Bankruptcy has a new meaning this year, with stomachs - not wallets - left empty.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, food banks across the United States have been reporting serious shortages in the past year, considered the worst in 26 years.
Families that were previously given six or seven days worth of food are now only allotted half that amount. Due to these shortages, many of the country's food banks have been forced to ration food and, in some cases, close their doors.
One factor contributing to the shortage is simply a rise in demand for food. Reduction in federal supplies of excess farm products, combined with stronger controls of inventory in supermarkets, have added to the strain because retailers have less food to donate.
At Tufts, the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) actively participates in university and community efforts to end problems with hunger, assist food banks and aid the homeless.
Senior Kim Petko, president of the Leonard Carmichael Society, helps organize the groups' five different sub-sections. She said the sub-sections work together to accomplish their goals.
"We have several programs," Petko said. "And these groups also collaborate together."
One group, Food Rescue, helps bring actual food to those in need.
"Food Rescue goes out almost every day and rescues food from restaurants and bakeries that they can't use, and they take them to shelters and soup kitchens," Petko said. "They also have bake sales and canned food drives."
Food Rescue is organized by sophomores Amar Hansen and Max Geisinger.
"Food Rescue is an organization which allows you to drive a van, pick up bags of left-over food from a local store such as Starbucks or Au Bon Pain and deliver it to a homeless shelter right next to MIT, called Casper's," Hansen said in an e-mail. "It's a lot of fun and very rewarding."
Hansen said that Food Rescue tries to run two shifts per day.
"We ran a food drive last year, filling approximately six large grocery bags full of food at the end of the second semester. It was very successful."
Petko added, "April's canned food drive in the campus center collected over two dozen large bags full of canned goods last semester."
During the food drive, students were also encouraged to make their own yogurt parfaits in an effort to raise money.
Another group, the Hunger Project, visits shelters and soup kitchens in the Boston area and helps the staff serve the clients.
Sophomore Sarah Ullman, one of the coordinators, said that the Hunger Project takes a hands-on approach to fighting hunger.
"Our group mainly does direct service," Ullman said. "We go to shelters and serve food that way."
The Hunger Project has a network of about 100 people, and they coordinate individual trips to shelters such as St. Francis House and Rosie's Place.
"Groups of about six or seven go and serve food," Ullman said.
Expansions to the Hunger Project are also in the works.
"Most students are on meal plans and can't do food drives," Ullman said. "We're looking into doing something next semester with people's leftover meals and also maybe going to Hodgdon."
In addition to hands-on work, the groups of the Leonard Carmichael Society are looking into other related projects.
"We are getting involved in more advocacy work," Ullman said.
One way that these groups plan to expand is by participating in Project Bread's "Walk for Hunger" next semester. Project Bread, a Massachusetts organization, is dedicated to preventing and ending hunger within the state.
The Walk for Hunger, which has been taking place for 39 years, is the oldest continual pledge walk in the United States. It is 20 miles long and its route includes Boston, Brookline, Newton and Cambridge.
This semester, LCS as a whole organized a drive for Respond Inc. This organization works against domestic violence and helps donate to women and children in safe houses.
"Every fall we pick an organization," Petko said. "We went to all the different departments on campus and left boxes there."
Leonard Carmichael Society raised toiletries, toys, soap and canned goods for the safe houses.
The fight against hunger, Petko said, depends on a greater understanding of the problem.
"It's really great to raise awareness because I don't think a lot of students on campus are aware of these things," she said. "There are a lot of people out there ... The holidays are the hardest time of year for these organizations."
