Jones: Food Bank says: Don't game yourself into thinking we're being gamed

photo A couple fills food boxes at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank in this file photo.

FOR MORE INFOThe Chattanooga Area Food Bank works through a network of 300 partner agencies - soup kitchens, church pantries, and on-site feeding programs - throughout 20 counties to provide nearly 11 million meals each year.To learn more visit us on the web at www.chattfoodbank.org

As the president of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, I am often invited to speak on the issue of hunger in our community. My speaking engagements range from conversations with school-aged children to more formal presentations to local civic clubs and the media. It seems, no matter where I am or with whom I'm speaking, some people always want to know, "who is gaming the system?" So, I'd like to take this opportunity to address that perennial question here for as many people as possible.

The best way to answer this question is to introduce you to our clients.

A typical family seeking food assistance looks something like this: a father, let's call him John, his wife, Elaine, and their two young daughters. John's job pays minimum wage ($7.25 an hour for 40 hours comes to a before-taxes payday of $290 a week). At this wage, he cannot afford to pay the health insurance premium, so he declines his employer's coverage. Elaine is currently looking for work. Recently, John was diagnosed with diabetes, a condition that affects 45 percent of the families we serve. There is not enough money to pay for healthy food, rent and insulin. John and Elaine choose to pay the rent because they have to have a place for their family to live. They choose less healthy food to stretch their budget, but still cannot afford insulin. Without insulin, John's condition worsens. He and his wife worry about his health and him losing his job.

John's family is not unique. Many families in our area face similar struggles. In fact, most of the families we serve - 86 percent - have to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care at least once a year.

We recently conducted an extensive survey of our agency partners and the clients they serve as part of the national Hunger in America Study. This study helped us put data to the client stories we hear every day. We learned, for example, that more than half of our clients are employed, and yet most of them fall below the poverty line (82 percent). This means that despite their hard work, they do not have enough to make ends meet. They are the working poor.

The families we serve do not use our services because it is easy. They use our services because they are struggling. It isn't easy to walk into a food bank and ask for help. These families deal with impossible choices sometimes on a daily basis. They choose between paying rent or putting food on the table; paying for their prescription medicines or eating healthy food.

These are the people we see at the Food Bank. They are not looking for a free ride or an easy way out. They are looking for a way to get back on their feet. They are making the best choices they can when their income does not cover their basic needs.

Sure, there will always be people who abuse a system. Any system. There are people who avoid paying taxes, those who don't obey traffic rules, colleagues who don't work as hard as the rest of us. These people aggravate us, but in general, I think you'd agree that they are the exception to the rule.

It's no different with people who use the Food Bank. Most people are like John: hardworking people, down on their luck, trying to make ends meet for themselves and their families. We know that there will be some who do try to take advantage, and for that reason we work with our agency partners to ensure the integrity of the assistance system so that those with greatest needs receive services. But, it's important that we not let the few ruin it for the many; that we do not let the idea of people "gaming the system" obscure our vision of a community where every child, every parent, every person has enough.

Maeghan Jones is the CEO and President of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

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