WEST GROVE, PA — Food insecurity is a relatively new term to describe a situation that first really gained prominence during the Great Depression. Photos from that time often show people (most often men in long coats) lined up at soup kitchens or in bread lines. Post-WWII prosperity reduced visible hunger, but rural and urban poverty persisted. The Food Stamp Program began as a pilot in the 1960s to address hunger systematically, and that’s when food banks began to emerge, with the first one appearing in Arizona in 1967. Food banks collect and distribute uncooked food, and the term “food insecurity” was formally adopted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the mid-1990s. Since 1995, the USDA has conducted annual surveys to gauge the level of food insecurity.
My wife and I have been collecting and delivering food and clothing to a food cupboard called The Bridge for three years now, and with threatened shortages and cutbacks coupled with increased demand, I thought it was appropriate to learn a little more about this vital service. The Bridge operates out of a double-wide trailer behind the Nazarene Church in West Grove. The program began in 2002 and was created by AnnaMary Padilla. The new director, Clara Saxton, who has been with The Bridge since its inception, took over as director in 2022 and she tells me there are approximately eight food cupboards operating in southern Chester County, some affiliated with churches, like The Bridge, and some based in communities like the one in Kennett Square. She also says that it’s a large undertaking with more than 60 volunteers who receive no pay. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she talks glowingly about this community outreach program, “it is an amazing activity to see how God provides for us and to see how it works.”
Saxton says that for a family to participate in the program, they have to register in July, but there are other times to also sign up. Currently, there are 240 families registered, with about 110 actively participating. Most of these families are not members of the Nazarene congregation, with her estimating maybe four or five are parishioners. The new trailer that The Bridge operates from was an old classroom and was donated to the cupboard in 2020 by the church. Slightly used clothing is also distributed, and demand has increased to such a point, lamented the director, that The Bridge can barely hold all that they’ve collected, “with 300 to 400 pieces going out every week.” They even offered used furniture, but it became too much. The director also explained that a food bank, like the Chester County Food Bank (CCFB), distributes food to various food cupboards like The Bridge.
The food comes from a variety of participants, including the already mentioned CCFB, Philabundance, Feeding America, and Kreider Farms of Lancaster County. Saxton orders her meats like chicken, fish, and some vegetables on a weekly basis from CCFB, which does receive state and federal funding and fundraisers such as the Radnor Hunt. She says that there are about a dozen churches in the local ministerium who partner with The Bridge for funds and food. Food is also collected from various individuals and groups.
Food banks face numerous threats from the same inflation that bedevils us all, and also decreases donations. One issue is storage capacity, supply chain disruptions, and volunteer shortages. There are problems reaching underserved populations who may not have transportation or they are so rural that they may not be near a food bank. Lastly, there is always the fickle wind of politics at the state and federal levels. When there are cuts to be made, food banks are an easy target. President Trump’s administration has threatened to cut Department of Agriculture programs that helped food banks buy food from local farms.
This has caused a dustup between Pennsylvania’s governor and Washington. Josh Shapiro claims that “a deal is a deal” and that the commonwealth is due 13 million dollars to support a program that pays farmers to supply food to the food banks. On April 21st, Shapiro exclaimed, “We had a three-year contract that the federal government broke in month four.” The program, the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) supports 190 farms and 13 regional food banks across the state.
The federal Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, was recently in Pennsylvania’s Lebanon County disputing Shapiro’s charges and claims, “They don’t have their facts right, or they’re playing games… the money for Pennsylvania is there.” She claims that the U.S. Department has released $1 billion to food banks since she became secretary. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Reading, disagrees and sent a letter to Rollins refuting her claim and has yet to receive a response as of May 20th.
The Bridge Food Pantry and Distribution Center is conveniently located at 240 State Road, West Grove, PA 19390. For assistance or inquiries, call (610) 869-9500.
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