May 12 and June 10, 2008, from concerned members of Congress and staff to assist families suffering from hunger and food insecurity in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.”
The day has been more successful in building awareness than in raising money to alleviate hunger, said Carol Breitinger, St. Andrew spokeswoman.
In addition to collecting leftover crops after a harvest, “the Society of St. Andrew also encourages churches during the month of June to focus on the issue of hunger and to raise funds to help the Society of St. Andrew salvage fresh produce that will otherwise go to waste and distribute it to the nation’s hungry people,” Breitinger said in an e-mail.
Breitinger added, however, that “we do not have a breakdown specifically during NHAD time frames each year on how much money has been raised nor on how much food has been donated to Society of St. Andrew to feed the hungry. Nor is there a figure for New Jersey.”
America’s Second Harvest, which previously observed the day, is instead holding in its place the first Hunger Action Month, which will be in September.
“We decided to create Hunger Action Month because a single day was simply too little time to explore all of the many aspects of hunger in America (such as) who is hungry, why are they hungry, what is being done to help, (and) what more is needed,” Ross Fraser, Second Harvest spokesman, said in an e-mail.
As well, the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will be observed Nov. 16 through 22, chosen by the National Coalition for the Homeless, Washington, because that time is the week before Thanksgiving. Breitinger does not see a conflict with these similar-sounding events.
“Any time, using any means, that the public’s attention can be focused on the issue of hunger, it is worth doing.
“Food donations are lower because of difficult economic times and rising food prices. And food banks and other agencies that provide food to the hungry are experiencing increased need for food by more and more people for the very same reasons.
“Thus, shelves are often depleted. These cause-and-effect circumstances make it essential to call attention to hunger in America as often as possible until hunger is alleviated,” Breitinger said.