It has come to my attention that many seniors are visitors to the local food banks. They worked hard their whole lives and saved for their retirement, but catastrophe struck and wiped out everything. All that is left is their Social Security and that can be a small amount once medical expenses, housing, and other costs cut into it. Food takes a back seat in the scheme of things. So they contact a food bank.
Not everyone can qualify for a food from a food bank, but most seniors who have to rely on Social Security do. There are many churches that have certain days that people can pick up food, and there are days when an organization will just give away food on a first come first serve basis. The crowds can be massive, because some of these do not require appointments. In the furor to get there some of the younger recipients mob the place, and it is a hard place to enter for deserving seniors.
There is the Manna Food Bank sponsored by the United Way. They do have requirements for receiving food, and they also require appointments. This is good for seniors to keep them from being pushed out of the way.
Donating to food banks of any kind is good. Whether it is the Post Office collecting food, a school having a food drive, or any kind of donation given by those “who have” to those who do not, is a good thing. My message here is to those who GIVE.
Some of the seniors I know had to swallow their pride and go to a food bank because they did not have anything to eat. Imagine my surprise when I was told that many of the food products had expiration dates from 6 months earlier to one whose food expired 2 years ago. This is not the food banks’ fault because there food is not on their shelves that long. This is the contributors’ attitudes that are at fault.
Why do they think that people who are hungry should have expired food? If they would not eat it, why do they think someone else should? This attitude, I think, completely destroys any charitable idea that these people think they have. They are not charitable – they are greedy, selfish, and so many other words that I could call them.
I just hope that if you read this and contribute food in the many food drives, you will be truly generous and not give no-name brands or generic brands or worse still “expired” goods to the drives. This action defeats the whole “charity” idea and reveals who you really are.
So please, it is better to give only ONE great item, than to give all of those junk brands or “expired” food products. Remember you will be a senior one day and might be in the same situation. Or if you are already a senior, one good illness can change your whole life. Be generous – not petty - not selfish.
Not everyone can qualify for a food from a food bank, but most seniors who have to rely on Social Security do. There are many churches that have certain days that people can pick up food, and there are days when an organization will just give away food on a first come first serve basis. The crowds can be massive, because some of these do not require appointments. In the furor to get there some of the younger recipients mob the place, and it is a hard place to enter for deserving seniors.
There is the Manna Food Bank sponsored by the United Way. They do have requirements for receiving food, and they also require appointments. This is good for seniors to keep them from being pushed out of the way.
Donating to food banks of any kind is good. Whether it is the Post Office collecting food, a school having a food drive, or any kind of donation given by those “who have” to those who do not, is a good thing. My message here is to those who GIVE.
Some of the seniors I know had to swallow their pride and go to a food bank because they did not have anything to eat. Imagine my surprise when I was told that many of the food products had expiration dates from 6 months earlier to one whose food expired 2 years ago. This is not the food banks’ fault because there food is not on their shelves that long. This is the contributors’ attitudes that are at fault.
Why do they think that people who are hungry should have expired food? If they would not eat it, why do they think someone else should? This attitude, I think, completely destroys any charitable idea that these people think they have. They are not charitable – they are greedy, selfish, and so many other words that I could call them.
I just hope that if you read this and contribute food in the many food drives, you will be truly generous and not give no-name brands or generic brands or worse still “expired” goods to the drives. This action defeats the whole “charity” idea and reveals who you really are.
So please, it is better to give only ONE great item, than to give all of those junk brands or “expired” food products. Remember you will be a senior one day and might be in the same situation. Or if you are already a senior, one good illness can change your whole life. Be generous – not petty - not selfish.
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