Published: September 14, 2009 03:53 pm      

Incentive to give — 09/15/09

Davis bill should encourage more entities to donate food

A bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis, R-4th District, would increase the ability of nonprofit organizations like River Cities Harvest to provide food to the hungry. It would expand the number of businesses eligible to claim tax deductions for the food they donate to charities and provide a new tax break for ranchers and farmers who donate produce to feed the hungry.

In short, House Resolution 3227 — co-sponsored by Davis and U.S. Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Mo. — would encourage more restaurants, supermarkets and other food suppliers to help River Cities Harvest expand the work it has been doing since 1991.

River Cities Harvest is modeled after Kentucky Harvest, the Louisville-based charity founded in 1987 by Stan Curtis. Recognizing that restaurants and supermarkets daily discard safe and healthy food that they can no longer sell, Curtis began asking those businesses to donate their surplus food to food kitchens that help feed the hungry.

Using the model created by Curtis at Kentucky Harvest, volunteers with River Cities Harvest pick up food from both the Midtown and Russell Kroger’s and a number of other area restaurants and bakeries. However, some businesses continue to be reluctant to donate their excess food out of fear of being sued by the recipients of that food. This continues to be a problem even though there is federal ”Good Samaritan” legislation protecting businesses from such legal action.

The federal law that now provides tax incentives to businesses that donate their surplus food to charities will expire at the end of this year. Davis’ bill would permanently extend the deductions businesses now can take and expand them to farmers, ranchers and some small business not currently eligible. River Cities Harvest already receives some produce from vendors at the Boyd County Farmers Market and other local gardeners and farmers. For example, the organization this summer has been receiving fresh vegetables and fruit from the large garden maintained by inmates at the Federal Correctional Institute at Summit.

All the food River Cities Harvest receives is distributed to nonprofit organizations like the Community Kitchen, Helping Hands, Safe Harbor and the Cannonsburg Food Pantry that help feed the hungry. Essentially, River Cities Harvest serves as the “middle man” between the businesses, farmers and others who donate the food and the non-profit organizations that serve the needy. Although not its primary mission, River Cities Harvest also helps distribute non-perishable canned and boxed food collected by local postal workers each May and by school children and others through special food drives.

“Hunger is a growing problem both in Kentucky and across the U.S. that has worsened in the current economic downturn,” Davis said. “In Kentucky, 12.7 percent of the population is considered ‘food insecure‚’ meaning they have insufficient resources to acquire food.”

The amount of food tossed out each day by grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants is an appalling waste — particularly when so many people are hungry. Davis’ bill should not even be controversial, but the fact that the Republican congressman who represents this part of Kentucky has a Democrat co-sponsoring the bill greatly increases its chances of receiving a fair hearing in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives.

This bill should be adopted by a wide majority. Government should do whatever it can to encourage businesses to donate their surplus food instead of tossing it into the garbage.