I read an article in yesterday's newspaper about "gleaning" -- which is where people (like prison inmates) go to farms and glean the unpicked/unwanted produce out of the fields. Farmers will leave unmarketable produce in the fields to rot, as they cannot sell this produce to picky consumers. The prison inmates come along and pick all the good leftover produce and give it to foodbanks across the country. Great idea, and I wish it happened more often.
Anyhow, the article stated that Arkansas ranks #1 in the United States regarding child hunger, with almost 25% of children in the state suffering from hunger, according to the national program Feeding America through ConAgra Foods Foundation. The study was conducted from 2006-2008 and released this year.
I find this news very distressing, to say the least. A fourth of Arkansas children go hungry every day, and that is just the children. How many more adults are going hungry on a daily basis? Why the United States, as mighty and bountiful as it is, cannot see fit to feed it's own people is beyond my understanding I guess. International politics plays a large role in this. The United States needs to focus on hungry Americans first, before exporting our food to other nations. I'm truly sorry to see people starving in other parts of the world. I'm really sorry to know that so many Americans go hungry when we have the food to feed them!
Please think about the hungry in the United States this year. Food banks are hurting all over the nation, as the current recession is not really improving and more and more people are unemployed and have no money for even the basic necessities to sustain their lives. 1|1|Here, here, Cary! We need to care for our own first.....I think that a gleaning program should be initiated in all areas that have the manufacturer crops to benefit from, excellent program!|saint6811|waylan@comcast.net|16:11:39|08/12/2010|
" You'll get what's coming to you ... Unless it was mailed."
2|2|Thanks Saint6811...!|inthesticks|inthesticks@windstream.net|16:49:41|08/12/2010|
Back in June of this year in Florida, acres and acres of strawberries were left to rot in the fields or else plowed under by local growers who stated that they could not sell the strawberries because the market was so glutted with the fruit. Nobody was making any money off all the extra berries. That, to me, was a criminal act!
Prison inmates, local jail work crews, or volunteers could have been called-in to pick the strawberries and then turn them over to food banks all across the state of Florida and the nation. But no....that would have been too simple. Wasteful things like this infuriates me! 3|3|I often wonder why stores wont donate more items they deem unsellable....I see so many posts here about items in dumpsters that could have been donated....I once saw cases and cases of paper (notebook paper, spiral notebooks, printer paper) in a dumpster at a local drugstore, how wasteful! It's not like it's expired! :( |saint6811|waylan@comcast.net|17:19:11|08/12/2010|
" You'll get what's coming to you ... Unless it was mailed."
4|4|wasted food|mcox|DMC716@WEBTV.NET|18:45:14|08/12/2010|
hi i worked for a big food chain they used to give the unsellable items to foodbanks and soup shelters. they had to stop because they worried about being sued even though everything was still good date wise. they also have to now pour bleach or something on everything they throw out. or open packs and make it unusable. i think everyone tries to find a way to sue . it's sad you can't afford to do a nice thing. melody 5|5|here in fl|tarasdream|jumpwoman23@hotmail.com |01:43:50|08/13/2010|
the owners of some of the strawberry fields did let the public come and pick all the strawberries they wanted for free. they did this for days so the strawberries wouldnt go to waste. also some tomato farmers let you pick big 5 gallon buckets of tomatos for either free or a dollar a five gallon bucket 6|1|yrs ago..lived near Orville Redenbacher popcorn fields &....|Skaytes|skaytez@gmail.com|07:51:35|08/13/2010|
after they picked, they would let us go in and pick up the leftover ears or parital ears on the ground. Used to get BIG buckets full of them, then on a windier day, have myself and kids shuck the corn off into metal coffee cans with lids. The wind blew the chafe off the cobs/corn and we would have tons of free popcorn. Did that for many years till OR stopped using those fields. (They are VERY picky where their corn is planted..do all kinds of soil tests, monitor the weather where they plant (specific area as well as general area) and so forth so if anything changes for the negative, they look for fields to rent elsewhere to plant where it meets all their requirements)