Written by Liza Rubin, CNN
Food banks are a precious resource in America. Those in poverty, who are struggling to make ends meet, can be saved from going hungry. They can get their children healthy, fresh and affordable food. And they can get the energy they need to climb out of poverty.
“Being food insecure means [some people] have not gotten what they need to stay well,” said Gary A. Lay, CEO of Good Food Innovations. Lay is the founder of Good Food Inc., a nonprofit and social enterprise that provides fresh, healthy produce at affordable prices to those in need. “The best thing food banks can do for you is eat.”
Food banks, Lay says, are the perfect solution for many of the 22 million people in the United States who are hungry or obese. But those donors and the food they stock don’t solve the larger problem of poverty.
“I tell people poverty is the invisible illness,” Lay said. “It’s a problem that exists and exists over many, many generations. The [food bank] might end hunger, but it doesn’t solve [poverty]. We need to figure out what to do for education, for income, for jobs so people won’t have to become homeless in the first place.”
Some even believe that feeding kids can stunt their brain development, Lay argues.