Loaves and Fishes

 

I have never heard of Loaves and Fishes and was very intrigued when we talked about it in class and decided to take a field trip.  I also did not know that this type of service was so close to me right here in Kalamazoo. Loaves and Fishes mission is to develop a hunger-free community.  I amazed to hear that it was first developed by various churches downtown that experienced many requests for food assistance.  I think that this is a wonderful idea that allows our community to provide such assistance to those in need, especially those who are local.  Sometimes, those who need help the most are embarrassed to even ask for help or assistance.  Many of these programs have expanded, and with the Grocery Pantry being the largest, in 2012 127,000 people were assisted.  This was an increase of about 13% since 2011

Where does this type of  program get all of the food to help out those in need and try to end hunger? This was my question when I began exploring the website.  I found that Loaves and Fishes receives food from community donations and from larger food drives, which is approximately 300,000lbs of food each year.  Over 2 million lbs of food is distributed annually, therefore, money needs to be raised to make sure that the food is available! KLF allows one to receive food every 30 days and an appointment is needed.  I think that this is a wonderful program to help out those in need and believe that there should be one in each city.  This type of program should only help out those who really are in need rather and are struggling rather than those who are just looking for hand outs.  One thing that I found shocking after searching their website is that there is no paperwork to fill out and no income requirements to be able to receive food from KLF or any of the five key programs.  I found this shocking because, how do they know an individual really needs the assistance or if they are abusing the system?  This would be a question I would want to ask.