为什么食品银行现在如此不堪重负

为什么食品银行现在如此不堪重负

The waste is almost impossible to fathom. Mounds of produce rot in fields because farmers aren't able to transport it to market. Thousands of gallons of milk are dumped because there's no way to get it to consumers. Yet, so many food banks are struggling to stock their shelves as newly unemployed Americans are reaching out for assistance.

这种浪费几乎是无法估量的。成堆的农产品在田地里腐烂，因为农民无法将它们运往市场。成千上万加仑的牛奶被倾倒，因为没有办法送到消费者手中。然而，由于新近失业的美国人正在寻求援助，许多食品银行都在艰难地补充库存。

There's frustration that food is being wasted in one place while there's so much need for it in another.

令人沮丧的是，食物在一个地方被浪费了，而在另一个地方却有如此多的需求。

Church volunteers set up a drive-thru food pantry in Sherman, Texas. (Photo: Sara Carpenter/Shutterstock)

Like so many businesses and organizations, food banks and pantries across the country have been hit hard in several ways by the coronavirus pandemic.

与许多企业和组织一样，全国各地的食品银行和食品发放处在许多方面都受到了冠状病毒大流行的严重打击。

"I've never seen anything like it," Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning research organization in Washington, D.C., told The New York Times. "People love the phrase 'the perfect storm' but nothing is built for this."

“我从来没有见过这样的事情，”华盛顿左倾研究机构预算与政策优先中心负责粮食援助政策的副总裁斯泰西·迪恩对《纽约时报》说。“人们喜欢‘完美风暴’这个词，但没有什么是为它而建的。”

There's more need

更多的需要

SSG Daniel Rasik, assigned to the Ohio National Guard's HHC 1-148th Infantry Regiment, stocks shelves at the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank in March. Hundreds of Ohio National Guard members have been activated to help those in need. (Photo: Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker, The National Guard [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

Feeding America is the country's largest network of food support with more than 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs throughout the nation. (A food bank is a nonprofit warehouse operation that collects and stores donated food that will be delivered to local food programs like food pantries. Food pantries are the distribution centers where families receive their food.)

“喂养美国”是美国最大的食品援助网络，在全国各地有200多个食品银行和6万个食品发放室和食品项目。(食物银行是一个非盈利性的仓库运作机构，它收集和储存捐赠的食物，这些食物将被运送到当地的食物项目，如食品储藏室。食品分发处是家庭领取食物的分发中心。)

There are plans in place to help get the extra food to those who need it.

已经制定了计划来帮助那些需要额外食物的人。

There's less food

更少的食物

Volunteers distribute items at a food pantry in Illinois. Demand has spiked since March, but food donations have dropped. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

With the economic crisis we're facing, fewer people are donating food and funds to keep pantries full. According to Feeding America, 59% of its food banks report having less inventory to share with those who request help.

随着我们面临的经济危机，越来越少的人捐赠食物和资金来维持食品室的供应。根据“供养美国”的调查，59%的美国食品银行报告说，与那些需要帮助的人分享的库存较少。

Some people might not be donating because they're worried about depleting their own finances. Others are keeping their canned goods because they're afraid they'll need them.

有些人可能不会捐款，因为他们担心耗尽自己的资金。另一些人保留了他们的罐头食品，因为他们担心自己会需要它们。

There are fewer volunteers

志愿者越来越少

Volunteers at a food pantry in Glendale Heights, Illinois, says they've had 10 times the demand for food since the pandemic started. Some people who used to donate are now coming in for donations. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In addition to having less food, pantries also have fewer volunteers. Many organizations rely on college students, retired people, and business groups to help distribute donations. But with colleges and many businesses closed, those volunteer groups aren't available. And people over 60 are considered high risk for contracting the virus, so older volunteers often stay home and aren't able to help.

除了食物更少，厨房的志愿者也更少。许多组织依靠大学生、退休人员和商业团体来帮助分配捐款。但由于大学和许多企业都关门了，这些志愿者组织已经无法提供服务。60岁以上的人被认为是感染病毒的高风险人群，所以年纪较大的志愿者经常呆在家里，无法提供帮助。

How you can help food banks

如何帮助食物银行

Cars line up for free groceries from a food bank in Inglewood, California, in early April. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

If you have the extra funds or time right now, check in with your local food bank to see what they need. You can search by ZIP code or by state on Feeding America's directory to find your local food bank. You also may be able to find local pantries and soup kitchens at FoodPantries.org, a curated list that isn't affiliated with any group.

如果你现在有多余的资金或时间，去当地的食物银行看看他们需要什么。你可以按邮政编码或按州查找你当地的食物银行。你也可以在FoodPantries.org网站上找到当地的厨房和流动厨房，这是一个不隶属于任何组织的组织列表。

Check your local food bank or pantry's website to see what else they need. They might need volunteers to sort and pack food boxes or to help make phone calls for donations. Now during the pandemic, many pantries are holding mobile no-contact distribution, but they still need help setting up the food and raising awareness.

查看当地的食品银行或食品储藏室的网站，看看他们还需要什么。他们可能需要志愿者来整理和包装食品盒或帮助打电话募捐。现在，在流感大流行期间，许多食品室都保持着移动无接触分发，但他们仍然需要帮助设置食品和提高认识。

"Every day, we distribute everything that we bring to a site," Larry Scott, Three Square's chief operating officer, told The New York Times. "What we do today has to be repeated again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Hungry people are hungry each and every day."

Three Square的首席运营官拉里·斯科特告诉《纽约时报》:“我们每天都在分发我们带到网站上的所有东西。”“我们今天所做的必须在明天、第二天、第三天重复。饥饿的人每天都在挨饿。”