Opinion: A Former Food Bank Leader Says the Organizations Help Fuel the Problem

Mark Winne, former director of Connecticut’s Hartford Food System, says in an opinion piece in The Washington Post that in some respects, the proliferation of food banks across the country is fueling the need for more emergency food assistance and hindering the eradication of hunger in the United States.

The country’s vast network of emergency food programs is one of the largest charitable institutions in the country. As more and more donors have contributed to food banks, and the institutions have become more efficient, the public has been led to believe that hunger issues have been ameliorated, he writes.

“Food banks are a dominant institution in this country, and they assert their power at the local and state levels by commanding the attention of people of good will who want to address hunger, he writes. “Their ability to attract volunteers and to raise money approaches that of major hospitals and universities. While none of this is inherently wrong, it does distract the public and policy makers from the task of harnessing the political will needed to end hunger in the United States.”

(Free registration is required to view this article.)