Bare Cupboards in Bush’s America

Dear Reader,

American food pantries have long served the chronically unemployed and the homeless. But thanks to stagnating wages in Bush's America, a different group is turning to food banks at a growing rate: the working poor. In our April issue, Sasha Abramsky chronicles the life of Oregon's food insecure, people like Juan Cortez-Villa who put in long hours but still have problems putting food on the table.

Juan Cortez-Villa is a 30-year-old father of four, who lives in Eugene and works full time in a local wheat-packaging mill. Before that, he worked at another mill, in Medford. He wears a puffy gray jacket to protect himself from the winter cold, a white baseball cap, jeans and heavy boots. On his face is a thin goatee.
Juan earns $13.25 per hour, and, after taxes, brings home $1,800 per month. His income places the family above the poverty line. But between the money he sends back to his mother in Mexico, the rent, his utility bills and soaring medical expenses, Juan has found it harder to stay afloat ...
"I was unable to do anything," he says, "get any help. Some person gave me a phone number to this place [Centro]. I had no food for eight days, with my sons and wife." He pauses, and qualifies his statement. "Just a little food. A friend gave me eggs, tortillas. I felt sad for myself, was crying. It's bad for my family. I was scared because I didn't know how to look for help."

Food insecurity is an issue In These Times has covered before. In 2005, Mark Winne wrote on congressional haggling over funding for food banks and the nation's food stamp program. According to Abramsky, the results of those battles were not good: In 2000, food banks nationwide received $250 million in federal funds through Title IV of the farm bill. Today, that number is $140 million.

But last summer, former Managing Editor Phoebe Connelly and former Editorial Assistant Chelsea Ross reported on the burgeoning urban gardening movement, one antidote to food insecurity in urban America.

The Food Project is part of a growing urban agriculture movement to improve access to quality food in cities by creating local sources of fresh produce. The movement is showing that sustainable, local food systems are not only a way to ensure food security but also a means of addressing social justice issues.
And the movement is getting stronger. Community urban agriculture programs are gaining support from city governments desperate to increase green space and capitalize on public interest in environmental responsibility. As In These Times went to press, the 2007 farm bill had passed in the House of Representatives with a $30 million appropriation for community food projects.

Sadly, those resources don't reach Oregon's hunger belt, a region of the country Abramsky profiles beautifully. Read the rest of his piece, Blue Collar, Bare Cupboards here.

We appreciate all your support.

Yours Truly,

Adam Doster, senior editor and acting Web editor