Give a Little Bit.
Food pantries all over the country are reporting severe shortages.
And it’s the holidays.
I grew up pretty poor. I know that my parents struggled with money. I remember my parents telling me that Santa might not be able to stop by my house at Christmas. I wore lots of hand me downs and homemade clothes. But we always had enough to eat. Always.
And as a parent, I cannot imagine a more horrible feeling that not being able to feed your child.
I suspect that most of my readers do okay. So, I would encourage you to give a little bit this season. Children should never go hungry in this country. Ever.
Consider:
In Philly, Philabundance
November 19th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
OK - I’m going to run the risk of pissing someone off, but I think it’s important to do a little background research on food pantries or the organizations/individuals running them. I was going to donate $10 worth of food this year - until my MIL told me that the woman who runs the local food pantry not only severely restricts the amount of food families can have (one apple for a family with six kids!!), but throws much of the leftover food away - or takes it home for herself. Words do not describe how I feel about evil bitches like this, but they exist and don’t always get reported, and I refuse to kowtow to them.
I am saving my donations for places I can trust, with personal recommendations.
November 19th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I totally agree that you should check places out!
I personally recommend Philabundance. Or if you’re in the Rox/Man section of Philly, North Light Community Center.
November 19th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
And another great tip (I think
is to find out what the pantry/shelter/whatever NEEDS and donate accordingly. I used to work at a food pantry where we’d end up with a million cans of pumpkin at this time of year - but many of the people we served did not even have an oven. Also, so many places get huge amounts of sweets (donuts, pastries, etc.).
Get to know one of your local organizations and even just buying a couple cans or a bag of fruit once a week or month would be a wonderful thing.
This is an important topic. Thanks for bringing it up.