The wind is attacking me. My sign is not holding up to this onslaught much better, but it has one advantage that I do not. I can help my sign, but my sign can not help me. Well, okay...it sort of can. It makes my intentions clear. But it can't block the wind for me, unless I hold it up in front of my face. But if I do that, I'd have a hard time smiling at people and saying hello as they pass by; and I'd also certainly bump into people, dogs, trees, and etc... as I walk in endless small circles trying to keep warm, while holding a sign in front of my face unable to see exactly where it is that I'm going.
Tripping over things and falling down may very well amuse small children, but it won't help in our goal of gathering enough signatures of registered Oregon voters to add Oregon Food Bank to our state's charitable tax check-off program. Which is why I'm out here grinning like an idiot for hours at a time, and really regretting my decision to have that second cup of coffee just before I came out here...
In Mark Winne's book "Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty", he touches on a few valid shortcomings of food banks, but to be fair the system within which they must operate all but dictates that they make do in whatever way they can. Some groups however, are focusing more and more on policy to get at the root cause of the problem, and in his book Mark Winne praises Oregon Food Bank as one of the leaders on this.
I highly recommend Mark Winne's book, by the way...and have OC to thank for originally recommending it to me. A really interesting book, and if you would like to purchase it - please support your local independent bookseller or order online through Powell's, an independent unionized online bookseller.
From "Farmers Ending Hunger -
Food Banks and charity organizations across the U.S., face major challenges in providing food to respond to hunger. The volume of U.S.D.A. distributions to food banks, once a major source of high-quality food products, has declined dramatically in recent years. Food processors and retailers remain major donors to food banks, but industry consolidation and centralization of distribution systems create new logistical and cost hurdles in delivering these products to emergency food networks.
From a quick piece on how that group came about -
Farmers Ending Hunger is a unique partnership between farmers, food processors, the Oregon Food Bank, and the public, and while still in its infancy, is already making an inspiring impact.
Oregon farmers are stepping up -
The productivity and generosity of Oregon farmers is putting food on the plate for many of the state's most hungry citizens. Nearly 800,000 pounds of food from the harvest of producers around the state was donated to Oregon Food Bank and its network of providers in 2007, all from an organized group calling itself Farmers Ending Hunger. This year's goal is to approach two million pounds of food donations with new commitments from the wheat and livestock sectors.
Since the initial delivery of 173,000 pounds of frozen peas in November 2006, Farmers Ending Hunger followed up with an impressive list of donations to Oregon Food Bank last year. That includes 405,000 pounds of potatoes, 158,000 pounds of onions, 93,000 pounds of wheat for pancake mix, 84,000 pounds of dried peas for soup mix, and 28,000 pounds of carrots.
We've still got quite a ways to go here, but considering where we started -
Just three years ago, Oregon actually ranked number one in a USDA survey on food insecurity. While Oregon has improved to number 22, there are still an estimated 192,000 Oregonians who eat meals from an emergency food box each month.
I'd say we're seeing the results possible from 'outside the box' thinking (and spending priorities) amongst the leadership of these organizations.
The concept is simple. Farmers agree to donate a portion of their crop prior to harvest. Processors agree to donate a portion of the cost of processing. Farmers Ending Hunger raises funds to pay for the remaining processing, packaging, and transportation. The public participates through the unique "Adopt an Acre" program to help pay the cost of getting the product processed and delivered to the food bank.
They won't just take anything, and they aren't just getting second-rate food. Producers commit prior to the end of the growing season and set aside that commitment as they harvest. It's the same quality of product as they send to the consumer market or processor.
Also from the article mentioned above -
Oregon has too many agricultural resources to ever lead the nation in hunger again.
And so does every other state, for that matter. I'm just speaking on the state that I know, but I'd love to see the day where the state with just one hungry person 'leads the nation' in hunger. There are so many ways to take this, so many issues to focus on...but the one place we can all start is just by donating a few dollars or a few hours of your time to your local food bank.
I knock on doors, greet people and gather signatures. I'm not a policy wonk, but it's pretty clear that we've been traveling down the wrong path for quite some time. So I do what I can personally and directly do, while voting for the good guys and trying to make it clear to them what we need.
I was in some pretty rough straits myself not too long ago, but I finally settled my job situation and I'm ready to fight again. I'd been meaning to volunteer for Oregon Food Bank for months now, but only very recently have I finally been able to do so.
And now, An Action Item!
Saturday, May 10 is the 16th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers' "Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive".
You can find information to donate here, and you can also contact your local post office to find out if they need volunteers to help out that day.
Oregonians! We can find information on donating here, and sign up to volunteer to help sort on that day here. And as an added bonus, if you happen to be here in SE Portland, you can sign up for that afternoon Creston Post Office shift, and meet "The Pride Of Creston-Kenilworth" himself! Yeah, that would be me...
;-P
I'll close this out by mentioning a few experiences that I've had, and lessons I've learned from signature-gathering for OFB at the Saturday PSU Farmers Markets here in Portland for the last two weeks -
- My sign was nearly peed on by a large dog.
- I believe that I was nearly peed on by a small child.
- Children are fascinated by tall men holding clipboards.
- If children stop to gawk at me, their parent(s) will sign for us 9 times out of 10.
- Therefore, I am bringing colorful balloons and other things (in addition to my clipboard) that will attract children whenever I do this in the future.
- Not one, but two gentlemen inquired as to whether I had a cigarette that I could sell to them.
- The above mentioned gentlemen actually became rather agitated when I informed them that I don't smoke.
- Young (twenty-something) couples are the best prospects to sign, and the female will always lead.
- Too many people walk while wearing iPods these days, and are totally oblivious to the world around them.
- I have a beautiful smile, and a very strong non-rhotic Urban Northeastern accent.
- It seems that half of the people shopping at the PSU Farmers Market are registered to vote in California, Washington or elsewhere.
- An inordinate number of people from Minnesota and Massachussetts visit Portland, Oregon in April.
But the most amazing thing was that I once again confirmed something I knew long ago, but had since forgotten. If you smile at somebody and say "hello"? Even the angriest-looking person you can imagine will briefly flash a smile and greet you right back. People still care. Let's use that to do some great things...