“In the late 1960s in Phoenix, John van Hengel heard a woman say that she relied on grocery store dumpsters to find food for her children. She gave him an idea: create a place where food could be deposited and withdrawn, as at a bank. ‘It upset him to see usable food go to waste,’ says Ross Fraser of Feeding America, the network of more than 200 food banks that grew from van Hengel’s first warehouse. The group now helps feed one in eight Americans. Food banks are also on the rise globally. ‘We are seeing a new face of hunger,’ says Fraser. ‘There are Ph.D.’s on food stamps.'” – Eve Conant, National Geographic Magazine, June 2014.
On June 19 MPC again joined other congregations of the Interfaith Hunger Project at the Alameda County Community Food Bank to work at getting food to food-insecure residents across the county. We did prep work for th
e “backpack” program that runs during the school year. Other participants included members from the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, Temple Sinai and Kehilla Community Synagogue.
MPC’s canned food drive for the ACCFB is in full swing, as it follows the World Cup Soccer games. Those who have voted with their donations will soon see the results of their best guesses, as June 28 marks the first round of eliminations.
Look for a summer produce swap, with extras going to our partner Fruitvale food pantry. Other ideas are welcome!