Good morning, Food for Thought... I like to share the below comments that a volunteer (from our Food Pantry) made to his Facebook friends yesterday. Enjoy! :-) --Dave For the past year I have volunteered at a food pantry in Medford. Our neighbors stand outside in the heat or cold waiting to get into the sanctuary for a bag of groceries and some well-past-its-prime produce. I work produce which is eagerly sought by participants who will haggle over an extra apple or head of lettuce. Its a very competitive area and I too often end up having to say “no” to requests as we dont have enough to meet demand. We do get some relief in the summer/fall from the excess that the local farmers markets werent able to sell or from the volunteer “gleaners” who scour the fields after harvest for produce. My biggest surprise is that most recipients are not homeless. They are the elderly, the working poor, and single parent families. Quite contrary to what many public assistance critics in todays U.S. would have us believe, many come directly from work. They look beat after another tough day of trying to provide for themselves and their families in a difficult economy. I must say that I had my own doubts initially regarding the true need of the recipients. These doubts were dispelled by experience over time. I have found this to be a meaningful experience and encourage others to spend some time volunteering in a food pantry or similar public assistance position. I think that it is a great way to gain some direct knowledge and to dispel some misconceptions formulated by those with a vested interest in marginalizing those in a cycle of poverty. The real question that I would ask such critics is, “would you have traded places with them at the time of their birth?”. We all like to believe that we have pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps against incredible odds to attain our success, but truthfully, where we started that journey makes a difference. If we are able to recognize that, the next question becomes, “how can we help those in a cycle of poverty and dependence?”. Thats not an easy question to answer, but it is much more complex than simply public assistance, groceries or no assistance.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:58:27 +0000
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