Fighting Poverty in RI
- Posted October 14th, 2008
- Filed under: Community, Events/Presentation, Social Media
BatchBlue is participating in Blog Action Day this year by partnering with the RI Community Food Bank to raise awareness of the ongoing efforts to fight poverty in Rhode Island. As a part of the effort, we pledge that for every comment posted below we will donate 3 meals to a deserving RI family. No contact information is required, just let us know you care and will help spread the message.
I spoke with Lisa Roth Blackman, Senior Director of Development & Communications at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, about the work that the Food Bank is doing and how others can get involved. Below are her responses.
- The theme of Blog Action Day this year is Poverty. That is a very broad term. From your perspective, what criteria defines poverty?
- We are approaching a tough time of the year and apparently a tough year for the economy. What do you all do to prepare for a particularly difficult time?
- Blog Action Day is about unifying the power of online journalists to address a particular social issue. Any specific ideas for ways more local bloggers can get involved with the Food Bank?
- Where do we go to learn more about the RI Food Bank and how to get involved?
The Federal Poverty Level for a family of 4 is defined as an income of $21,200 a year. The Federal Poverty Level was developed in the 1960s and measured poverty based on the cost of food. At that time, food costs represented a third of a family’s budget. However, the Federal Poverty Level is now widely recognized as a flawed measurement because expenditure patterns have changed significantly since the 1960’s. For example, costs such as housing and health care have risen much faster than food costs since then.
According to 2007 U.S. Census data, 12% of the people in Rhode Island are poor. The state’s childhood poverty rate is 17.5%.
To put the Federal Poverty Levels in perspective, it is helpful to consider the 2006 Rhode Island Standard of Need (RISN), an alternative measurement developed by The Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College (www.povertyinstitute.org). Every two years The Poverty Institute publishes The Rhode Island Standard of Need (RISN) to show what it costs for families and single adults to pay for housing, food, transportation, health care, child care and other basic necessities. In 2006, the most recent year, the Rhode Island Standard of Need for a two-parent, two-child family is $52,224. This figure shows what a family needs to earn to maintain a standard of living that does not ask them to choose between necessities such as food, medical care, housing, or child care.
While other essentials such as phone, clothing, shoes and paper products are accounted for, the RISN does not take into consideration the need to buy household necessities like furniture, towels, kitchenware, bedding and car seats. It does not include the cost of child enrichment activities like school trips, music, or art lessons. Finally, the RISN does not include any funds for vacations, birthdays, holidays or other special occasions.
At the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, we often talk about summer being an unknown time of hunger for families because kids are out of school and aren’t receiving free or reduced price breakfast and lunches, so there is an added burden on families. This year, all of our member agencies (food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, etc.) are bracing for a very difficult winter. Already, many of our agencies are reporting large increases in the numbers of people they are serving, and people haven’t even started to deal with home heating bills yet. Plus, unemployment in Rhode Island is 8.5%, the second highest in the nation.
This all comes at a very challenging time for the Food Bank as well. Food donations from food producers and grocery stores are down as those industries become more efficient and have less waste. In addition, the cost of food is up, which makes it more expensive for us to purchase the foods we do purchase to make up for the decrease in donations.
To prepare, we’ve been seeking efficiencies in our daily operations, so that we have as much funding as possible to purchase additional food, or to pay the shipping costs on bringing in donated food from other places. We’ve reduced our workforce by about 10%, and we are exploring ways to save money on heat and electricity.
One way we are preparing is by coordinating with the Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America, for the 21st annual Scouting for Food Drive. On Saturday, October 25th thousands of Boy Scouts will fan out across the state to leave empty plastic bags on people’s doors. The following Saturday, November 1st, they will come back to pick them up. This is one of our largest food drives of the year, and this year, with so much need in the community, we hope to collect over 200,000 pounds of food.
In addition, we are getting ready to launch our Holiday Meal Drive, during which we hope to bring in an additional five truckloads of food to help people during the holiday season and throughout the cold winter months. We ask the public to donate funds toward the purchase of food, or to donate most needed items, including frozen turkeys, canned hams, stuffing, rice, beans, canned vegetables, and other staples, such as canned soup and breakfast cereal. We can purchase an entire truckload of food for $20,000.
The best way local bloggers can get involved is to keep the issue of poverty and hunger at the forefront of the online conversations that are happening out there. Hunger is a serious, but solvable, problem—we just need the political will to end it. Bloggers can direct people to our website (www.rifoodbank.org) to learn more about hunger in Rhode Island, and what they can do to help. We also invite bloggers or others interested to get involved with either the food bank or a local food pantry and share the experience with their own audience. These personal stories are a powerful way to spread the word about our efforts.
You can visit our website at www.rifoodbank.org to learn more about the work that we do, the people we serve, and upcoming events. You can also donate online by clicking the “Donate Now” button on our homepage.
Please get involved by leaving a reply message using the form below. For each reply that we receive, we will donate 3 meals to a deserving RI family. And please help us spread the word to as many people as possible by e-mailing your own network and asking them to post a message at:
http://blog.batchblue.com/?p=149
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Here’s one comment.
There are a lot of deserving families who need help. Kudos to you for your efforts!
What a great cause to partner with. It’s nice to see a company that clearly cares about its customers showing that same care for the community.
What a great idea—and a great cause to support. Thanks for doing this!
This is a great idea! Glad you guys are doing this. What a sad world we live in when there is so much hunger in the midst of so much wealth and so much rampant consumerism.
Great idea for a Great cause!
Every little bit helps. Hopefully you will recieve tons of blogs today!
Another comment
You guys rock!
Fantastic opportunity for me to do my part! Someone now had a full meal because I typed 2 sentences.
Great work for a good cause. So others may eat.
This is really a great idea — everyone wins!
Thanks for being a good corporate citizen!
Awesome idea!
very cool.
Get ready for the influx, hmason just tweated about this!
Terrific idea — thank you!
Great idea! Thanks guys.
good luck with this. I think I would be too scared of turnout to attempt something like this.
good luck!
Yet another reason to love this company. Good on you, BatchBlue.
This is great. A client of mine does an annual Thanksgiving card. This year’s theme: give to your local food bank.
Good work doing the good work.
Hope this helps. I know how hard the winters are in Rhode Island especially on poverty stricken families. I really hope the food bank gets what they need in order to help the Rhode Island community through the winter.
Yet again the BatchFolk fight the good fight. You guys warm the cockles of my heart.
Good for you BatchBlue!
SB
Great idea–people in charge of BatchBlue must be really smart!
You guys rock on so many levels
Great service, great people, great company
Great idea. There are lots of people who can use a boost.
Super!
What a great idea!
Great idea. Best wishes.
I applaud your efforts to do something meaningful for people in RI who need help. If there are people there who can figure out to live in a storage space in Providence Place, there are surely people there who can make a difference in other quality of life areas like surviving from one day to the next.
Thanks for your generosity to the people of RI
Great work, Batchblue! Its gonna be tough year for all charities for sure.
i want to help, so i’m leaving a comment. i think it’s great what you’re doing.
for my part, i turn to sites like freerice (rice donation), kiva (microfinance), and goodsearch (donation per search), as ways to help alleviate poverty online. i also put up their banners on my blog.
saw this post via the blog action day site. it’s great that you’re participating.
Just when I start to get tired of every dumb web viral and/or come on, something like this comes along and shows me that good can come of it, too.
Love the concept; great work guys!
Bravo BatchBlue peeps! Just one more reason to love you guys. Great idea and great seeing you at NMS.
Thanks for raising awareness and helping others.
What a great way to spread awareness and help people out. Keep it up, and I hope you get many more comments!
don’t forget the working poor – don’t forget those who just can’t make ends meet!
I hope I am not too late to make a comment and help BatchBlue make a difference!
Well done, BatchBluers!
The BatchBlue team rocks! I echo what was said above, just one more reason to love you guys and gals!
Thanks everyone for your comments! We’re going to keep the post up until the end of the day, so please tell your friends and help us raise awareness. We’d love to reach 100 comments for 300 meals!
I grew up in RI and at a glance it would not “look” like a poor state – but as you eloquently point out – the cost of living has risen while the standard income has not. Economically below average earners and above average earners alike are suffering as costs escalate. Having to choose between electricity and food in a state like RI, in the one of the wealthiest nations in the world, seems hard to believe. But it is real and thank you for standing up and helping people get through the hard times. What else can we do on a bigger level?
Costs rise but salaries do not (at the same rate) except at the top. All our money has gone to the top 1 % so we are now similar to a South American nation (with an oppressed and growing under class and a small upper class that controls all the wealth – which we have seen does NOT trickle down!)
Thanks Batch Blue – but we ALL need to do more.
What a great idea from a great bunch of people!!
Great effort. Another fine example of the business community taking a leadership role in helping an important cause.
Good luck with the drive
I am a commenter. I leave comments.
hooray for batch blue!
It’s difficult to fathom not having the money for food. Perhaps I don’t really “need” that new pair of shoes like someone else needs to eat. Congrats on bringing attention to this issue, Batch Blue!
[...] a challenge. For every comment someone leaves, they’re donating 3 meals to the food bank. Make a comment, give someone food. Easy [...]
Thanks for a great blog post! I also attended Blog Action Day and collected money for Project Peanut Butter.
Really glad you guys are doing this. Hope I can get some of the attendees here at BIF-4 to support this hometown effort!
Props to BB!
Business Innovation Factory is Twittering about this through BIF4!
Thanks for this opportunity and for your efforts.
Clever! Good for you guys.
A great use of the tubes. Congrats and best of luck.
Great idea; please put in a bottle of coffee syrup with the meals. It’s always nice to have a treat.
Shameless plug – Could you vote for #13 Twin Finn? http://www.5minutesformom.com/ Deserving family; Finn has twin brothers that will soon be needing beds. Thanks
Great idea, BatchBlue — thanks for the opportunity to help even just a little!
Great idea, great cause.
This is great! Here’s to +3!
Great idea! And needed all the more in lean times like these.
Thank you for taking the initiative to make this happen. Many families will be fed based on your efforts.
There but for the grace of God go many of us. Thank you for providing food to those who are most deserving.
And another comment for another 3.
Great idea, great job!
Awesome piece Pam – you need to join us at the next Women Ending Hunger meeting at the RI Community Food Bank. We need all the help that we can get. Kudos to BatchBlue for helping out.
Thank you for helping others in need. It is after reading articles like this that I truly feel fortunate
In this land of abundance, there is no excuse for letting your neighbors go hungry. Great idea for Blog Action Day.
I’m not sure if there’s a Scout troop in my area who’s going to drop off a bag for Scouting for Food. I will probably end up calling the BSA regional chapter (?) to have them alert the nearest pack/troop.
Great idea. Here’s another comment for you.
please feed the hungry! I believe in helping those in need, so I am here adding a comment. That was easy!
more comments, please!
Thanks to Amber for sending along this link!
Thanks to Amber for letting me know about this! Good work!
Thank you, Amber, for passing this on. What an awesome idea, and a great way to show how netroots folks are helping out in all sorts of ways!
Amber – thank you so much for passing this along – what a worthwhile cause!
3 More Meals!
Great work — what can be better than knowing your children will go to bed with full stomachs?
Great idea for the day, and a cause that needs more support!
84 and counting. Nice work.
Yay Batch Blue!
This is wonderful. Thank you!
Thanks for commenting on my blog — and hey, hope this helps 3 people.
I like food
What a yummy idea for a benefit!
I’m glad I heard about this!
Sorry I am so late with my comment, but it is a great thing you are doing.
Great work!
Proud of you. This is a great thing your company is doing.
What a great idea, Mrs. O’Hara! Here’s hoping you make a lot of people happy.
oh, and I agree with Christian, I like food, too.
In the spirit of Barack Obama..may this post feed three!
and in the spirit of john and cindy mccain,please allow this to feed three.
and in the spirit of giving,please allow this to feed the three.
never knew that he was a she @rnw forum.
my mistake wh
Well, now tell me this… what exactly KIND of comments would you consider to be ideal? Do you want somethin worth readin? Does is matter at all? Will anyone ever actually read them? I will be totally honest, I did not read all of the above because it is too many words for my time at the moment, but I don’t mind sayin a few fer just a minute.
Keep up the good work!
Great Idea..Good luck..!!
Thanks, CCBers!
I Want my 2 cents worth to count too!!
In the spirit of love, feed three.
I hope this helps!
Great cause! Please help.
Food from an Angel !! This is a great thing.. Thank you !
OUtstanding!1!
I hope this helps.
I’ll pitch in a 2 cents worth also.
Thanks!
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. – Mark Twain
Thanks for annoying me today, Batchblue.
Great job!
Great cause!
cool idea,keep up the good work
great idea…keep up the good work…
Good luck
A wonderful idea that raises awareness about such a widespread yet hardly understood part of our society. Thanks for doing this.
Lets keep it going
May this post feed some hungry people!
good luck!!
great work!!
God bless you in all of your loving efforts
Great Idea! Here’s another comment.
I would do anything to help hungry people and my ccb friends.
Great Idea Bless you for doing this
Wonderful thing you are doing.
Great good luck….
It takes a big effort to come out of your comfort zone to do something selfless, and what more when the job is then totally unappreciated? I applaud you for making this stand and wish you all the best in your efforts. I am grateful that there are people like you in this world.
Roll Tide!!!!
And feed people, too.