World Harvest (Raishad Hardnett/Neon Tommy)

One woman named Mary Perchant is in this grateful group, and takes full advantage of the resources she has--using her cane, bus pass, and own two feet to stagger from location to location. She has always been a resourceful woman, so when a fellow member of her church mentioned World Harvest Food Bank, Perchant’s natural instinct to exploit it surged. She was already involved in several other helpful environments -- including SOVA, a food service catering to the Jewish community, and the St. Francis Center in downtown Los Angeles.  But the help of another food service was greatly welcomed. 

World Harvest Food Bank (1014 Venice Blvd.) offers its consumers the choice of paying $25 or devoting four hours of volunteer work in exchange for grocery carts of unlimited fruits, vegetables, breads, and other foods. Unique from many of L.A.’s other charitable organizations that require proof of need, this organization does not require its customers to give any information in exchange for food; rather, it asks no questions and invites customers of all incomes. 

Perchant, for one, loves the accessibility and affordability. 

“The bus stop is right outside, so I can come right here, do some volunteer work, and take what I need for no money,” she says. 

Although the establishment’s foods are not always of the freshest quality, as it has some instances of stale bread and soon-to-be rotten produce, several of those who cannot afford the option of a grocery store remain appreciative of its services. Perchant says she loves the cheap prices, the welcoming and efficient staff, and the variety of foods. 

Allison Garrison, a first-timer with an admittedly higher income than several of the other customers, agrees. “There’s a difference between being thankful and being picky. If that’s the case, go to the store!” 

Still, even with generally positive regards to the benefits of the food bank’s services, World Harvest highlights certain negative trends. Although its services are undoubtedly beneficial to the community, the need for a food bank with no income bracket that, with no questions asked, accepts customers of all walks of life illuminates a clear issue involving the trend of America’s impoverished community: it is expanding. The homeless and near-homeless do not nearly comprise the population of Americans in need of severe assistance.  No longer does poverty refer to such a specialized group of people; as the economy continues to plummet and corporations continue to lay off workers, the range of those who fall into the impoverished category has broadened dramatically.

For the third year in a row the economy has amplified America’s poverty rate. According to the U.S. Census, the national poverty rate has most recently increased from 14.3 percent in 2009 to 15.1 percent in 2010. To put this into perspective, this statistic means that the United States now holds the largest percentage of poverty-stricken Americans since 1993.

The census bears more bad news than that, however. 

Not only has the poverty rate increased, but the median household income has also declined and the percentage of people without health coverage remains as abysmal as ever. The declining income of the working men and women struggling to find sufficiently paying jobs not only affects their own lives, but also affects the lives of the children they struggle to support—effectively further broadening the range of the economy’s impact. The Census mentions that as many as 16.4 million poverty-stricken children were reported in 2010, which is an increase of 1.1 million since 2009.

With nationwide rates like these, L.A.’s local need for places like World Harvest that benefit all members of the community seems not so unique after all.

While the unrestricting and all-encompassing policies of L.A.’s World Harvest Food Bank are, indeed, unique, national statistics suggest a necessity for more specialized organizations to take note and follow suit by not requiring proof of need. As the impact of poverty becomes more and more widespread, restricting charity services to a specific demographic, age, or income bracket illuminates an important question: 

According to the nation’s most recent census, poverty does not discriminate— Will we?

To contact staff reporter Raishad Hardnett, send him an email or follow him on Twitter.