Food Bank Bailout

According to the Chicago Tribune, over 3,000 people have signed a petition started by Faithful America, an online community of roughly 80,000 religious individuals, to negotiate government financial aid to bailout failing food banks. Faithful America aims to promote morality in our society and consists of members from varying religious traditions. Though there is no direct quote from any one of the 80,000 members, but Tribune reporter Manya Brachear reports that the group defines morality with several specific goals including “ending poverty, promoting economic security, fostering peace, promoting human rights and diplomacy, preventing the effects of climate change, countering hate speech and misinformation in the media and building inclusive communities for immigrants and people of all faiths.”
Though the success or failure of food banks is not an intrinsically religious issue, religion is often closely linked to moral issues, especially regarding politics and the economy, and churches are often looked to for taking the initiative on solving moral as well as social issues. Brachear reports that the majority of food provision agencies in the Chicago area are faith-based organizations.
Brachear points out a flaw in the well-intentioned petition. Bob Dolgan, spokesman for the Greater Chicago Food Directory, states that Obama’s stimulus package already includes additional funding of $150 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program. This organization distributes food to banks around the U.S. According to him, it is not this chain of food banks which needs additional funding, but the private faith-based food pantries and soup kitchens which are suffering with the increased demand for food and the decreased supply of funds. The article, therefore, presents both sides of the issue, though a source from Faithful America would have been beneficial asset.