Already in this course, a huge part
of class discussion has been directed towards personal efforts; in others
words, how does our new knowledge and concern translate into viable changes?
For Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes,
this question of using food to help others is nothing new. Organized in 1982 by
several local churches, this food ministry was founded by concerned persons who
wanted to help the community’s needy and struggling. Through the years, these
dedicated efforts have grown to include more area involvement and nearly
127,000 persons received food from Loaves and fishes in 2012. Their goal is
simple: a hunger free community. This is ambitious in light of the data. In 2009, 40.9%
percent of Kalamazoo residents were below the poverty level. That’s double the state percentage. As the data demonstrates, Kalamazoo residents are no stranger
to need, and many have felt deprivation keenly.
Even
though Loaves and Fishes was started by a conglomerate of churches, their
current values concur with the beliefs of many: inclusion, respect, diversity,
and stewardship rank among the most important. Their mission is one that all of
us can come and work together on achieving. Their strategy is simple; Loaves
and fishes partners with local businesses and runs regular food drives to distribute
the food and provide for the needs of the community. A great deal of their
efforts goes towards procuring the food and distributing it to other food banks
in the community. What is particularly impressive about this food ministry is
that they ensure their users get fruits and vegetables. Families can obtain
four days’ worth of food, providing for each family member.
What impressed me about this ministry is their focus on
providing good quality food to persons on limited income. So many food pantries
distribute mostly boxed, premade food that is of the lowest quality, but this
ministry has a higher standard. These days, that is rare.
Here is the link to the Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes website and other resources:
http://www.kzoolf.org/
http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Kalamazoo-Michigan.html
http://www.kzoogospel.org/
I was also impressed with the ministries focus they had on providing good food quality for people who were on limited incomes.
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing more and more about Loaves and Fishes lately, I keep saying that i will Volunteer but I haven't got around to doing it.
ReplyDeleteThe strategy of Loaves and Fishes to partner with churches and business is amazing because it is a way of connecting the community to help others
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed the fact that they're providing people with higher quality food, especially the fruits and vegetables. I worked with a food drive before and I noticed that a lot of food consisted of stuff like canned soups and.. spam...
ReplyDeleteI had no idea 40% of Kalamazoo was below the poverty line. I wonder if that's just the city of Kalamazoo, or if it's the whole county. Either way, good for Loaves and Fishes to step forward and reduce the hunger problem.
ReplyDelete