News
- For A Good Cause
Residents of Long Beach help people all year through a variety of activities. Listed below are the results of some projects, as well as more opportunities to reach out to others. The Wells Fargo Foundation has donated $10,000 to the Foodbank of Southern California, which has seen a 42% increase in need for its services since last year. The Foodbank is the primary food provider to more than 700 community-based organizations through the Southland including Long Beach.
- Restaurants, food banks team up as need grows
John Knapp, president of the Food Bank of Southern California, is frustrated by both the growing ranks of hungry families that need his organization’s services and the tons of prepared restaurant foods regularly sent to landfills instead of the needy. As the lingering recession continues to take its toll, demand for the food bank’s services were up more than 40 percent in June from a year ago, he said, noting that those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from include more middle-class families, single mothers and seniors. But many operators, who in California throw out an estimated 1.5 million tons of prepared food annually, according to the Integrated Waste Management Board, are not stepping up to the plate, Knapp said.
- States passing laws to assist food pantries
As pantries across the nation face increasing demands for help, a growing number of states have enacted or are considering laws to make it easier for restaurants to donate leftover food to charities….Many of the new laws are designed to add extra liability protection for food donors.
A California bill aims to ease communication between food banks and restaurants willing to donate. The bill would establish a database containing the contact information of food outlets interested in donating their leftovers, making it easier for food banks to contact them. The bill is in committee and awaiting its first hearing, according to the Legislature’s website. State Sen. Jenny Oropeza, a Democrat, introduced the bill and also sponsored a similar one in 2008. That bill failed, but the recession motivated Oropeza to try again. “There simply is too much perfectly good food being wasted in California,” Oropeza says. “Sadly, too many people are struggling financially and going to bed hungry.”
John Knapp, president of the Food Bank of Southern California, says: “In an ideal world, this bill would have passed three decades ago. It’s a moral imperative that we donate food.”
- Food bank president hopes inaugural address mentions Hunger
Many charities are straining to keep up with increasing number of people who need help feeding themselves and their families. KPCC’s Debra Baer reports that the head of one of the region’s largest food banks harbors high hopes for tomorrow’s inaugural address.
- Foodbank Feeds Los Angeles County
The nonprofit provides food to more than 600 churches, shelters, senior centers, soup kitchens and other organizations, distributing about 1.3 million meals each week. It is aided by the Los Angeles Times Family Fund.
