In this episode, Therese Markow and Jill Dixon discuss the rising food insecurity in the U.S., highlighting the critical role of food banks. Jill explains that food banks coordinate efforts across 200+ food banks and thousands of food pantries. The Food Depot in Northern New Mexico serves 43,000 people annually, distributing 10 million pounds of food. Recent cuts to federal programs like TEFAP and SNAP have significantly impacted food banks, with the Food Depot losing 10% of its food supply and 58,000 New Mexicans at risk of losing SNAP benefits. Dixon emphasizes the need for community support and innovative programs to address these challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• Food banks across the US all have different requirements based on the people they serve, where they are, and what those people need. If you've seen one food bank, you've seen one food bank.

• While food drives are still extremely meaningful and important, fund drives are becoming increasingly common and necessary.

• The vast majority of people who receive SNAP assistance and turn to food banks when SNAP assistance is not enough are already working at least one job or are caregivers.

• Food banks are a highly sophisticated business network, working together nationwide to acquire supplies through different means.

"Hunger is not actually its own issue. It's a symptom of poverty; it's a symptom of the cost-of-living crisis that is making it increasingly hard year over year." — Jill Dixon

Connect with Jill Dixon:

Professional Bio: https://thefooddepot.org/jill-dixon/

Website: https://thefooddepot.org/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jill-dixon-22b15b312

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: [email protected]

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