Hands For Hunger FAQS
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What is food rescue?
* A food rescue program picks up excess prepared and perishable food from food establishments and professional kitchens and redistributes it to others who can utilize it.
How long has Hands For Hunger been doing this work?
* Hands For Hunger was founded in the Summer of 2008 and began full time operations with its fleet of refrigerated trucks in March of 2009.
Where does the food go?
It is delivered to 14 not-for-profit agencies throughout New Providence that are feeding people who are hungry.
Food is transported in our refrigerated trucks to churches, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs, agencies for victims of domestic violence, senior adult centers, substance abuse rehabilitation programs, and agencies that help support the working poor and those who have fallen on hard times.
What makes Hands For Hunger different from a food bank?
* Hands For Hunger redistributes primarily fresh and perishable foods, which it delivers on the day it is received. Food banks collect, warehouse and distribute canned and non-perishable foods. Hands For Hunger never charges a fee to the recipient agencies for the food it delivers.
Who Donates the Food?
* Food is donated to Hands For Hunger by hotels, wholesalers, local restaurants, caterers, supermarkets, corporate kitchens, food distributors, farms and any establishment with a commercial kitchen.
If it is good food, why isn't it consumed?
* For a variety of reasons, not all food that is purchased or prepared is consumed. Overbuying, incorrect anticipation of consumer choices, even weather conditions affect the inventory that a food establishment is left with. In almost every facet of the food industry, there are overages that are edible, nutritious and being wasted.
Aren't there liability issues in donating food?
* The Bahamas Government has just implemented a “Good Samaritan Food Donation” law that protects donors from liability associated with their donations. Moreover, Hands For Hunger asks all recipients to sign an agreement accepting food “as is,” which further limits liability for donors as long as food is donated in "good faith", which food donors also contractually agree to do.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to give food directly to agencies rather than to Hands For Hunger?
* Because Hands For Hunger delivers to 14 agencies, serving more than 3,000 people each week, more diverse and greater numbers of people can be helped. Additionally, smaller agencies with few resources have an equal opportunity to share in the fresh food Hands For Hunger delivers.
It doesn't appear that The Bahamas has a hunger problem; is this really needed?
* Malnutrition is the condition that occurs when a person's body is not getting enough nutrients. The condition may result from an inadequate or unbalanced diet, digestive difficulties, absorption problems, or other medical conditions. (American Accreditation HealthCare Commission, 2007) While conventional thinking assumed that hunger affected only those who were not able to consume enough calories each day to support healthy functioning, it is widely understood today that malnutrition is often closely tied to conditions like obesity. In other words, a person struggling from food insecurity may come in all shapes and sizes.
Although the Bahamas is often thought of as the wealthiest country in the Caribbean in which all citizens enjoy a high standard of living, the reality is that there is a great disparity in terms of income distribution. In 2001, before the severe economic conditions of the past 3 years, more than 30,000 Bahamians didn't have dependable, consistent access to enough food and 9.3% of the population lived at or below the poverty line i.e. survived off of $2,863 per year or less ($7.84 per day).
* Many households that appear middle class, in which both spouses are working, often face limited or uncertain availability of food. Known as food insecurity, the number of families facing this condition is currently at its highest point in 4 years.
* Despite the fact that Hands For Hunger provides an average of almost 2,100 meals to the Bahamian community each week, local agencies continue to struggle to acquire enough food to feed their clients. According to a 2008 H4H survey of service agency representatives, the number of people in need of emergency food services (as measured by requests for food assistance) has risen considerably by an average of 20-100% since 2007. Furthermore, our agencies report that the number of individuals seeking emergency food service assistance continues to increase.
* This poverty Rate is estimated to have risen since 2001 due to the weakened economy, job losses and cost of living inflation without provisions for associated indexing of wages. Compared to an unemployment rate of 10% in 2001, the country now faces a 15% + jobless level.
* The number of people requesting social service assistance from the Bahamas Government increased by 50% throughout 2009 to 12,000.
* Although Hands For Hunger currently serves 14 agencies, there is still a significant unmet need in our community. In fact, there are over 40 agencies on our waiting list hoping to be considered for food assistance for their hungry constituencies.
*Last Updated May, 2010*
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