Foods Resource Bank began in Ohio
By Janet Kubat Willette
jkubat@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 08/09/2010 3:30 PM
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ROCK VALLEY, Iowa — Foods Resource Bank traces its beginnings to a kitchen table in Ohio.
An Ohio farmer who had served in the Korean War and witnessed hungry orphans crawling through the garbage searching for food wanted to do something to help feed the world's hungry, said Ron DeWeerd, Foods Resource Bank director of development.
He grew high lysine corn and members of the community helped him bag it for shipment. The farmer dreamed of doing something more. A Methodist, he called the director of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. They met and, at the farmer's kitchen table, brainstormed what would become the foundation of Foods Resource Bank, DeWeerd said.
Foods Resource Bank formed in December 1998 and incorporated in spring 1999. DeWeerd was the first person on the ground. It took three years before they got recognition and gained credibility, he said.
Now, there are about 210 growing projects in the United States this year with 500 to 600 churches and communities in 23 states supporting them, said Don DeWeerd, Foods Resource Bank director of development. They are about 35 growing projects in Minnesota and 45 in Iowa, he said. Iowa leads the nation in project numbers, Minnesota and Michigan are a close second.
Scandian Grove Lutheran Church of rural St. Peter is one of the churches with a growing project. They are in their fourth year of supporting Foods Resource Bank.
"I feel good about it," said church member Doug Schultz. "It's not going to save the world, but if we can get enough of these projects started it should do something."
There may be additional projects, DeWeerd said. Sometimes they don't know about a project until a check comes in.
Foods Resource Bank hasn't grown administratively, rather the money is funneled through FRB to organizations with programs on the ground in poor countries. The churches make their own decisions about where their money will be invested. There are 60 some active programs in 34 countries with 15 denominations, DeWeerd said.
"We're strictly into ag development … giving people the dignity of being able to raise their own food," DeWeerd said.
Some churches do give money to support FRB administratively, recognizing the need for dollars to support the administration, he said.
Rural communities understand development, DeWeerd said. Farmers will work a lifetime to see what they can build.
Urban communities are invited to support the project to both provide financial support, but also to learn more about the perservance needed to grow food year after year.