Do food pantries do more bad than good
Image by Bread for the World via Flickr Food pantries , clothing drives and mission trips have become unquestioned bastions of America ’s charitable landscape. But do these well-intended services – many of them run by Christian organizations – really help the poor? According to Robert Lupton, the answer is no. His new book, “Toxic Charity,” draws on his 40 years experience as an urban activist in Atlanta and argues that most charitable work is ineffective or actually harmful to those it is supposed to help. Lupton is the founder of FCS Urban Ministries, through which he has developed mixed-income subdivisions that house hundreds of families. He is the author of four other books and holds a Ph.D. in psycho Image by acfb via Flickr logy from the University of Georgia . Q: You say churches and charities can harm those they prop ose to help. How? A: Typically, the giving is one-way: those of us with the resources give to those with a lack of resources. One-way giving tends t