Food sources shrink, direct donations grow

(Corrected, 5:35 p.m., Nov. 6, 2012)

Rhode Islanders are in need of food, by the pantry-full.
The United Way of Rhode Island fielded approximately 80,000 food-related calls in its most recent fiscal year, compared with more than 40,000 calls taken the year prior, a nearly 98 percent increase.
Meanwhile, food banks are feeling the pinch as traditional food sources have reduced food donations considerably.
Other sources have attempted to fill that gap, such as banks, retail stores, manufacturing and design companies, engineering vendors, postal workers and local farmers throughout the Ocean State that pull together and supply groceries for those in need.
“Despite the fact that some public and private resources have diminished,” said Christopher J. Medici of the United Way of Rhode Island, “we are seeing industries and organizations step up to that challenge to help as many people as they possibly can.”
Ocean State Job Lot delivered 14 truckloads of food, or 420,000 pounds, in 2011 and is the single biggest food donor to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
Self-declared “closeout guys,” deal-finders at Ocean State Job Lot scan the country for food deals, purchase in bulk and ship pallets of food to local food banks. Recently the company sent a tractor-trailer full of pasta sauce, grains, mashed potato mix and others items.
“We tend to look for staples that people can make meals out of,” said David Sarlitto of Ocean State Job Lot.

When Ocean State Job Lot runs donation drives, donated dollars go fully toward purchasing actual food items. Ocean State Job Lot assumes all of the labor, shipping and distrusting costs.
“We eat it,” said Sarlitto. “No pun intended.”
The Washington Trust Co. has made a name for itself as “the peanut butter bank.” For the past decade, Washington Trust has collected more than 100 tons of jars of peanut butter from customers and employees during its March drive.
“We wanted to do something to support a critical need in Rhode Island and to get our employees involved,” said Elizabeth B. Eckel, senior vice president of marketing and investor relations at Washington Trust and the woman behind the genesis of the idea. “We figured we would have fun with it.”
Peanut butter is nutritious, loved by children and adults, and expensive to purchase for families in financial trouble. Plus, Washington Trust has found that its customers and employees enjoy offering peanut butter for a charitable cause.
“Our customers would rather go get the jar of food than donate the money,” said Eckel. “They like to see that they’re contributing to a collection.”
In May, local letter carriers collected packages of food placed next to mailboxes as they delivered the mail, as part of the nationwide National Association of Letter Carrier’s effort to “stamp out hunger.”
BankNewport’s employees helped to collect more than 1,500 pounds of food last winter. Dassault Systemes, a 3D computer simulation company in Providence, and Nordson EFD, a dispensing equipment design and manufacturer in East Providence, have donated to the food bank, according to the United Way of Rhode Island.
Bank Rhode Island has collected and donated approximately 50,000 pounds of food over the past five years. That’s 25 tons.
“There is no doubt that employees feel really good about what they do,” said Patricia O. Saracino, vice president of community relations for BankRI. “It’s an incredible team building exercise. Plus, employees feel more confident in the company that they represent in terms of giving back to the community.”

Along with the devastating effects of the recession, Rhode Island has been walloped over the last three years with an historic flood and a tropical storm.
That was combined with expiring unemployment insurance benefits, the diminishing impact of the stimulus funding and a squeeze on charitable grants and federal assistance.
The result is “people who had never really been in need before” are asking for help to feed themselves and their families, said Medici. He said community programs “are seeing more and more people, and they are seeing different people than they had seen previously.”
Meanwhile, food pantries are finding they must adjust the models in which they intake food as inefficiencies within the grocery supply chain become streamlined. Longer expiration dates and fewer mistakes in food packaging have left a 2 million pound gap in food pantry donations, said Rhode Island Community Food Bank CEO Andrew Schiff. The food bank typically now accepts approximately 10 million pounds of food statewide.
While there has been a surge in enthusiasm for food giving, Schiff said it has not closed the gap in large regular donations from within the food industry. For example, the summer food-drive push will bring in an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 pounds each year, compared to the 2 million pounds lost by supermarket and food manufacturer efficiencies.
“The scope of this is important to keep in mind,” Schiff said.
Schiff is still gracious for the non-traditional drives. “The response to those food drives has been extremely positive. Businesses across the state have gotten involved. There are literally hundreds of businesses that have participated,” he said •

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The original version of this story misstated the amount of food that the Rhode Island Community Food Bank collects in its yearly summer food drive.

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