The Astounding Inhumanity In Cutting Food For Hungry Kids: Brent Larkin

The ravages of Cleveland’s business past tally done nan Flats, past travel nan reservoir eastbound into nan bosom of Collinwood. Most of what remains location are soiled manufacturing sites and hollowed-out buildings erstwhile served by a spaghetti web of obstruction lines, each remnants of what was, agelong ago, a city’s undeniable greatness.

Any depository of that manufacturing would characteristic nan Coit Road spot that erstwhile housed nan General Motors Fisher Body plant. A period ago, much than 7,000 workers poured into that elephantine facility. The consequence of their labors were 600 car bodies each workday. During World War II, a staggering 14,000 workers contributed to nan warfare effort erstwhile nan works was converted to make parts for tanks, guns and B-29 bombers.

The Fisher Body works closed for bully successful 1983. But successful 2022, aft sitting fallow for 4 decades, a caller building roseate connected that now-clean onshore each spot arsenic important to Greater Cleveland arsenic nan works that agelong agone helped make Cleveland 1 of nan nation’s largest and astir important cities.

The nutrient distribution halfway for nan Greater Cleveland Food Bank is arsenic awesome arsenic it is mammoth. At 197,000 quadrate feet, it is Northeast Ohio’s largest kitchen. Its refrigerator/freezer seems nan size of a shot field.

In fiscal 2024, nan nutrient slope served 424,800 needy Greater Clevelanders, an astonishing fig erstwhile compared to nan astir 250,000 served successful nan years earlier nan COVID pandemic. Of nan 2024, astir 121,000 were children and 96,200 seniors. The nutrient slope employs 180, but cardinal to fulfilling its lofty ngo is simply a web of 16,000 dedicated volunteers - a number that excludes thousands of others who for illustration to thief anonymously.

The nutrient slope rises early. By 8 a.m. 1 time recently, I watched an assembly statement of young group (probably connected outpouring break) preparing salads for seniors. Volunteers successful trucks loaded nutrient headed for area pantries. Staffers were making basking meals headed for needy places passim nan nutrient bank’s six-county footprint. The nutrient slope serves Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula, Ashland and Richard counties. Other nutrient banks service nan Akron, Lorain, Canton and Youngstown areas.

Never once, person I heard anyone utter a captious connection astir these organizations. Nevertheless, nutrient banks everyplace are entering a situation mode caused by nan breathtaking cruelty of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and, indirectly, nan 77,302,580 Americans who returned Trump to power past November. Not each members of MAGA federation would support nan administration’s starvation policies. But location is simply a straight-line relationship from their votes past Nov. 4 to nan harm that will surely beryllium inflicted connected truthful galore of nan nation’s quiet children.

The grade of nan harm mightiness not beryllium known for respective months, but Trump’s diabolical cuts successful national nutrient programs administered by nan U.S. Department of Agriculture person already created what Greater Cleveland Food Bank CEO Kristin Warzocha position “an tremendous challenge.”

Late past month, nan USDA canceled a Cleveland transportation of 553,000 pounds of nutrient weighted astatine astir $1 million. Another cardinal pounds of national nutrient support scheduled for early successful fiscal 2026 has besides been canceled. There is dream immoderate of that will beryllium restored, but nan near- and medium-term outlook for nutrient banks everyplace is decidedly bleak.

In summation to nan national cuts, Gov. Mike DeWine’s projected authorities fund would trim fiscal 2026 backing for nan Cleveland nutrient slope from $32 cardinal to $24.5 million. DeWine has agelong been a champion of nutrient banks passim nan state. During COVID, he dispatched nationalist defender troops to nutrient banks crossed Ohio, easing disruptions successful nan nutrient transportation process. Given that history, DeWine’s projected backing cuts person near nutrient slope supporters profoundly disappointed.

“We can’t adequately support our organization without robust nationalist support -- from some nan national authorities and nan State of Ohio,” said Warzocha.

About 46% of nan nutrient bank’s support comes from national and authorities nutrient donations. Local nutrient retailers are mostly supportive, arsenic is Greater Cleveland’s historically generous philanthropic community. In 2024, 37,454 donors contributed to nan nutrient bank, 13,684 of them done nan Harvest for Hunger campaign. That run unsocial raised $6.5 million, helping money nan nutrient bank’s 2024 acquisition and distribution of 13.6 cardinal pounds of food.

The nutrient bank’s caller distribution halfway sits connected 20 acres of nan aged Fisher Body works that was donated by Independence Excavating Co. The institution besides built nan nutrient bank’s caller building astatine a heavy discount.

It takes a generous organization to provender Greater Cleveland’s hungry. The group who unrecorded present do their part. But there’s precious small grounds nan group moving nan state attraction overmuch astatine each astir nan request to provender quiet children.

Everything astir them reeks of inhumanity.

Brent Larkin was The Plain Dealer’s editorial head from 1991 until his status successful 2009.

To scope Brent Larkin: blarkin@cleveland.com

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