Hunger DOES Exist in Cedar Falls (Blog)

Many communities feel they are exempt from socio-economic issues like people going hungry. It is my job as the State Director of the Iowa Food Bank Association to let everyone know that hunger DOES exist in their community, because if you don’t know it exists you have an excuse not to do anything about the problem.

So, my hope is that when I tell you that hunger DOES exists in Cedar Falls, you decide to take action to alleviate it from the community.

My son, Gabriel, attends First Kids Preschool and Child Care located in the First United Methodist Church on Washington Street, and my wife and I often battle over who has to pick him up on Tuesday evenings. The reason we fight not to pick him up on that particular day is clear evidence that hunger DOES exist in Cedar Falls.

Every Tuesday evening, the church opens their doors to those in need and provides a free meal. Parking around the building is scarce, and I often have to park around the block upon my arrival at the start of the meal. Even as I write this paragraph I am disgusted at myself for caring about the little inconvenience this puts on my life, when the individuals lined up to eat are faced with not knowing where their next meal will come from on a daily basis.

On average, that particular meal site serves 650 meals a month to Iowan’s struggling to provide for themselves and their families. 

Data from the Cedar Valley Food Pantry located at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in Waterloo shows that an average of 225 individuals from Cedar Falls receive assistance through their services each month.

These individuals are food insecure, or lack adequate access to a complete and nutritious diet, and miss the equivalent of 167 meals a year.

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank and its partners, including the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, are fighting to fill this meal gap, but the need continues to rise. Throughout the state, there has been a 30 percent increase in need over the past year, and there is no sign of a slowdown.

At the same time, food banks are seeing less food due to a decrease in food from the federal government and regular corporate donors tightening their belts during the recession. Without a new source of food supplies, hungry Iowans could be facing fewer options for support in this tough economic climate.

A possible piece of the solution is current legislation working its way through the Iowa Statehouse, which would provide much needed food to food banks. Cedar Falls is extremely fortunate to have state legislators who understand the issue of hunger and fully support efforts to ensure all hungry Iowans are fed. Although our legislators have many points of disagreements, they all understand that hunger is not acceptable in Iowa.  

Senator Jeff Danielson was the originator of the legislation, and has continually led the charge to keep it alive in an environment in Des Moines that is hard on new spending bills.

Senator Danielson’s reason for championing the bill is simple, he states, “There should be no such thing as hunger in Iowa. We are known as the world’s bread basket. We should also be known as the place where no one goes to bed hungry.” 

Not only does Senator Danielson feel that feeding hungry Iowans is the logical thing to do, he also understands that is it simply the right thing to so. Danielson says Iowans have a moral imperative to right the wrong that is fellow citizens of this state going hungry.

Representative Walt Rogers accepted my invitation to tour the Northeast Iowa Food Bank (NEIFB) in Waterloo and talk with the staff. The team of anti-hunger champions that make up NEIFB and I were very impressed by Rogers’ engagement with the issue of hunger and his passion for serving the underserved.

In a recent conversation, Rogers’ told me that his time spent in major U.S. cities working with impoverished populations gave him great insight into the issue of hunger and what can be done to address it in our communities.

He stated, “I have a keen understanding of the positive effects food banks have on major community issues such as hunger and poverty.”

He continued to ensure that his passion for the cause will translate to all the support he can provide as the piece of legislation works through the government processes. 

Representative Bob Kressig sees hunger as an issue of what Iowa wants for its future. As he sees the number of students on free and reduced lunch rise, he is concerned about what this means for the home lives of these children and their ability to be well developed citizens as they grow older.

Representative Kressig has a right to be concerned as 21 percent of Iowa’s children are food insecure.

Kressig says, “You could have education reforms that create the perfect system, but if a child is sitting in a classroom hungry they can’t learn.” 

Kressig is not only concerned about Iowa’s future leaders, but he is also concerned about those individuals who have made the state great. 

He stated, “As cost for food, medicine, housing and transportation continue to increase, many Iowa seniors’ budgets remain fixed. This means they may have to decide between paying for their utilities or buying food.” 

Kressig has said he is ready to fight to ensure Iowa’s food banks have the resources they need.

The Cedar Falls legislative delegation has graciously allowed me to keep them informed on the issue of hunger. However, they not only learned about the issue, they have decided to TAKE ACTION. So, let’s follow the example of our community leaders. Become informed and TAKE ACTION.

Learn more at www.iowafba.org.