CHEATING—FOR A GOOD CAUSE

I found this item on Facebook and re-posted it; I was amazed at the number of shares and likes it got. Since we just finished (9-27) the Memorial of St Vincent de Paul, I thought this would be a worthwhile “cheat” for my essay.

So, I spoke to people getting food at a food bank and here are some things I learned from those in need:

Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter which is hard to get from regular food banks.
Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal which they also get a lot of.
Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles.
They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.
Oil is a luxury but needed for Rice-a-Roni which they also get a lot of.
Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Christmas gift.
Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care.
Sugar and flour are treats.
They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores.
Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some.
They rarely get fresh meat.
Tuna and crackers make a good lunch.
Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef.
They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread.
Butter and margarine is nice too.
Eggs are a real commodity.
Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake.
Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated.
Femine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that.
Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.

Although this list was originally developed to help with special occasion food baskets like for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and although our food pantry cannot regularly stock things like eggs or fresh meat or veggies, still the other guidelines are helpful, I think, for suggesting what we could be buying when we have our own food drives. Meanwhile, I pledge to make some of the “non-shelf stable” goods available for the holidays.

As a parish (and with the lead of our Parish Council), we are examining ways of continuing to be a place of outreach and service to the poor, especially with regard to food. I’ll be writing more about that later, or you can corner one of our Parish Council members to ask questions. For me, in this regard especially, I keep hearing the voice of Jesus: “I was hungry…What you did for the least of these…”