Editorial
Front Page - Friday, December 11, 2009
At Arkansas Rice Depot, no donation is too big or small
Rebecca Brockman
Hunger doesn’t take a holiday; neither does the Arkansas Rice Depot. The organization is housed in a 75,000-square-foot warehouse in southwest Little Rock and operates with a staff of 15 and thousands of volunteers. Started in 1982 by the Arkansas Interfaith Task Force, the ARD has served the whole state of Arkansas by providing food to schools and food pantries. Laura Rhea, president and CEO of the organization, has been with ARD for 25 years.
“We started in the early ‘80s in response to a growing awareness from the church community. More and more people were asking for food to feed their families,” explained Rhea. “Billy Graham came to town and allowed us to collect food during the Crusade and after that was over, the recipients of our food pantries were so thrilled.
We realized we needed to get more food to go with the rice. So we began calling on the food industries in Arkansas and were so impressed with how generous people were, all across the board.”
Skippy and Tyson are just a few of the many local companies that give to ARD. When the food menu expanded, so did the list of programs.
There are four programs that have become staples at ARD. Food for Families is the oldest program designed to give food to church and community food pantries. “We are in about 315 churches and community hunger programs. It is our largest program,” said Rhea. Food for Families does exactly what it says by giving food to families to prepare at home. “That is our preference, to have parents be able to cook for their family and have meals. When that doesn’t happen, we realize we have to have other options,” said Rhea.
Although it is their preference, the staff at ARD knows that will not always be the case. That’s when their second program, Food for Kids came into play. Developed in 1994, the program gives school children backpacks filled with kid-friendly food.
“That was a real eye-opener for us that there actually were thousands of parents who were not getting their children the food they needed,” said Rhea. In some cases, parents weren’t physically able to go to a food pantry, but in other cases they simply chose not to go. To address this condition, Rhea said ARD would set up in any school in Arkansas.
On the surface, the program sounds really simple and the concept makes sense. But Rhea shared a story about a young boy in fourth grade who almost got put into a special needs class due to his declining grades. Every day this boy would hide his head in his shabby jacket as he walked down the hall. He never made eye contact with anyone and rarely smiled. Before completely giving up hope, the school put him in the Food for Kids program. The next year he took a standardized test and had the highest math score in his class. “He still has the same shabby coat, but now when he walks down the hall, he holds his head up and smiles because he’s someone and he can learn,” said Rhea.
Recently, one of the chairmen at ARD said, “It’s hard to be hungry for knowledge when you are just hungry.” Rhea agrees and believes that even though the economic forecast might change in 2010, “The people in Arkansas will rise to the occasion. There are some things you can give up; feeding the hungry is not one of them. Hungry children can’t wait.”
Currently, the program is in 600 schools, which is more than half the schools in Arkansas. The successful program has also been replicated in 40 states around the country.
“I think the same story holds true all across the U.S., there are thousands of children whose parents might have problems with drugs or alcohol or mental or emotional problems that prevent them from giving the children the proper food they need,” stated Rhea.
Food for Seniors is another program at ARD that is derived from surveying the growing and graying of Arkansans. “There are more and more seniors and they live on a fixed income,” said Rhea. “If they are living in poverty now, that’s never going to change.”
This program pairs volunteers with elderly people in need. Rhea said ARD doesn’t just hand over a few little canned goods. They give seniors in the program about 50 pounds of food, comparable to a regular grocery store visit. Sadly, every year the program loses five to six seniors due to death. But Rhea said there is a silver lining, “These seniors don’t die hungry or alone, thinking no one cares for them, because they have a connection to people who really do care.”
The fourth program, Disaster Relief, provides assistance to people statewide anytime there is natural disaster. When a tornado, fire, flood or even a hurricane destroys a community and the ARD is contacted, they will send supplies. “And if they don’t [call for help], we will go down all on our own and try to make sure there are no Arkansans who are going through a crisis and [we will] take care of their needs,” said Rhea.
Helping, feeding, comforting, aiding, supporting and loving people is the mission of ARD. And consequently, it’s quite easy to become involved in their life-changing mission. Lisa Bryant, director of development, said there are three main ways to get involved. “One [way] is to [make a purchase] from our Simple Pleasures gift lines of bean and rice mixes that we actually make here. The proceeds from the products go right back into our programs, so it’s truly is a gift that gives twice,” said Bryant. According to Bryant, 98 percent of what ARD brings in the door goes right back into the programs.
Another way to get involved is to hold a food drive at your office, Boy Scout troop and Sunday school class. Or Bryant suggested passing around a collecting bowl with a group of friends. “We can do a lot with $10, a lot more than one might think. Ten dollars can get a child a weekend’s worth of food along with a backpack with the Food for Kids program,” said Bryant.
A recent $50,000 grant from Wal-Mart is being used to buy coats for kids. A staff member at ARD initiated a scarf, hat and glove drive to compliment the generous donation. A large tree is decorated with colorful winter apparel inside the ARD offices. Bryant suggested setting up a similar tree and adorning it with scarves and hats to donate.
“Our request would be for everyone to do what they do best,” said Rhea. “Give till it hurts. Give just a little bit more than what you are comfortable with, it will bring you incredible joy and that will make
the difference between a child who goes to bed hungry or a senior who thinks no one cares.”
Donations of any size are accepted at the ARD headquarters at 3801 W. 65th St. in Little Rock. The organization also welcomes volunteers for an hour, all day, or any length of time that can be given. Rhea said it’s pretty amazing to see the scope of people who come and volunteer. One group that she is anxious about is the Young Lawyers Association.
When the association comes, they partner with a teenage volunteer and talk to the teens about careers in law and other types of careers you can have with a law degree.
“There is absolutely no reason for someone to go hungry in Arkansas, not with all of the caring people in the state, not with all of the food that is processed here,” said Rhea. “Arkansans will respond,
but first they have to know
about the need.”
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