Fordham Conversations: Strike a Chord for Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens

For people who feel like their income can't support their nutrition, food pantries and soup kitchens can shoulder the weight free of charge. That "free" comes at a heavy cost, with some of these pantries and kitchens requiring upwards of millions to operate annually. As part of WFUV’s Strike a Chord campaign, this week's Fordham Conversations looks at the growing need for food pantries and soup kitchens.

At the top of the show, WFUV's Chris Williams spoke with a woman who’s a regular guest at the food pantry St. John's Bread and Life.

Then Robin Shannon talks with Tony Butler and Dr. Dale Lindquist. Butler is the executive director of the St. John's Bread and Life food and public assistance program. He shares what it's like to operate a food pantry on a shoe-string budget. St. John's Bread and Life is one of three food pantries featured in "Our Daily Bread: feeding the Hungry in New York City." The documentary was developed by Dr. Lindquist, Managing Director of the Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty at the Graduate School of Social Service Fordham University. He speaks on how food pantries can run on divergeant philosophies and yet remain succesful on their own terms. 

You can learn more about St. John's Food and Life here.

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