Second Harvest: Private vs. Public

By Lois Rockhill

Dr. J. Larry Brown, Harvard School of Public Health, made a presentation to the Maine Nutrition Council last month. He explored the question, “How do we end domestic hunger?” slanting his answer toward his firm belief that the federal government is responsible to do so.

Brown is remembered by some as a student at Anderson College (now University) 40 years ago. Since then, he has dedicated his life to justice issues and national hunger concerns. In his speech last month he pointed out that hunger in America can be ended and ended quickly. It can be done not by charities but by the national government.

While Brown recognizes that food banks, food pantries and meal programs stand between needy people and severe hunger, he challenges these same charities. He tells us that feeding the hungry is not the way to end hunger.

We have heard the story United Way promotes about rescuing babies from the river. This story appears to be a variation of a fable Brown created years ago. In his version, it is farmers caught in a fast flowing river. Much effort goes into rescue work involving platforms and ropes to pull people from the river.

At some point, a delegation goes up river and finds that the path to the fields was so close to the river that occasionally victims slid off the bank and into the river. Soon they changed the route of the path, and from that time on, no one fell into the river again. The rescue work was no longer needed.

I agree with Brown that private charities have nowhere close to the capacity of the government to address hunger. I agree that any thought from our government leaders that the private charitable network can pick up more responsibility for feeding hungry people is absurd. We have yet to fill the gap between federal nutrition programs and pressing need. The increasing need that we now face is almost irrelevant in light of never having had enough resources to adequately address hunger in our communities.

Brown has some radical suggestions for steps to take to end hunger in America. He believes that the federal programs already in existence would end hunger if strengthened. This would include food stamps, child nutrition programs and elderly feeding programs. He estimates that this would take an addition of only $10 billion to $12 billion a year. If you would like Brown’s complete speech, please contact me and I will get a copy to you.

I read Brown’s speech and reviewed some supporting research as I was on my way to a national meeting of executive directors of the food bank network. At the meeting, we were energized by a network strategically working to raise awareness of hunger and find more food and funds. Rather than planning to cease operations in 4 years as Brown suggests as a catalyst to push the government to end hunger, our network is deeply into plans to feed a million more Americans this year and a million more next year.

We honored Nancy Montanez Johner, United States Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services and two of her colleagues for implementing a creative plan to barter surplus stocks for food for the hungry. This initiative delivered 1,412 truckloads of food to the food bank network, with more expected in a second round.

Brown seems to fear that celebrating these partnerships will take the pressure off decision makers in the federal government who must take the major steps necessary to provide enough food to end hunger for Americans.

Perhaps Brown is right. Ending hunger for Americans is the job of the federal government. More money for nutrition programs is certainly important and would solve the challenges of the local pantries and kitchens futilely trying to meet the need with restricted and often dwindling resources.

I can’t see our network taking the kind of stand Brown recommends, but I hope we make rapid progress in persuading our government representatives to boldly take the lead in ending hunger. If they can reroute the path, local charities will have far less people to rescue.

Lois Rockhill is executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. She can be reached at lrockhill@curehunger.org.

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