Feed The Fish

Bob Giusti - [email protected]

'Tis the season to be jolly for sure, but we are also reminded to give to the less fortunate. You'll see the Salvation Army still ring their bell, although now it seems to toll for sexual intolerance. We also have countless non profits and volunteers working to facilitate some sort of gifting to the needy(usually in the form of food drives). It makes us feel good and puts us in a guilt free spirit.
I like to call this the Christmas in a Bag program. I realize its a sensitive topic to criticize good will, but I have reservations as to how effective these one time handouts are and whether there is a true nutritional value in the contents(like canned peaches and Rice Crispy snacks). I get it, Its a gesture; a symbolic representation of what the poor fundamentally requires.

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But if you give someone a fish the proverb says you will feed them once. Teach them to fish and they will feed themselves. The difficulty is what the urban equivalent of fishing is. The answer is in self sustaining gardening.
There are examples of small programs scattered across the nation that promote community outdoor gardening and the results have been mixed (with vandalism and depressed spirits among the risks).
What I'd like to see is a strong federal program funded by some of the inflated farm subsidies that end up going to huge commercial growers instead of the family owned farms those funds were originally intended for. Design community food production centers that grow clean non GMO produce that is farm fresh to table. Lowering the need to transport has ecological impact that's positive for a change.
Part of the program should also be devoted to hydroponic equipment loans to individuals willing to commit to specific crops and contribute to the truly opened market. These micro loan programs have been extremely effective in third world nations who don't have half of the US's resources. 
Real tangible programs are available to implement, but there has to be a political will to bring them to fruition. Sadly, throwing a fish at the problem is the same insane solution to all of our domestic issues. We're just too good at war based economies to try a grass roots approach to empowering individuals to eat healthier. Its just another example of how it does not appear to be in the government's interest to truly serve it's citizens.