為什么食品銀行現(xiàn)在如此不堪重負

為什么食品銀行現(xiàn)在如此不堪重負

The waste is almost impossible to fathom. Mounds of produce rot in fields because farmers aren't able to transport it to market. Thousands of gallons of milk are dumped because there's no way to get it to consumers. Yet, so many food banks are struggling to stock their shelves as newly unemployed Americans are reaching out for assistance.

這種浪費幾乎是無法估量的。成堆的農(nóng)產(chǎn)品在田地里腐爛，因為農(nóng)民無法將它們運往市場。成千上萬加侖的牛奶被傾倒，因為沒有辦法送到消費者手中。然而，由于新近失業(yè)的美國人正在尋求援助，許多食品銀行都在艱難地補充庫存。

There's frustration that food is being wasted in one place while there's so much need for it in another.

令人沮喪的是，食物在一個地方被浪費了，而在另一個地方卻有如此多的需求。

Church volunteers set up a drive-thru food pantry in Sherman, Texas. (Photo: Sara Carpenter/Shutterstock)

Like so many businesses and organizations, food banks and pantries across the country have been hit hard in several ways by the coronavirus pandemic.

與許多企業(yè)和組織一樣，全國各地的食品銀行和食品發(fā)放處在許多方面都受到了冠狀病毒大流行的嚴重打擊。

"I've never seen anything like it," Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning research organization in Washington, D.C., told The New York Times. "People love the phrase 'the perfect storm' but nothing is built for this."

“我從來沒有見過這樣的事情，”華盛頓左傾研究機構(gòu)預算與政策優(yōu)先中心負責糧食援助政策的副總裁斯泰西·迪恩對《紐約時報》說。“人們喜歡‘完美風暴’這個詞，但沒有什么是為它而建的。”

There's more need

更多的需要

SSG Daniel Rasik, assigned to the Ohio National Guard's HHC 1-148th Infantry Regiment, stocks shelves at the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank in March. Hundreds of Ohio National Guard members have been activated to help those in need. (Photo: Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker, The National Guard [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

Feeding America is the country's largest network of food support with more than 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs throughout the nation. (A food bank is a nonprofit warehouse operation that collects and stores donated food that will be delivered to local food programs like food pantries. Food pantries are the distribution centers where families receive their food.)

“喂養(yǎng)美國”是美國最大的食品援助網(wǎng)絡，在全國各地有200多個食品銀行和6萬個食品發(fā)放室和食品項目。(食物銀行是一個非盈利性的倉庫運作機構(gòu)，它收集和儲存捐贈的食物，這些食物將被運送到當?shù)氐氖澄镯椖?，如食品儲藏室。食品分發(fā)處是家庭領取食物的分發(fā)中心。)

There are plans in place to help get the extra food to those who need it.

已經(jīng)制定了計劃來幫助那些需要額外食物的人。

There's less food

更少的食物

Volunteers distribute items at a food pantry in Illinois. Demand has spiked since March, but food donations have dropped. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

With the economic crisis we're facing, fewer people are donating food and funds to keep pantries full. According to Feeding America, 59% of its food banks report having less inventory to share with those who request help.

隨著我們面臨的經(jīng)濟危機，越來越少的人捐贈食物和資金來維持食品室的供應。根據(jù)“供養(yǎng)美國”的調(diào)查，59%的美國食品銀行報告說，與那些需要幫助的人分享的庫存較少。

Some people might not be donating because they're worried about depleting their own finances. Others are keeping their canned goods because they're afraid they'll need them.

有些人可能不會捐款，因為他們擔心耗盡自己的資金。另一些人保留了他們的罐頭食品，因為他們擔心自己會需要它們。

There are fewer volunteers

志愿者越來越少

Volunteers at a food pantry in Glendale Heights, Illinois, says they've had 10 times the demand for food since the pandemic started. Some people who used to donate are now coming in for donations. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In addition to having less food, pantries also have fewer volunteers. Many organizations rely on college students, retired people, and business groups to help distribute donations. But with colleges and many businesses closed, those volunteer groups aren't available. And people over 60 are considered high risk for contracting the virus, so older volunteers often stay home and aren't able to help.

除了食物更少，廚房的志愿者也更少。許多組織依靠大學生、退休人員和商業(yè)團體來幫助分配捐款。但由于大學和許多企業(yè)都關(guān)門了，這些志愿者組織已經(jīng)無法提供服務。60歲以上的人被認為是感染病毒的高風險人群，所以年紀較大的志愿者經(jīng)常呆在家里，無法提供幫助。

How you can help food banks

如何幫助食物銀行

Cars line up for free groceries from a food bank in Inglewood, California, in early April. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

If you have the extra funds or time right now, check in with your local food bank to see what they need. You can search by ZIP code or by state on Feeding America's directory to find your local food bank. You also may be able to find local pantries and soup kitchens at FoodPantries.org, a curated list that isn't affiliated with any group.

如果你現(xiàn)在有多余的資金或時間，去當?shù)氐氖澄镢y行看看他們需要什么。你可以按郵政編碼或按州查找你當?shù)氐氖澄镢y行。你也可以在FoodPantries.org網(wǎng)站上找到當?shù)氐膹N房和流動廚房，這是一個不隸屬于任何組織的組織列表。

Check your local food bank or pantry's website to see what else they need. They might need volunteers to sort and pack food boxes or to help make phone calls for donations. Now during the pandemic, many pantries are holding mobile no-contact distribution, but they still need help setting up the food and raising awareness.

查看當?shù)氐氖称枫y行或食品儲藏室的網(wǎng)站，看看他們還需要什么。他們可能需要志愿者來整理和包裝食品盒或幫助打電話募捐?，F(xiàn)在，在流感大流行期間，許多食品室都保持著移動無接觸分發(fā)，但他們?nèi)匀恍枰獛椭O置食品和提高認識。

"Every day, we distribute everything that we bring to a site," Larry Scott, Three Square's chief operating officer, told The New York Times. "What we do today has to be repeated again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Hungry people are hungry each and every day."

Three Square的首席運營官拉里·斯科特告訴《紐約時報》:“我們每天都在分發(fā)我們帶到網(wǎng)站上的所有東西。”“我們今天所做的必須在明天、第二天、第三天重復。饑餓的人每天都在挨餓。”