Stories for Poverty

When the Food Bank of Delaware white van pulls into the parking lot of Ernie’s Country Store near Woodside, there’s already one little boy leaning against the side of the cinderblock building. He’s alone, barefoot, his orange Food Bank insulated bag is hand. . . waiting for Ms. V, the driver to move his bagged…

Read More

Kathy Jackson, a Delaware Department of Agriculture Marketing Specialist, has been setting up shop at downstate senior centers and farmers’ markets to encourage low-income Sussex Country senior citizens to participate in a new program that will help them purchase fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs or honey. Here’s how it works: senior citizens do not…

Read More

The Food Bank of Delaware’s mobile pantry travels up and down the state bringing fresh and nonperishable foods to Delawareans in need. Last week the mobile pantry visited Main Towers, a senior living community in the heart of downtown Newark. When you think of Main Street, Newark, most think of a bustling college town and…

Read More

Attending school and thriving does not come easy for many Delaware children, especially children living in poverty. For thousands of children, excelling in school is the least of their worries when home life is less than ideal. Many of our children are sleeping on floors in motels, living in households destroyed by opioid addiction, taking…

Read More

By Ian Lawrence and Dan Jackson, SNAP Outreach Coordinators Unless Congress passes President Trump’s proposed FY 2019 budget, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will remain in their current form of an electronic benefits card, providing recipients the opportunity to choose the foods that are best suited for their households. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,…

Read More

By Ian Lawrence, SNAP Outreach Coordinator One of the most commonly circulated myths about the SNAP program is that food benefits are only available to non-working populations. During outreach events and presentations, our SNAP Outreach team regularly encounters hard-working, industrious, yet poverty-stricken individuals who do not believe that they are eligible for SNAP simply because…

Read More

By Patricia Beebe President and CEO, Food Bank of Delaware This op-ed appeared in The News Journal on Sunday, November 5, 2017. In my role as CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, I observe daily our staff and hunger relief partners working tirelessly towards our vision of a hunger-free Delaware, distributing over 8.1 million…

Read More

Southern Delaware is known for its scenic – and upscale – resorts where million dollar homes have become the norm, and where exclusive – and expensive – dining opportunities abound. Yet not quite 30 miles west of Lewes is a community that has been mired in poverty for decades, but it’s hidden behind cornfields and…

Read More

The Food Bank of Delaware tackles the problem of food insecurity in many ways, and one of them is offering support in financial literacy. In addition to providing weekend backpacks for hungry children and offering mobile pantries to impoverished neighborhoods, we provide help in securing SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – formerly known as food…

Read More

West of Georgetown and just east of Bridgeville is the unincorporated community of Coverdale Crossroads, a rural poverty-stricken neighborhood. On Wednesday, March 29 the Food Bank of Delaware’s mobile pantry truck made a stop at the neighborhood community center. Students from Woodbridge High School’s Community in Schools program assisted in distributing 30 pounds of shelf-stable…

Read More