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Press
Release
For
Immediate Release
Contact: Carla Nardella, Executive Director (304)
364-5518
Email: Carla@mountaineerfoodbank.com
Stephanie Randolph (304) 644-6001
edensacres@yahoo.com
45
Years After JFK’s Visit Hunger Still Plagues West
Virginia
On
February 7, 1960 Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts arrived in
Charleston, West Virginia to register as a candidate in the West
Virginia Presidential Primary.
As a wealthy, Roman
Catholic he had to prove that he could connect with and win in this
blue-collar, Protestant state. For six weeks, he traversed
hills and valleys of West Virginia speaking with voters, hearing
their concerns and seeing their struggles and needs first hand.
Senator Kennedy wanted to learn
more, and he believed that the best way to learn was by interacting
with the people. During a lunch time visit at
an elementary school, Senator Kennedy noticed that one boy was not
eating his lunch. The
Senator approached the boy, sat down next to him and asked why he
was not eating his lunch. The boy looked at him and simply said he
had to take this lunch home to share with his family. During an interview with the
press, Senator Kennedy pointed out that “there are about 250,000
people in West Virginia on surplus food. This state has been hard
hit. In fact, probably
more hard hit than any state in the union.”
Forty-five
years ago, there were lines of people in front of the local fire
departments and city halls waiting for the commodity foods Kennedy
referred to. Thirteen
percent of the people living in West Virginia in 1960 were dependent
on surplus foods.
Today,
little has changed.
There are 53,635 households (or 214,540 people) benefiting
from the Temporary Emergency Feeding Assistance Program (TEFAP),
formerly known as the Surplus Foods or Commodity program. TEFAP foods, which are
distributed in 43 counties by Mountaineer Food Bank and in 12
counties by Huntington Area Food Bank, help nearly 12 % of the
people in West Virginia. Plus, the 100 local soup kitchens that use
TEFAP foods provide an additional 1,386,730 meals a year.
The
reality is, 45 years later, there are more people receiving food
assistance. Thanks to
the development of food banks and their network of feeding programs,
more people are able to find help – without the stigma of waiting in
public lines. Carla
Nardella, Executive Director of Mountaineer Food Bank in Gassaway
describes the Food Bank’s role as “a wholesaler for overstocked
products and donated goods, delivering the food into each county for
just a few cents per pound”.
Local
feeding programs then distribute the food to people in need in their
community.
“Forty-five
years from now, we don’t want to look back and see that hunger still
plagues West Virginia,” continued Nardella. “We need to heal the
wounds caused by hunger.
People who are hungry do not function well. Children who are hungry lack
concentration and have difficulty learning. To end hunger, we must
do something different.”
In
June, the National Anti-Hunger Organization issued a Blueprint to
End Hunger. Supported by Mountaineer Food Bank’s national
organization, America’s Second Harvest, Bread for the World and 11
other anti-hunger groups, the blueprint outlined systematic steps to
reduce the number of hungry people in half by the year 2015. With
just ten years to go, it’s time to get moving.
Three
suggestions included in the report and favored by Nardella include:
First, supporting food banks, like Mountaineer Food Bank, who
distributes 5.7 million pounds a year through 450 feeding programs
and touches the lives of 260,000 people every month. Second, set
monthly food stamp benefits on a realistic measure of what poor
households need to buy for an adequate diet. “Unfortunately, many
high fat, prepackaged foods are often cheaper than nutritious items
like fresh fruits and vegetables,” noted Nardella, “This may help to
explain why so many struggling West Virginians are obese.” And
third, invest in public education, especially that of young
children, to increase outreach and awareness of the importance of
preventing hunger and improving nutrition for health, learning and
productivity.
Nardella
sees that positive changes are on the horizon. “The pieces to the
puzzle are coming together, more product donations are becoming
available, and businesses are starting to call and ask ‘how can we
help you?’” Plus, she believes in the people of West Virginia. As
President Kennedy once said, “"the sun does not always shine in West
Virginia, but the people always do."
For
more information contact Mountaineer Food Bank at (304) 364-5518 or
visit them on the web at www.mountaineerfoodbank.com.
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