The Evangelist to sell reusable bags for charity

Although the aim of the New York State plastic bag ban is to avoid hurting marginalized groups through exemptions, it will have a major effect on nonprofits, namely soup kitchens and food pantries, that rely on plastic bags for distribution.?

Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CSJ, the director of Community Partnerships for Catholic Charities, said in an email, the ban “will have a huge impact on especially our food pantries since we rely on volunteers and friends to bring us their grocery bags. We estimate that we will incur significant expense because we need to pay for an alternative.”

Jenn Hyde, executive director of Catholic Charities Tri-County Services that runs five food pantries and two soup kitchens, said the ban poses a serious threat of “the unknown” when it comes to supplying food to the needy. Hyde said while the ban is great in theory, the idea of distributing reusable bags poses its own set of problems. She predicts not everyone will remember to bring their own bag every time they receive food.?
“Some will, some won’t,” Hyde said, adding, “It’s an investment in funds we don’t have.”?

Wilhelmina Murray-Davis, director at Catholic Charities and coordinator of CC MOVE — the outreach vehicle that serves those in need in rural areas — said while the ban protects the environment, families living in poverty will feel the impact. 

“They use the bags as garbage bags to offset the expense of buying them. Also, the stores will charge for the paper bags and that is a cost they will have to absorb,” Murray-Davis said. 

According to Murray-Davis, while CC MOVE distributes both plastic and reusable bags, it relies on plastic bags to separate foods that are wet, such as meat and other refrigerated items. In addition to keeping liquids contained, Catholic Charities’ food pantries also give the bags to people who don’t have reusable bags when they receive food.

To combat the financial expense that Catholic Charities will incur due to the ban, The Evangelist has decided to produce its own reusable bag with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to Catholic Charities.

The bags will feature The Evangelist’s climate campaign theme for this year called “Care for the Earth” on the front and a quote from Laudato Si on the back. The bags will be available for purchase at The Evangelist’s office at the Pastoral Center in Albany. Stay tuned for more information on the bags and the price in coming editions and online.