Hungry in America

A few weeks ago I met a friend for coffee at a cute little coffee house in our neighborhood. We love going to this coffee house because not only are the drinks and delish, but the ambiance is so quaint and friendly. We can sit inside by the fire on a cold winter's night or enjoy the summer heat on the decked out patio. We also have a great time laughing, talking, drinking and eating here. My friend cozied up to her tea as I walked over with a slice of red velvet cake and two forks. She tried a bit and made the comment that the cake was really good. I said something about getting a slice to take home to which she replied, "I can't, I'm on a really tight budget." We started talking and I soon learned that money was beyond tight for my dear friend. It has come down to paying bills or eating.

Now, some of you may say, "Well, she was at a coffee house for goodness sake! She must not be to needy!". She had just been paid that day and was enjoying an all you care to refill $1.99 cup of tea. This would likely be her treat for the week.  Last year her husband lost his job from a company he had worked at for many years. Money was decent, they had benefits, life was going as planned. Their children were grown with one a college graduate and the other close behind. They didn't spend a lot of money, but they were comfortable. Once her husband lost his job they faced some set backs, especially in the area of insurance. My friend ended up getting a second job so she could help make the ends meet. Luckily her husband found a job, but the pay was not great. A few months into the job, he was jobless once again. He searched and searched and finally landed a job in a very small company. In this society small companies do not thrive too well and before they knew it he was jobless again. Three jobs in less than 12 months. This time he hasn't been successful in obtaining a job. Grocery store, home improvement stores and restaurants will not hire him because he is too qualified. Too many people are competing for jobs in the field he is in and quite honestly they are hiring younger, cheaper, less experienced workers because they do not have to pay them as much. At this point they make just enough money to pay for the house and utilities, but buying food s getting harder and harder. The do not qualify for assistance because they do make some money.

Tonight I logged on the computer to check my email and an article about going hungry in the USA appeared. It was so sad to read about all of these families who are having to pick medicine over food, people who do not eat lunch most days; one mother said she waters down the milk to make it last longer. In this great land of opportunity we have hungry bellies that shouldn't be hungry. What is happening when one must choose the water bill over eating breakfast?How have we gotten to this point?It not only saddens me, it angers me that we have so many needy families yet it doesn't seem like much is going on to help. Earlier this week a Senator from my state made some really stupid and hurtful comments about rape victims. The whole nation appears to be in an uproar over his words (rightfully so) and the media has been covering it left and right. I read an article that said backers and supporters are pulling their funds from this man....one article said a supporter pulled TWO MILLION DOLLARS from his campaign! TWO MILLION DOLLARS??!! I was so disgusted when I read that. I cannot believe anyone in their right mind would donate 2 MILLION DOLLARS to help fund political commercials, sell ads and help pay travel expenses of a Senator. How about taking that money and buying fresh fruits and veggies and leans meats and low fat dairy for the hungry children in our state? I wish the media would cover the real news of the nation, hungry families, as much as they are covering this political circus. Maybe if we had news stories and commentaries on school aged children who are starving or the elderly man who buys his antibiotics instead of bananas, just maybe people wouldn't be as needy. Someone somewhere will say something about "why should I pay for people who can't get off their lazy butts....". This isn't about people cheating the system (yes, I am aware some people do this), this is about the working poor, the people who are struggling to make ends meet and are still coming up a few inches short. There has to be a way to help these people! I want to help. I need to help, but I am just not sure what to do. I've been searching Operation Food Bank, Food Outreach and even some local Catholic churches to see if there is some type of volunteer work I can start, especially with autumn & winter just around the corner. After reading the article I walked into the kitchen and looked at the pantry filled with beans, pasta, rice, cereal and other kitchen staples. We have milk, cheeses, yogurt, veggies and fruits. If we were bound to our home we could easily survive days on end with what we have. This made me think about how often I run to the store for extra milk or more kiwi....what if we decided to not go to the store, but instead work our way through the entire stash of dried goods we have in stock? I would have to get creative at some meals, but it is totally do able. I think that will be the next two weeks challenge, eating only from what we have on hand, no extra trips to the store. This could really turn interesting and would be a great learning experience for our family. It certainly would show us once again how very lucky and blessed we are.

Here's a link to the story in case you are interested:  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/going-hungry-america-distressing-humbling-scary-011618014.html