Charity in a Can
When I was a kid my girl scout troop did a canned food drive for Christmas. This is something we are all familiar with- that holiday food drive at church or school. I can still remember stacking dusty cans of cranberry sauce, salmon, and peas and thinking, “who would want to eat this stuff for Christmas dinner?”
Giving food to hungry people shouldn’t be about cleaning the back of the cupboard of the crap that you don’t want. I know what it is like to be hungry. I grew up very, very poor- my mother, brother and I would split one small can of soup for dinner. My mother would water it down and then break pieces of bread up into our bowls so it would fill us up. If you are really, truly hungry you will eat anything to fill your belly up. And I guess some people feel that if you are really, truly hungry you should be grateful for whatever you can get.
A good friend of mine is going through an extremely tough time this month. She is having trouble putting food on the table. Last week her inlaws brought over some food, for which I’m sure she was very grateful. However after they left she opened the bag to find two ziploc bags of pasta, a five pound can of carrots and a box of powdered milk. How is she supposed to make a meal from that?
Come on people- if all you are doing is reaching for the dustiest thing in the furthest reaches of your closet are you trying to help the person you are giving it to- or trying to make YOU feel better by convincing yourself that you have “helped” them?
I can speak from personal experience on this. A few years ago we were having a very bad summer. The huz had just switched jobs and we didn’t see a paycheck for over seven weeks because of an internal goof in payroll. I was struggling to put food on the table for the six people in our household, including lunches my husband could take to work. At times, I only had as little as twenty dollars a week for food, and I would carefully plan each week’s menu, calculating the cost of every single ingredient. Visits to the supermarket were mapped out and the grocery lists were memorized as if they were battle plans. It was very difficult but there was also a sense of pride in it- I was so proud that I could actually do it. I could feed them good, healthy food on a teeny little budget.
Yummy (Cheap and Healthy) Lentil Stew For Dinner
One day a friend stopped by and dropped off bags of food that had been collected by a group of women I knew. I was genuinely touched by this. They had obviously talked about my situation and decided to help. Whilst the sentiment might have been genuine, it was somewhat of a let down to find the food parcel contained a hodgepodge of food items, such as out of date yams and other stuff, none of which could be combined to make a proper meal. It made me feel bad- like because we were struggling we should be grateful for anything given to us.
I don’t ever want to make someone feel that way. I think if you want to help someone you know who is struggling, you should give them everything it takes to make ONE ENTIRE meal (or two or three or four- depending on your budget). Plan out a menu, go to the market and get them the things they need to make a dinner for their family. Not odds and ends and bits from your cupboards. It isn’t expensive- you can make a healthy dinner for under five dollars. It just requires a little time and effort at the store to gather the things needed.
I felt so bad for my friend (of the carrots and milk fame) that on Saturday I planned out a week’s worth of dinners and took the littles to the grocery store. We bought everything needed to make those meals and brought them to my friend. It took a little money out of my budget and two and a half hours of my time to make someone else feel happy and cared for. I think it was good for my kids too. They kept asking for treats for themselves, and I had to explain that we were buying food for someone else. They then changed their tune and started thinking of what the people we were buying food for might like in their basket. I think that teaches my kids more than donating a can of cranberry sauce and a box of stuffing ever could.
Especially those places that put the box/bag of food together for you and don’t let you choose your own. 
I am so glad you do that. I wish more people did!
As food bank survivors, it’s something we’ve had to do. We essentially lived on beans, rice, oatmeal, & grits for 3 years straight. Whenever I have donated I try to give things we would actually eat. I also do chicken & beef broth in addition to the items someone else listed above.
Joni Rae Reply:
December 14th, 2010 at 12:29 AM
That is AWESOME. I hope you inspire more people start doing that too!
(((HUG)))
<3
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