Posts Tagged: hunger

Where would you begin if you only had $4 to spend on a day’s worth of meals? Recent online articles have showcased this emerging dilemma that many individuals and families are facing on a daily basis. For instance, in “The Percentage Of Americans Who Can’t Afford Food Hasn’t Budged Since The Recession Peaked,” Hunter Stuart,… Read more »

I have been having trouble with bills and such since I was laid off and Loaves & Fishes has helped me a lot in being able to provide food for my three children. It has been so helpful and everyone is so nice. I am diligently trying to find a job and I would love… Read more »

It has been a busy week at Loaves & Fishes so far. After being featured in Harry Porterfield’s “Someone You Should Know” segment on CBS2 last week, we received many calls from potential clients seeking information about our programs. The result: we served 729 people on Tuesday, including 292 children! While this doesn’t break our… Read more »

Spring cleaning can finally begin now that the winter has released its firm grip on the suburbs. As we start emptying our cabinets and throwing away unwanted items, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger food collection is a reminder that we live among neighbors who cannot afford nutritious foods for their… Read more »

Congressman Foster recently toured Loaves & Fishes in response to our letter regarding the Farm Bill. We are sharing the letter’s contents here. Please see pictures from the visit and tour below. Dear Congressman Foster: Loaves & Fishes has a vital interest in advancing the Farm Bill. We serve over 600 low income households every week,… Read more »

from Naperville Park District: On Monday, October 15, 22 enthusiastic volunteers worked from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. gathering vegetables left behind after the Naperville Park District’s Garden Plots were closed for the season. This year’s gleaning yielded over 680 lbs. of vegetables for Loaves & Fishes Community Services.  Master Gardeners Ron Ory and Logan… Read more »

From Ron Ory, September 17: Some of you may have forgotten that months ago we started with a patch of dirt… Faced the hardships of slugs… Lack of nutrients in the soil… And usually found the rain gauge on empty… You probably pondered with other gardeners about our chances… But you kept going, planting, watering… Read more »

During our last fiscal year (July 1, 2011- June 30, 2012), Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry helped nearly 1,500 single mothers of 3,500 children. From NPR, by Pam Fessler: Once a thriving railroad hub and factory town in southeast Pennsylvania, Reading has a poverty rate of 41.3 percent and is labeled America’s poorest city with a population of 65,000 or more. “Single mothers have an especially hard time getting out of poverty. Households headed by single mothers are four times as likely to be poor as are families headed by married couples. Still, many of these women are trying to get ahead. Some know instinctively what the studies show: Children who grow up in poor families are far more likely to become poor adults. These mothers often rely on a network of support — not just from food stamps, housing subsidies, welfare, or other government programs people usually think of. They also depend on charities, churches, family, friends, personal drive, ambition and even luck to stay afloat.” Read full article here .

From Food Research and Action Council’s February 2012 report, Food Hardship in America: 2011 was another year of difficult economic struggles for American households, and the most recent food hardship data demonstrate that. When asked by the Gallup organization, “Have there been times in the last twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” more people answered “Yes” in the third and fourth quarters of 2011 (19.2% and 19.4%) than in any period since the fourth quarter of 2008. Read report .