It’s hardly a secret that the American people tend towards the larger side. It’s even less a secret that obesity correlates with poverty — the poorer the American, the more likely that they will eat unhealthy foods. And as the Washington Times reported yesterday, donations to local food banks seem not to be helping the problem any.

The Times reported that local food banks and soup kitchens are increasingly dealing with donations of candy bars, cookies and other junk foods, leaving the region’s 630,000 people at risk of hunger with few healthy eating options. The Capital Area Food Bank admitted as much in the article, stating, “Maybe half of our donations are snacks or less-nutritional foods — cookies, crackers, pudding.” The dire circumstance at some food banks pits health against hunger, according to the executive director of the Maryland Food Bank, who stated:

I would sell my soul to bring in a [donated] truckload of tuna fish or peanut butter, but it’s not [realistic]. Our mission is to provide enough food for every hungry Marylander, and we are so far away from that…The question isn’t if the bank receives enough healthy food, it’s if the bank receives enough food donations of any kind.

Let this be a reminder to us all — M&M’s might be cheap and easy to donate, but they don’t seem to be doing a whole lot for the region’s hungriest residents and the food banks that help feed them.