FOOD
Food is making news: “Food stamp” president. Food deserts.
Food is also a hot topic for collaboration, research, and study this year at Moraine Valley Community College. This spring, classes are discussing Food, Inc. and researching service learning projects related to food banks and food pantries and food drives.
So how are food banks and pantries related? Food banks are repositories for food which is distributed to agencies such as pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens. At the national level, there is Feeding America, a nonprofit organization that has a network of 200 food banks. Visit Feeding America’s website to learn about hunger in America. Moraine Valley’s area food bank is the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). Visit the GCFD site for information such as how to become a member agency and how to start a food program, hosting a virtual food drive, and to learn more about Chicago hunger. Also, search for resources and pantries to find food. Moraine’s local food pantry is Elsie’s Food Pantry. Last fall, Moraine Valley donated produce to this pantry from its community garden, and the library raised money for Chicago’s Zone 32 pantry with the Food for Fines program.
Stay tuned for more posts from this new foodblog series that will satiate your hunger for info about food, nutrition, agriculture, health, diet, community gardening, permaculture, sustainability, and related issues. Sources will include library books and dvds, articles found in library databases, credible websites, and more.