More Than Just Canned Goods

Walking through the door of the renovated Bed-Stuy warehouse, you may ask yourself, “what is this place?”  Ahead, people swipe cards and work on touch screens computers. To your left, a well-stocked lending library; further ahead, a sun-drenched stairway, and to the right, a cheery cafeteria. Is it an office, a government building, a co-op? Nope.  You’ve just entered the St. John’s Bread & Life Food Pantry.

I visited Bread & Life last week as part of a Food Systems Network NYC meeting and was impressed by the efficiency and opportunity the facility offered. Yemi Oyename, Director of Food Services for St. John’s, gave us a tour. The award winning facility, renovated in 2008, contains a large industrial kitchen which serves out over 1,000 meals a day. Ms. Oyename laughs when telling us she quickly nixed the idea for a deep fryer, but in her humor you can see the dedication to not only feeding the poor, but providing healthy, whole foods.

Anthony Butler, Executive Director, spoke of a lack of “best practices” exchange among food pantries, mostly because the data does not exist. At Bread & Life, the computerized system lets them collect this data to see what food people want, what gets left behind and how often each member frequents the pantry. Bread & Life not only covers food services, but a realm of other issues including immigration and legal aid. One of their most successful programs helps people attain official state IDs, something many of us take for granted. They also provide a medical team, a tax event and access to personal voicemail and email.

This all encompassing action represents a proactive approach that many food pantries are taking to address the problems that perpetuate poverty. Light years beyond dull canned goods and processed foods, food pantries like Bread & Life are working on innovative, comprehensive programs that don’t just fill bellies, but also offer hope to those in need.

Reverend Robert Jackson of the Bed-Stuy Farm and the Brooklyn Rescue Mission spoke about the need for community support and fresh food. While hunger represents the most urgent need, how that hunger is addressed is important. Will it be through a CSA share and the garden in Bed-Stuy, or from government-provided packaged goods. Is the community involved in these decisions, or do mandates come down from somewhere above? Whether it is access to a garden or access to a computer, the extra efforts and sense of autonomy that Bread & Life and the Bed-Stuy Farm provide for their members may be the keys to success.

The Bed-Stuy Farm is presently collecting signatures and support to save their farm from being seized. To learn more, please visit their website.