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Voices for Voices®
Voices for Voices® is the #1 ranked podcast where people turn to for expert mental health, recovery and career advancement intelligence.
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Voices for Voices®
Food Insecurity and Disaster Relief with Dan Flowers | Episode 152
Food Insecurity and Disaster Relief with Dan Flowers | Episode 152
Chapter Markers
0:06 Food Insecurity and Community Response
12:55 Journey to Humanitarian Aspirations
19:01 Logistics and Philanthropy in Disaster Response
Join us as we sit down with Dan Flowers, President and CEO of the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank, to unravel the complexities of food insecurity in today's world. What drives the surge in food pantry demands in 2023? With inflation and dwindling government support at the forefront, Dan offers his unique perspective on resilience and the importance of understanding when you're simply fatigued versus when you're ready to step away from your mission. Our conversation casts a spotlight on the shifting landscape of food needs since the pandemic and underscores the necessity of unwavering commitment to humanitarian efforts.
Moreover, listen in as we recount personal journeys into volunteerism and humanitarian work, touching on the lessons learned from past disaster responses like those following Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 attacks. Our discussion extends into the logistics of crisis management, emphasizing the significance of precise coordination and planning. From the philosophical underpinnings of serving others to practical strategies for maintaining robust food bank operations, this episode paints a vivid picture of the challenges and triumphs in the ongoing battle against food insecurity. Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or new to community service, there's something here that will resonate deeply and inspire action.
Voices for Voices® is the #1 ranked podcast where people turn to for expert mental health, recovery and career advancement intelligence.
Our Voices for Voices® podcast is all about teaching you insanely actionable techniques to help you prosper, grow your self worth and personal brand.
So, if you are a high achiever or someone who wants more out of life, whether mentally, physically or spiritually, make sure you subscribe to our podcast right now!
As you can see, the Voices for Voices® podcast publishes episodes that focus on case studies, real life examples, actionable tips and "in the trenches" reports and interviews from subscribers like you.
If that sounds like something that could help you grow personally or professionally, then make sure to join me by subscribing!
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Thanks for listening!
Support Voices for Voices®: https://venmo.com/u/voicesforvoices
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Welcome again to this episode of Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. I am your host, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices, Justin Allen Hayes. We want to thank you for your support. If you can do us a big favor like, share, subscribe to this show and podcast that we have we're well into the 150 mark of total episodes 150. So even that's Congratulations, that's true, Thank you. And so this episode is a continuation of our episode last week with Mr Dan Flowers. He is the president, CEO of the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank and we're going to focus on this episode more on the. We're going to talk about food insecurity. We have hurricanes that are happening, have happened, and just want to get an update and share as much information with you, our listeners, our viewers and we just again, at all times, just thank Dan for being so transparent and just having conversations as a human.
Speaker 2:Thank you, justin, and congratulations again on your what is it? 150th episode. That's fantastic, you know. I hope everyone can appreciate the tremendous amount of personal energy that you put forward into this work. I want to tell you I'm grateful for it. I've been touched by it. I think the trajectory of my life has been, in many ways, positively and significantly altered through your ministry. The things that I've been able to share publicly for the first time have bolstered my strength and my feelings of safety in the world with the truth about who I am, and that was the connection that we made.
Speaker 2:So you know, it takes time to set up these shows. It takes time to do what you do. It can be discouraging and I want to let you know that I see your work. I thank you for your work. I want to encourage you to remain steadfast until you feel like it's done. I always tell people at the food bank we will not quit when it's hard, we'll quit when it's done, and we need to be very, very clear about the difference between the two. I think if we as people, individuals, when you think about something difficult in your life is am I just tired or am I done Right? You know, am I done Right? You know what I mean, because people substitute done for tired every day. Yeah, and I know I have God. Yeah, me too, me too. But when you really boil it down, don't quit unless you are really done, and you know it.
Speaker 1:No, it's great advice on so many levels, and that's what are we talking about? Food insecurity or something? No, but thank you for your work.
Speaker 2:That's what I was mainly wanting to say Good job man.
Speaker 1:Oh no, but it makes complete sense and I very much appreciate that, because there are days when I'm like, is this working, Is it helping? And you know, you look at numbers and you're like, oh, I want to be higher, and there's all that that goes in. And then on days like today, we're filming five episodes for the last week in October, for I feel so energized, Like I just I'd love having these conversations, to be able to come into a studio like this to see where we started in the audio studio and then how things are slowly growing, but they're growing in due time. And I just want to thank you for sharing that, because it's helpful to me and it's probably very helpful to a lot of people listening or watching. I just want to encourage you.
Speaker 2:I mean, you know you're doing a great job and I know that people are blessed through your work, myself included. I can speak for me most, Thank you. So you want to talk about the food bank?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, so you know how about we just jump in a couple of quick updates. Sure, if that's all right, since I've seen you last the obviously coming out of the pandemic, very transformational time for our organization, for society, right? You know I mentioned in last week's episode how we just built this building in Canton. That happened during the pandemic. We took on all kinds of programming that we hadn't done home delivery of food boxes, direct operation of food pantries. I mean, we're a much different organization coming out of it than when we're going into it.
Speaker 2:And on the larger, the macro scale, what's happened with food insecurity has been rather interesting. If you think of 2019 as a baseline year, 2020 comes. First year of the pandemic unleashes unprecedented insecurity. From a societal overview, right, the number of people coming to food pantries shoots up in 2020, huge year. The federal government responds with increases in Medicaid, unemployment, snap benefits. So the government response that was triggered really took effect in 2021. And the number of people that came to food pantries went down throughout 2021.
Speaker 2:If I look at the last six years, 2021 and 2022 were the two lowest years we've had Because government programs make a difference. Six years 2021 and 2022 were the two lowest years we've had, because government programs make a difference. If you're getting an increased SNAP benefit, increased WIC benefits, increased unemployment benefits, you can go to the store like anybody else and buy food. You're not as pressed. In March of 2023, those benefits were cut. At the same time, it was was in 2023, about 18 months ago, that inflation surged, sure, uh, making 2023 a big jump up in the number of people that are coming in. Uh, and in 2024. We've seen the most people consistently every month this year than ever in the history of the food bank Incredible. So that's the story.
Speaker 2:I think I'm very critical of nonprofit CEOs that, in order to raise money everywhere they go, they say it's the worst it's ever been. In 2021, I stated the facts the numbers were down. Here's what I think is the reason, but I am here today to say that it is the worst it's ever been. Right now, there's more people coming into food pantries than we've ever seen and I believe, from everything I can see, inflation is the primary driver the cost of goods.
Speaker 2:People are struggling to survive and, with fewer benefits available, people in poverty will go to get the one thing they can, which is food. People report food insecurity and hunger when they come in. But they're all experiencing poverty and so, you know, I think we're alleviating poverty, freeing up money so people can pay their heating bill, you know, and you know buy their kids shoes and those things. So there's a lot going on with food insecurity. From that standpoint, the network has rebounded so that the number of charities that we're working with you know, churches took a real hit, so they're coming back together, the supply chain's coming back together so we're finding more food to meet the surge in demand.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of what's happening on the numbers from the macro standpoint, you know and obviously we could talk about disaster relief, but uh, I'll shut up, let you you know. No, I think that's that's helpful. We look at, like you mentioned, where kind of the peaks were from, like demand uh being a unprecedented you know, with covid uh happening, uh, and then with the inflation, and both of those events being different, they're the same in that when the programs that the government has to offer like you mentioned, the benefits they're able to go into the grocery store and buy groceries just like you and I when those are cut, then they've got to do something, yeah and there's not a lot of benefits out there.
Speaker 2:You know, in order to qualify for SNAP benefits you know about, there's an asset test.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 2:Well, for most government programs there's an asset test. So if you have more than $3,000 in the bank, you can't even get them. So let's say you have a crisis in your life and you're employed and you've been working like crazy to get a cushion and you've got $7,000 in the bank, which is a dream for a lot of people. Then you lose your job and you go down to ask for food stamp or snap to help you and they're like well, your assets are too high. Well, so spend your cushion down to $3,000 and then come back and see us. You know, well, come down to the food pantry, I'll give you some groceries. Right now You're not making any money and maybe now you can keep a little bit more of that. So when you start working again, you aren't as close to the wall. So I think there's a lot of confusion about the way government benefits programs work, and that asset test is, to me, one of the things that there's the most confusion about, or just a lack of knowledge about. But again, these are reasons why people access the charitable sector, because who would want to spend your meager cushion you know what I mean just to get food when you come down, and I'm happy to do it. So a lot of times people will come in and report hunger. Like I haven't eaten today. I have absolutely no food at home Happens all the time.
Speaker 2:But I am very, very content to be an agency bolstering the stability of people in our community that are struggling. 22% of the people that have been into food pantries this year are first timers, so I could pull up our system today and I could find John Doe that visited the First Baptist Church today, and I can tell you what other pantries John Doe has been to. On average this year, 22% of the time John Doe showed up for the very first time. They've never accessed the system, so it's a constant churning of people in and out. They come when they need it, and I think we've gotten some pretty good insights as to why they come. People forget about this, though, because they associate the food bank with, like, feeding the hungry. Oh yeah, of course, but they don't see the food bank necessarily as a major driver of stability in neighborhoods and in families and in kids' lives, because I don't think everyone fully understands the correlation between emergency food distribution, the fight against poverty and family stability.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and to dovetail off that one area that our organization, we're starting to do, and I'll just preface this by saying we believe that the laws that are on the books should be followed. When they're not followed, somebody should be accountable and justice should be served. That being said, we talk about correctional facilities and individuals, whatever the crime was. Just looking at somebody as an individual, I was like all right, you're released, you've been in prison for 20 years, I don't know where I'm going to get my next meal, I don't know where I'm going to stay. And I'm not like condoning any of their actions that have happened, but just the reality that those individuals they and I didn't realize it until we got hooked up with a program through Summit County where every month there's individuals come and they talk about their needs. They're like I don't have a car, my license is suspended from 20 years ago, what do I do? I don't know where I'm going to get my next meal from, and so the agencies, wherever they can help out, they kind of they do that.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool, and I didn't know about that until this year. I wish I would have known much sooner, and actually tomorrow is the October version of that, so looking forward four hours every 20 minutes, come in and to just take that into the work that you do, that those individuals, you're not. I think we're all judgmental. I think, no matter how much we try not to be, but you and your organization isn't judgmental. And, like I said, john Doe comes in for the first time. Well, maybe did something he wasn't supposed to, broke the law and it's hungry, we're a humanitarian agency.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we're a humanitarian humanitarian. Yeah, we're a humanitarian agency, um, you know, uh, and, and I think that I've learned a lot about what it means to be a humanitarian from watching the food bank yeah, um, because it serves so impartially that oftentimes I catch myself rendering a judgment at the same time I'm serving someone, and it's so paradoxical and it reminds me over and over again how much better the organization is than me, and these lessons that I can learn about how to be in the world and how to see people as a humanitarian, I have learned through doing humanitarian work that the organization was organized to do. I think it's made me into more of a humanitarian. But I'll tell you to your point you made earlier.
Speaker 2:I remember when I was a kid, growing up, my dad had a friend from church whose son was sent to prison, and several times dad would be like I want, I want you to come with me. Charlie and I were going to visit tim in prison. You know, okay, I didn't know, but we were going there and dad and charlie would, tim would come in and we would pray with them and I don't know, man, I had an aunt that went to prison. Same thing when I went to college I was in a praise band and we would go do church services at the Jackson Penitentiary. So I had all these experiences as a young guy that were really positive experiences, with people I knew and loved that were incarcerated, and I didn't know what was happening in me at the time, but there was an imprint towards this humanitarian vision of who I wanted to become being made, and I was starting to learn at an early age that there is redemptive possibilities alive for people. It doesn't make you any less of a victim's advocate To recognize that people's lives go on, sometimes long after their lowest moment or their biggest screw-up, and you've got to meet people there or at least be hopeful for them to a degree. So, yeah, it's interesting as a humanitarian agency, though, when you start to grapple with some of these policy things and the way that can afford.
Speaker 2:That's one thing I would encourage everyone is to look at your philanthropy as an illuminating perspective on your aspirations. So I'm involved in volunteerism because that's a representation to me of who I wanna be. But I go back inside myself and I think eh't want to do that today. My back hurts, I'm too tired or whatever, and it'll be okay, now I go and act in alignment with my aspirations and I get a better sense that I'm the person who I want to be.
Speaker 2:The tree is known by its fruit, and every time I see the food bank in action and I can align who I want to be with who I see the organization being, or what I see the organization being, I'm further illuminated as to steps I can take towards my aspirations for my higher self. And this is a pathway. I think a lot of people don't think about it, but it's my job to think about this stuff. I see it every day. So every time we take that step forward, every time you drag yourself in here to do another one of these shows, then you can drive home thinking I took one step further towards being the person I aspire to be.
Speaker 1:That's good stuff, yeah, and I love how you brought it together of not just like we're providing a service. Yes, we are providing a service, but there's all these layers to it, whether it's like the inflation or a pandemic, or somebody loses their job or somebody is newly released from incarceration, whatever that may be. That seed was planted at an early age. Well, I don't know if you noticed, kind of like, oh okay, yeah, this might be something I'm interested down the road, I think at least kind of bringing it to me. There are things that now that, looking back, I planted those seeds and they were kind of like in the subconscious and I wasn't able to access those until I was able to forgive myself and uh, kind of come to grips where I was just mentally uh in in the world as a a new husband and uh and and a new father and and working and trying to figure out what I like to do and wanting to align what I like to do with what I think I'm good at to a certain extent.
Speaker 1:And at the end of the day, both of those things come back in that service of helping others. So we help one person, that's one less person that has to look for their next meal. They know they can come in and taking that philosophy has helped. And then when we talk about, oh my gosh, we're doing 150 episodes and it's like when you're so in the weeds, sometimes you don't recognize it it's like, oh, I got to do this, one more thing, one more thing. And then now, just as we're talking, just coming to the realization, just as a number of like, oh, maybe we'll do 200. Maybe we'll do. Oh, maybe we'll do 200. Maybe we'll do that, probably not, I don't know. And that is just what I'm finding just as we're having this conversation. So hope it's a powerful legacy.
Speaker 2:It is, it is. You know. You've got, you know, 150 shows worth of proof to your daughter and everyone in your life that will always be in existence, that you tried, yeah and that I think what a legacy and that's the.
Speaker 1:That's the key. Like you know, the answer is always going to be no. If you don't try yeah, you might try one thing today might not work. Maybe that's playing in the seed for two years from now, and then somebody reaches out like well, why are you reaching out now? It's like, oh well, oh well, you know, we talked or we saw this or we heard this show and it's really just being in that moment where we talked about it in the last episode, just being present with what we're doing and just looking at the human connection of helping our fellow human being with the work that we're doing and realizing, as you mentioned, at that higher level, that you're not just passing out food, you're a humanitarian.
Speaker 1:That's a much bigger impact. It's not focused on one product line of an organization. There's multi-layers and there are macro things that are happening kind of behind the scenes. That now, with this disaster relief, with these, these hurricanes that you've probably learned from maybe prior disasters, that's an excellent summary, for sure.
Speaker 2:Um, you know and I want to talk about those disasters real quick I just come back. I want to come back real quick to this principle of non-dualism that's alive and what it is that you just, I think, so accurately expounded upon. That present in a lot, in a politically divisive time that we're in right now, is the fact that multiple things can be true on the same continuum. So we can say every person generally feels better about who they are when they're self-sufficient. This is good for themselves and good for society, and not everyone can provide for themselves. They're on the same continuum, both are true, but people will grab a hold of one end of that continuum or the other and wrestle that issue just completely from that one side of the spectrum.
Speaker 2:The same thing can be true within our own selves, where I can say, on the same day, people that do certain crimes should just be tossed aside because it's so heinous, and then later on that day I could drive to the prison to pray with someone who did that same thing, right? And how can that both be true, right? Well, because there's a lot of complicated issues in life and we've got to respect the fact that that continuum is very, very broad and not grab a hold of. I am the guy who thinks people are beyond redemption or I am the guy that thinks no one should be held accountable. Yes, you know what I'm saying, and not overly judge ourselves by our proclivities to fall on one side or the other, depending on who we're talking to or what we feel, and that we have to be constantly in that, in pursuit of the higher aspirational goal or that humanitarian goal of what is right in the circumstance.
Speaker 1:So I just wanted to hit on that just briefly.
Speaker 2:Coming back to disasters, because I want to land this thing while we've got time. I was at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint in 2001 when the planes hit the towers. We sent Sarah from our office to there. In response to that, from our food bank in Flint, a lot of other food bankers. What happened after that disaster was very informative as to the way all of the other national food bank disaster responses were to occur, because what we saw happen is food banks from all over the country communities sending resources without coordination into New York and there was a secondary logistical crisis because they were overwhelmed with unplanned, unneeded, uncoordinated loads. It was a mess, and the mess was really where an outpouring of philanthropy met a lack of planning and coordination. When Katrina came, we were much better. The National Office Feeding America in Chicago started working with food banks on the ground and saying very clearly to America's food banks don't just send us food. We want to find out what you have available to offer us and we will pick those items and pull them into the disaster area. That has become the norm.
Speaker 2:Right now we're in the process of responding to the hurricane. Was it Helene that just came through and so you know I was just looking at loads. I think we've shipped them about 48,000 pounds from our inventory All products that we had enough of, so that we could send some down to the disaster area without impacting our inventory. And that's what we're, I'm sure, going to be doing tomorrow when this other hurricane strikes. We're filming this. What's today, october 9th, and so there's a big hurricane headed into Florida. Tomorrow, what is it? Milton, milton, yeah, so you know, that's what's going on right now. So our appeal to the community is, if you visit Akron, canton food bank org, if you're willing to make a donation, financial donation, a food drive or whatever that can help us keep our inventory strong while we elect, based on what we have available, to shoot products down into the affected areas.
Speaker 1:That's just amazing evolution of that from 20, 23 years ago of we want to people, want to help food banks, want to help individuals, organizations. And how do I send it? Let me just send it to this address and like, hopefully it gets to the right person to get to the people and to talk about the logistics. That's huge. Like, once it gets there, who's going to do the delivery there has to be? Are they going to come back to the same? Is there one big warehouse or how does that even happen? And so nothing happens without. You can't share, if you can't logistically make something work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's been hard because you know, I've been on the other side of this a lot. When someone calls me in the midst of a passion project, when they're really trying to get a truck sent down to a disaster area and I tell them I'm not going to put a pallet of water on it because we didn't get a call from the national office, that's a tough conversation, you know, and so I really try to work this message that there is a lot of coordination going on in the food bank response. Or, at the very least, if you want to do an independent thing, make sure that the people that are there actually need it. If it's about us, don't do it without us is our mantra, and so, if it's about them, don't do it without us. If it's about them, don't do it without them. Don't just start sending anything anywhere unless you know that the people that are there actually want and can use it. It's just smart philanthropy.
Speaker 1:I think that ties into what you're talking about being humanitarian. It reaches outside northeast Ohio. It reaches across the nation.
Speaker 2:I think if there be a natural disaster in California or a different state, a different area, it'd be the same process now that's how we work and we're doing a kind of a little mini version of that every day anyway, because hunger is a disaster for the people experiencing it. So yeah, if I get two truckloads of you know, a product of any kind and I only can really move one by the expiration date, I'll call Erie, pa or Pittsburgh and say what do you got? You know, maybe we can share, you know, and maybe there's something you can send me, and so we're always doing that with our inventory. Here we just kind of go beyond that. We prioritize certain things. There's funding sometimes available to cover transportation in these disasters.
Speaker 2:But you know, I really want the community to know that the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank is here to respond to the needs of people here locally but also to be an outlet for your philanthropy. If you want to volunteer, if you want to come down with your kids, we need your help. We'd love to be there and partner with you in that way. And that we're also a outlet for local philanthropy in national disasters. So if you're concerned about what's happening in Florida or North Carolina, if you make a financial contribution to us, you are helping us replenish our inventory for the loads we just set down there. So all of that kind of plays in in our disaster response.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think another way to look at it is if not just Walmart, but retail locations, once a product is purchased, the system knows we need to ship another one. So that's that same process. That, okay, we sent one truckload, so if the donation comes in, this is what we were gonna replenish with the same thought process not the same exact thing, but a similar process. Mm-hmm, great, well we're at the end of it again and, yeah, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:I appreciate the friendship of just having somebody to reach out to and then to be able to talk about helping others, which is what we're both doing. I love it so much. Respect for you, justin.
Speaker 2:Thank you. I wish you continued good luck. For sure We'll come back next year?
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and thank you again, our listeners, our viewers, for joining us on this episode, the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast, with our in-studio guest, mr Dan Flowers. Until next time. I am your host, justin Allen Hayes, founder and executive director of Voices for Voices, and please be a voice for you or somebody in need.
