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A drop in supplies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the high expense of transporting foodstuffs from other states prompt the move in Citrus.
By ELENA LESLEY
Published December 8, 2005
The Volunteer Way Food Bank recently announced that it has discontinued its mass commodities distribution program in Citrus.
Until now, the food bank handed out 50-pound boxes to about 600 local low-income families every three months. The last distribution was Nov. 30.
In the past, the bulk of the food in these boxes came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But since spring, the department's supplies have waned.
"We've had to pour thousands and thousands of pounds of our own food into this program just to keep it going," said Lester Cypher, chief executive officer of the food bank. "We just can't do it anymore."
The problem isn't getting alternative food. It's transportation.
Outside food comes to the organization from other states, Cypher said. A truckload can cost anywhere from $1,250 to $2,500, depending on its origin.
Over the last few months, around 85 percent of Citrus' mass distribution food has come from non-USDA sources, Cypher said.
Gloria Van Treese, from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said USDA commodities are intended only as a supplement to other food sources. How many supplies each county receives is calculated using census data and can fluctuate.
"We encourage agencies not to depend on food from the program," said Van Treese, bureau chief of food distribution. "They're responsible for acquiring food from other sources."
A lot of USDA commodities are "bonus" food, Van Treese said. For example, if there's a surplus of orange juice in Florida one year, the USDA might buy a portion to keep it from flooding the market.
"We never know what (the amount) will be from one year to the next," she said.
Because of this year's natural disasters, there's less bonus food to go around, she added.
Aside from specific annual conditions, Cypher said, he believes skewed census data contributes to the lack of USDA food. Many of the county's low-income and homeless people probably went uncounted, he said.
"Everyone says that," Van Treese responded. "Citrus is getting its fair share. ... If the system isn't fair for Citrus, it's not fair for anyone."
Churches throughout the county will continue organizing other forms of food distribution, but will feel the lack of USDA supplies.
"It was very good quality," said Don Merrill, food ministries director at the Crystal River Church of God. "We kept hoping we'd get more."
Cypher said discontinuing the program will hurt Citrus' neediest residents: the elderly and children of low-income parents.
"It just breaks my heart," he said. "We don't have people starving to death here, but we have a lot of people not eating right."
He pointed out that poor nutrition can stunt children's development, as well as affect the health of seniors with other medical problems.
Cypher said he's looking for grants to try to start the program again.
"I would resume it in a heartbeat," he said. "It really helps the down-and-out."
[Last modified December 8, 2005, 00:49:13]
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