Hunger Is Not a Disease

Did your landlord reduce your rent?

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I got an email survey question yesterday.

“Did your landlord reduce your rent?”

Somehow, I can’t get this question out of my head.  It just keeps grabbing my attention at every opportunity.  What a question!

The answer is “NO!”

No landlord has lowered anyone’s rent in this area.  Rents are going up, up, and up.  In fact, rents are disappearing.

My landlord is evicting my neighbors.  They live in  one half of the duplex next door.    The other side is air bnb…or maybe vrbo…or any one of several other vacation rental apps so popular on everyone’s computer and phone.

Until last year, both sides of the duplex were vacation rentals.  Then, the town supervisor cracked down on them so the landlady  made one side a monthly rental.

Immediately, a lovely young couple moved in.  They are the perfect tenants.  No noise, no clutter, no smells, no noisy children.  Their footprint is the smallest they can manage.

Well, small footprint or no footprint, their days are numbered.

I see them packing up their possessions and driving them away – a few cartons every day.  The boxes are going to a storage unit until they can find a new place to live.  So far, they’ve had no luck.

They want to stay in Woodstock because this is their home town.  Growing up, Gaby skated and bicycled on every street in this town.

Well, there are no places to rent in this town.  Woodstock is a vacation rental town all the way.

This lovely young couple seeks shelter in other communities:  Palenville, Catskill, Athens.

Meanwhile,  the landlord eagerly advertises both units as vacation rentals.  The young couple must go.  His list of eager vacationer applicants  is long.  He’s sorry the young couple has no home.

But, life must continue.

Thank you for reading this article.

Please refer it to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

 

Paul, Duct Tape, and Homelessness

Paul has been on my mind all week.

One of my oldest friends,  I  knew him and worked with him when I worked and lived in Virginia – just outside Washington D.C.

Back then, we had Kelly Girls.   Paul was my very best Kelly Girl.  I could send him anywhere – well, not to the male chauvinist lawyer  who would only pay for a cute legal secretary.  But all the others loved his work.

He showed up on time for his assignments and he turned out a perfect work product.  He was a bargain.  Whatever he did, he made the client feel that Paul gave more than the money’s worth for every job done.

Everyone knew  Paul was homeless.  Nobody cared.  He was the best typist out there.  (This was before computers, you understand.)  A quality work product counts for a lot when it comes time to pay the bill, after all.

So why have I been thinking about Paul all week?  It was the Duct Tape that did it.  My watch band broke and I need the watch.  I drove over to Genter’s Jewelry Store in Saugerties and discovered a “for rent” sign where the “open” sign used to be.  Mr. Genter always fixed everything .  He didn’t care whether it was a watch band, a clock, a necklace.

He also sold silver and gold chains at bargain prices.  And, he custom designed a coin for me.  His work was exacting.  Genter’s  was my go-to destination for all things jewelry.

Genter’s is a statistic of the Coronavirus.   With Mr. Genter gone, what was I going to do?   I physically grieved when I saw the sign in the window.

I went straight for the Duct Tape.  I now wear a watch held together with Duct Tape.  I’m getting used to it, actually.  My sense of urgency  diminishes a little more each day.

I’m sure I’ll get along just fine with the Duct Tape.  Paul Did.

Duct Tape adorned most of Paul’s clothes and anything else he used.  Duct Tape held Paul’s shoes together.  Duct Tape held the watch on Paul’s arm.  Duct tape even kept Paul’s eyeglasses going.  Finally, Duct Tape held Paul’s winter coat together.

So, following in Paul’s example, Duct Tape will keep my fitness watch going.

I rather like my new Duct Tape look.  And, I like remembering Paul.  He always made me smile.  And, smiles these days are hard to come by.

Thanks Paul!  You set a good example.  This Duct Tape will work until I can find Mr. Genter, just as Duct Tape held your shoes together until you could find a newer used pair  of shoes.

And, thank you for reading this article.  Please forward it to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, New York

PS:  You can order one or more of the fancy T-shirts pictured in this post today at :

www.thurmangreco.com.

I also wrote about Paul in “No Fixed Address.”

 

FOOD PANTRY BLOG: They Came Up on Bicycles

RFP-Tent (1)

“EACH OF US IS PUT HERE IN THIS TIME AND THIS PLACE TO PERSONALLY DECIDE THE FUTURE OF HUMANKIND.  DID YOU THINK YOU WERE PUT HERE FOR SOMETHING LESS?” – Chief Arvol Looking Horse

 

SHE HAD A BACKPACK.    He had more of a knapsack.  They rode over hesitantly, cautiously, on bicycles.

“Hi” I said in my most inviting tone.  “Welcome to the pantry.  Have you been here before?”  Actually, I knew the answer but wanted to help them feel more at ease.

“No.”

“COME ON OVER TO THE TABLE.   Sign  in.  All we need is your name and the number of people in your household.  Then, start shopping at the end of the table here and work yourself down the line of food.  Take all the produce you can eat in 3 days.  We’ve got onions, carrots, greens, oranges, tomatoes.  You’ll notice that much of our produce is labeled “organic.”  Take one each of the different canned items.  Take a can of crushed tomatoes,  juice,  green beans,  organic vegetable stock.  Be sure and take some Bread Alone bread.”

They walked over, gently touched the food as if in a museum store.  Quietly, between them, they argued over what they could carry home.  It seemed to them we were offering more than they could get home.

“How did you hear about us?” I asked?  I didn’t expect an answer.  They were too uncomfortable.  “We hope you’ll come every week.  We open every Monday at 2 p.m.  And…don’t forget to tell your friends, relatives, neighbors, enemies.  We’re brand new here and trying to spread the word.”

A TYPICAL FIRST FIRST, THEY ACTUALLY MANAGED THE EXPERIENCE QUITE WELL.

They finally agreed on what they could carry and headed off home, wherever and whatever that was.

Most people shopping at our pantry can be labeled resource poor.  The resource poor routinely choose between food and other necessities:

food and housing payments,

food and medicine/medical care,

food and transportation,

food and gasoline.

People in the resource poor category are also food insecure.  They lack, at times, enough food for an active, health life for the household members.

According to the Feeding America survey (I participated in this survey, by the way), about 75% of those shopping at pantries are food insecure and 80% of those households have one or more children.

Food insecurity comes in 2 categories:  food insecurity and very low food security, which is a more serious lack of access to food.

When we discuss very low food security, we know that some have limited access to grocery stores.  This means their food comes from gas station food markets, convenience stores, and pharmacy grocery shelves.

Woodstock and Boiceville are such places.  In Woodstock, two very upscale stores sell organic foods:  Sunflower Natural Foods Market and Sunfrost.  Both Sunflower and Sunfrost also offer non organic foods of the fresh, frozen, canned, and bagged variety.

Both claim to offer non GMO foods as well although, for the life of me, I don’t understand how a merchant can claim  such a thing.  Between the two of these stores, Sunflower has more organic produce and food products than Sunfrost.

Woodstock Meats offers products from local farms which, to me, seems to be a more honest label.  No one is ever fooled into thinking s/he is getting organic food when the case is otherwise.

The Bear Cub Market next to the Bearsville Post Office is an upscale market offering what the purveyor considers to be the very best available of whatever it is he sells.  He stocks his shelves with canned, boxed, fresh, refrigerated products.

Both Woodstock Meats and Bear Cub are totally honest about their products.   No one is fooled into believing that something is what it is not.

For those on limited budgets, food is available at the CVS, Cumberland Farms, and Rite Aid Pharmacy in Woodstock.

Olives and the Citgo Station in Shokan out Boiceville way offer foods also.

Olives offers food for humans as well as pets and a small assortment of toys and household items.  Yogurt and cheeses are available in the dairy case.  They also sell deli sandwiches.

The food mart at the Citgo station across the street carries more beer, chips, candy, and olives than Olives.

Two grocery stores are in the area:  Hurley Ridge Market in West Hurley and the Boiceville IGA in Boiceville.  For the person whose transportation is limited , these stores are inaccessible.

After Superstorm Sandy, the Boiceville IGA was closed for a couple of months because it had water damage.

But, back to the couple on the bicycles.  They  shop at the Reservoir Food Pantry often now.  They’re much more comfortable with the experience.  And, their extremely limited budget has been eased a bit by our offerings.

Peace and food for all.

Thank you for reading this blog/book.

Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.

Please leave a comment.

Don’t forget to join my mailing list.

Thurman Greco

A Labor Day Celebration at the Reservoir Food Pantry – and, an Open House on the 11th!

While many of us in the area are out celebrating summer’s last weekend, the volunteers at Reservoir Food Pantry are  celebrating as well…but in a different way.

THE PANTRY OPENS AT 2 P.M. ON MONDAYS,  HOLIDAY OR NOT.   We celebrate a Monday holiday by offering food to hungry people who do not otherwise have the funds to get the food.

This particular week in September is always an expensive one because not only are our shoppers trying to buy food for upcoming school lunches, they are out scrounging for school supplies and school clothes for the children.  It’ll soon be time for sweaters and coats.

Prasida drove to Latham  Friday for the produce.

OTHER FRESH FOOD IS  DONATED, AS ON EVERY OTHER WEEK,  BY MIGLIORELLI FARM, BREAD ALONE BAKERY,  SHANDAKEN GARDENS ABD HUGUENOT STREET FARM .

,Volunteers at the Reservoir Food Pantry usually serve about 50 families and households on Monday afternoons.  They serve an equal number of homebound households  on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Food for Tuesday’s deliveries to homebound and senior neighbors is  packed on Mondays at the end of the pantry shift.  Distribution  continues on Tuesdays and Fridays.

We’re celebrating our first anniversary on September 11th between 4 and 7.  Please come join us.  See our new pantry.  It’s in an adorable barn located behind Robert’s Auction in Boiceville at 4073 Route 28.  As someone recently said “You’re STILL open!”

Yes, we’re STILL open!

JOIN  IN THE FESTIVITIES!

The Reservoir Food Pantry is now accepting volunteers to deliver food to  homebound households and seniors in the area.  A route delivery person is needed in the Olivebridge area.  If you are interested, please call 845-399-3967.

If you want to support the Reservoir Food Pantry but cannot volunteer, you are invited to send a donation to P.O.Box 245, Boiceville, NY, 12412.  Please make the check out to Reservoir Food Pantry.

We thank you in advance for your support of the Reservoir Food Pantry.

Peace and food for all.

Please share this article on your preferred social network.

Leave a comment.

Don’t forget to join my mailing list.

Thurman Greco

 

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I Need a Gun in the Food Pantry

“There is nothing that can’t be solved by the use of high explosives.” – Joshua Garner

“I’d like to get an application for a gun permit, please.” I said, the only little old gray  haired lady in the room.  I was finally first in  line at the government office at Golden Hill in Kingston.

The counter person, an overweight man in his 50’s, could hardly contain his laughter as he handed me the form.  “That’ll be $5 please, miss.”

I handed him the money and started to walk away.  Then, I just couldn’t stand it anymore.  I turned around to him and said pleasantly “Will you sell me 3 more applications, please?  I forgot  the girls in my Senior Yoga class asked me to get applications for them, too.”

I pulled out $15 more and put the money on the counter.  The man gave me three more applications and then I walked away.  I had no idea who I was going to give the applications to but I remembered the old “Alices Restaurant” song about three people or more people doing something and being a movement.

When I got home in Woodstock,  Barry was sitting on the sofa surrounded by his  cats as he read the latest thriller. “Hi Thurman.    How’re you doing?” he asked without looking up as he took a few grapes from a large fruit filled bowl on a table beside the sofa.  .

“I WANT TO LEARN TO SHOOT A GUN.  I want a gun.” I replied.  “I got the application today and I want you to teach me to shoot a gun.”

“What!?”

“I want you to teach me to shoot a gun.  I know you can.  You didn’t spend all those years sneaking off to the CIA and NSA  without knowing how to use a gun.    They even gave you a medal or award or something at the CIA once.  For all I know, you’re a damn bazooka expert.  Maybe I want to learn that too.”

“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!  You might accidentally shoot one of the Chihuahuas.”

“Well, I’m tired of asking pantry volunteers to be bodyguards.  It’s not safe when I’m working in the pantry after hours.  I haven’t felt safe since that incident with Mike and Mike and the air conditioner.  And, I’m not one bit afraid of the shoppers.”

“Listen, I know your job is difficuIt Thurman.  Not even a Marine drill sergeant would do what you’re doing.  But I don’t know about a gun.”

“I know, I know.  I should be more comfortable with everything that’s happening.  After all, I did live fifty miles from headhunters in Venezuela but that was all a long time ago.  This is the 21st century.  That Maglite  I bought a while back just isn’t the same as a club.  I need something more powerful.

“I’ve lived with guns my whole life.” I continued.  “My father wore a pistol every day to work in his law office.   Everyone in my family carried guns and had rifles in their cars.  My grandmother kept a rifle in her bathroom.”

” TG-YOU’RE JUST NOT THE GUN TYPE.   I don’t care what you say about your relatives carrying arms.  Besides that, I sold my last gun years ago.  What about a knife?  Let me teach you to use a knife.  A good knife will cost  much less and you won’t need a permit.  You won’t need  bullets.  It won’t require maintenance.  It’ll be easier to carry and use.  I’ll  give you lessons.  Nobody will ever know.  Leash up the Chihuahuas.  We’re going to Warren Cutlery right now.”

And, so he did.  He took me to Warren Cutlery.  I held several different knives to see how they fit in my palm.  My first choice didn’t pass muster.  “That knife is too big and too heavy” Barry said as he pointed to a smaller model.  “You need something small enough that you can open quickly.  If you’re too slow, your attacker will have you down before you get it open.”

So, I chose a smaller, lighter model that happened to be on sale.

And, off we went.  He taught me to use and carry a knife.  He taught me how to open it quickly but never bothered with teaching me to close it fast.  “That part’s not important” he said as he helped me practice.

And, he was right.  A knife is quiet.  It weighs less than a gun.  I don’t need a permit.  I don’t have to worry about shooting one of the Chihuahuas by accident.  And, unless I go through a metal detector before I take it out of my purse, no one has a clue.  I’m just a sweet little old gray haired lady in a Prius tootling down the road 5 miles below the speed limit.

Before it was all over, he bought me a second  knife…a smaller one which I kept open on the counter in the pantry ostensibly to open cardboard boxes.

 Thanks for reading this blog/book.

Please share this article with your preferred social media network.

Please send a comment.

Peace and food for all.

Thurman

Food Pantry Blog – Whew!

Such a day!  Such a week!  Even I can’t believe all of it.  But, I suppose actions speak for themselves.  And, I have to realize we’ve been working towards this week for a whole year now.

Volunteers at the Reservoir Food Pantry are living proof that excitement can make a person drunk.  We were intoxicated on gratitude all day  Monday.

For starters, Prasida went off to Latham early Monday morning and returned at noon with almost 700 pounds of fresh produce – gorgeous produce.  Corn, greens, potatoes, onions, carrots, herbs, spinach, apples, apricots, peaches, melons, beans.

And, while Prasida was off on 87 doing her thing, the two Bobs,  Pat and I were over at the Hannaford’s getting our very first monthly shipment.  With a lot of planning and praying, this went off without a hitch.  This is a huge step for our new little pantry.  We’re working on a standing appointment at 11:30 on delivery day!

Then,  we made our way over to the pantry and set up our tables.  The spread, under a gorgeous sky, was the best ever.  And, to celebrate all this bounty, some of us worked the distribution tables serving  groceries from the Food Bank, Migliorelli Farm, Shandaken Community Gardens, Bread Alone, and Esotec.

Others  measured shelving for the new shed we just put behind Robert’s Auction.  At one point, Sean went off to purchase same so we can get it installed.

By the end of the pantry day, we were all so excited we weren’t touching the ground.

We’re soon to celebrate our first anniversary!  We hope you’ll come out between 4 and 7 on the afternoon of September 11th.  We won’t be hard to find.  We’ll be in the adorable red shed behind Robert’s Auction in Boiceville.

Come out and see what all the excitement is about.  Come share some refreshments.  Come see where people pantry shop in the Reservoir area!

Peace and food for all.

Thank you for reading this blog/book.

Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.

Please send a comment.

Don’t forget to join our mailing list.

Thurman Greco

 

 

The Wednesday Afternoon Farm Festival in Woodstock

In typical Woodstock fashion, the town fought over the farm festival for years before it finally happened.
FIGHTS LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN WOODSTOCK ALL THE TIME.   Every community improvement takes years of fighting before it becomes a reality. And, while this entertains many people, it holds up progress.
Those years of fighting represented  lost revenue for a town that really doesn’t have a lot of options for income.
Oh well, I’m getting off track here.
THE WEDNESDAY WOODSTOCK FARM FESTIVAL MEANT SOOO MUCH TO THE PANTRY.
But, not how you might think. Symbolism is important here. As people go down the path toward the pantry, they begin to lose their connection to the community. This happens mainly because they have no money to participate in  activities and they’re depressed, embarrassed, sad about being broke, sick, out of a job, going through foreclosure, etc. You put in the words here.
Every situation is different, but the process is the same for the people going down the path.
So, the pantry shoppers, for the most part, didn’t have the money to participate in the farm festival.
MIGLIORELLI FARMS OFFERED A SMALL MIRACLE AT THE END OF EACH MARKET AFTERNOON.   Several volunteers from the Good Neighbor Food Pantry were allowed on the grounds in the final few minutes of the market to load up a car with some of the veggies. We then took them back to the pantry and stacked them to distribute on Thursday.
WHAT A GIFT! Migliorelli Farms offered a real emotional boost to our many shoppers as well as delicious, nutritious food. Migliorelli  fed the body as well as the soul.
Now, the shoppers at least had a small connection to the farm market festival.
Until…one day a member of the Farmers Market Board of Directors called me up and pulled the plug. “You can’t have any more of the produce Thurman. People are not shopping at the market because they’re waiting until Thursday to come to the pantry to get the food free.”
“HOW CAN THIS BE? The pantry shoppers don’t have the money to shop at the farm festival. Have you seen the people who shop at the pantry?” I was shocked to hear such words from a person who had never set foot in our pantry.
“Don’t even try to talk me out of this Thurman. Our Board voted on this. The Migliorelli food will be donated to an agency in Kingston. It will not be wasted. You will not get any more of the Migliorelli produce.” And, with that, she hung up.
I was stunned. I felt as if someone had hit me.
AND, IT WASN’T THE FOOD THAT DID IT.   Our pantry was going to continue to have enough food. The Food Bank offered beautiful, fresh, organic produce every week, all year around. All we had to do was go up and get it. And, go get it we would. Our pantry commitment to fresh produce was serious.
The pantry shoppers, many of whom had absolutely no money at all were being denied participation in a local event that anyone could get in to…all it took was money.
Then, somehow, I’ll never know how, a miracle occurred. Someone (some people) spoke to someone (some people) and attitudes were adjusted.
WE WERE ALLOWED TO GET PRODUCE AGAIN.
I never knew how this happened. And, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that some person (people) fought for the pantry. And, they didn’t care whether anyone else knew what they did.  They just wanted the produce to stay in our community.  They just did whatever was necessary to get the food to the hungry.  Rules were changed.  Votes were changed.

FOR THAT, I’M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.

Whoever brought about this change created a positive energy ripple effect.

Whoever brought about this change definitely made me realize that all is not lost in this world.

In spite of this, I never felt comfortable with the farm market food again.  I felt each Wednesday’s gift from Migliorelli’s Farms might be the last.  I held my breath as Guy drove the van over for the produce.  I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it return with fresh produce.

When the farmers’ market returned the next spring, I waited (quietly apprehensive) to hear words from Rick:  “Thurman, Migliorelli is going to share its produce with the pantry this summer”.

Even as I heard those words, I didn’t believe them until I actually saw the produce.  I always had a well formed Plan B ready in case we had to start making extra trips to Albany on Thursday morning.  The need for fresh produce for our shoppers was great.

For the most part, these people were all in the process of losing so much.  It was up to me to keep Thursday produce on the agenda at the pantry.

At the Reservoir Food Pantry, we are extremely proud to have Migliorelli Farms sponsor us.  Our shoppers have beautiful, fresh Migliorelli vegetables every week .  What a beautiful gift!

Thank you.  From the bottom of my heart.

ON BEHALF OF THE MANY SHOPPERS WHO USE THE PANTRY, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS BLOG/BOOK.

Please share this article with your preferred social network.

Please send a comment.

Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

 

 

 

In The Hallway at the Good Neighbor Food Pantry in Woodstock

One very cold winter Wednesday afternoon, we had a hallway full of hungry people waiting to get into the pantry. Inside the building wasn’t much better than outside and the outside was below freezing.
Prasida was checking in a man who wore only a sweatshirt. “It’s awfully cold in here today for just a sweatshirt”.
“I know” he replied quietly. “I gave my wife the coat.”
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One Thursday morning I was in the pantry minding my own business when I noticed a man in the hallway who didn’t appear to be a shopper. The moment I saw him, I sensed that trouble had entered our pantry door.
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“I’m Ed Jabbs. I’m the head of the building committee and I want to see your files on the people who come to use this pantry.”
“I’m sorry sir, we don’t keep many files on our shoppers. We have a journal where we record their names and the number of people in each household. That’s all.”
“Well, you should. No one should be allowed in here who isn’t on food stamps. You’re feeding people who shouldn’t be coming here to get this food. You’re feeding the unworthy hungry.”
“I’ll have to call the Food Bank about getting that kind of information. I don’t have the forms and we’ve never done anything like that before. After all, we’re a Food Pantry, not the police.”
“Well, check into it NOW,” he said as he walked away. Mr. Jabbs smiled then, displaying a mouthful of large yellow teeth.
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Although he was a regular shopper at the pantry, coming to shop every week, I considered him to be a volunteer. It was always a pleasure to see him. He had a lot of brown hair that was going grey, wore tortoise shell glasses and he sported a beard. He was intelligent, articulate, respectful, and always brought the latest copy of the newspaper which he published weekly. He wrote the stories and drew the illustrations. His stories covered local news and events in Woodstock.
“Hello Mrs. Greco. Here’s my paper for you this week. Keep it hidden. I don’t want it to get in the hands of the wrong person.” He spoke rapidly. “Rick O’Shea tried to kill me this week. But I’m not going to let him get away with it.”
“What Happened?”
“I caught him outside the soup kitchen telling lies again. He’s an informant of the FBI and the CIA and he’s spreading lies about me again”.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yes, he’s involved in the Exxon-Mobil scandal with the Iran Contras. But, he’s not going to get away with it. I’m an ex-Marine and an investigative journalist. I called the FBI on Rick and the whole bunch of them.”
“Good luck. Thanks for coming in. And…I LOVE your newspaper.”
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Everytime I saw Paula Gloria in the halls, I ran up to her and hugged her. Paula always visited with her line neighbors, talking with them, finding out their problems, seeing how she could help. Paula helped people who were going through foreclosures or had problems with the police. When Paula had a court date of her own, several of her “line buddies” went to the courtroom and stood with her to offer support. Paula always gave more than she asked for.
Paula invited me to come on her popular public access TV show in New York City. I went down on two separate occasions to work with her. I had a show on Channel 23, the public access TV station in Woodstock. After spending two afternoons with Paula and watching her work, I totally changed the way I worked on my TV show. “Take This Bread” became a much more successful show with Paula Gloria’s assistance and influence.
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One shopper, a local woman, always complained of multiple allergies, claustaphobia, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, etc. At every opportunity, Lemon Balm Betty left the pantry and ran around the parking lot yelling loudly “Thurman is a fucking asshole”. Then, one day, she brought in a large bouquet of mint and lemon balm. We put them out with the other fresh produce. Immediately, she smiled, was comfortable in the crowded hallway, and became the wonderful person we all suspected she was, when she hid behind her insults. Offerings of mint came every week during the summer from her.
Ho hum. It was just another pantry miracle. We had them all the time.
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Many famous and semi-famous people were reduced to using the pantry regularly after the downfall of 2008. Because Woodstock attracted artists, musicians, and writers, many of them had second homes in the Woodstock area. Some of these creative and talented people saw their incomes totally dry up. I heard stories repeated many times over by different people.
They would, essentially, go like this: the person would have a home in the Woodstock area in addition to a place in New York City or Paris or Dubai or Miami or someplace, anyplace else. As the income dwindled, the person would look around, assess his/her situation and try to unload the most expensive place which was usually in the someplace else location.
Some were able to sublet. Others were able to sell. Still others underwent foreclosure. They came to Woodstock to live in the second home because it was cheaper only to find, in many cases, that there was absolutely zero opportunity to earn any money while out of the city environment.
So, here they were…down and out in Woodstock and Bearsville. Some even experienced foreclosure of the Upstate New York home.
The pantry line was filled weekly with intelligent, well educated, talented people who found themselves stranded because their support system was just not what it should have been. They, for the most part, made the best of it. What else could they do?
The refrain heard in the pantry line was “We gather at the Good Neighbor Food Pantry, where the elite meet.” I would see some of them in the line talking and joking together as they waited for food. What else could they do? Eventually some established new lifelines. Others ended up homeless.
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There was always casual talk about diabetes. Many, many people suffered with it. Some families had both diabetes 1 and diabetes 2 in the members. Although I never took a real count, it’s my opinion that way over 30% of the shoppers and volunteers suffered with this terrible disease. Even if we tried to determine the number, it wouldn’t have been accurate because so many people don’t have healthcare. They don’t know what diseases they have or don’t have.
Diabetes is one of the worst diseases a person can have. Many suffering from diabetes develop other diseases also: kidney failure, strokes, and blindness. Bad diet and stress help it move along. There’s no doubt that people in the food pantry line are stressed. Our pantry did everything possible to get the very best quality food to the shoppers. However, it’s difficult to feed a family when there’s insufficient money and the pantry only offers a three-day supply of food which needs to last seven days.
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Two neighborhood shoppers visited the pantry weekly. They shopped in the pantry for many years. Dorothy and her daughter Alice lived about a block away. They were a rare commodity in Woodstock: they were from Woodstock.
Dorothy and Alice weighed about 110 pounds together dripping wet. They came into the pantry, selected a few things and then walked away. Although they never got much, I always worried about how they were going to carry the food home because of Dorothy’s advanced age and light weight.
Dorothy and Alice didn’t have a car and there was really no other place for them to shop unless they went to the CVS, Cumberland Farms, or Woodstock Meats. They felt they couldn’t afford Sunflower Natural Foods Market or Sunfrost. For a time they caught a ride to Kingston to the Walmart every other week or so with a relative. After he died, they had no chance to leave Woodstock.
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An older woman came weekly to the pantry with a black canvas shopping cart which she always tried to bring with her into the pantry room. Repeatedly, we went over the same routine:
“May I bring my cart into the pantry? I really shouldn’t be doing any lifting.” As she said this, she tugged at her cart to position it in the narrow trail between the shelves and the produce.
“It’s extremely crowded in here today. Please be careful. I’m not even sure you and your cart are going to get through the pantry isle. Please try not to knock over the produce as you go around the room.”
One week she didn’t visit the pantry. The next week, when we saw her, she still had her cart but she looked a little tired.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it last week. I had a heart attack”.
“If you had called, we would have delivered food to your home.”
“Well, I’m completely out of food so I was afraid to take a chance that you might not be able to find me.”
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One thing no one ever discussed in the halls was the past. They spoke about things that happened in the past week or so but never beyond. Whatever happened before the pantry came into their lives was just not on the agenda.
As holidays approached, no one ever spoke about the Thanksvgivings, Christmases, Hanukkahs, Passovers, Easters they had before their lives spun out of control. No one ever mentioned that there wasn’t enough money to get Passover food which was just not available in our pantry. No one ever asked a child what Santa was going to bring.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco.

Food Pantry Blog – What This Blog is About

Recently I was asked to explain what the hungerisnotadisease.com
blog is all about.
Well, for me, this blog has several layers.
First, there is the layer of the food pantry. This is a story in itself: intrigue, expose’, scandal, denial. On some level, the story of the Good Neighbor Food Pantry might as well be a mystery novel.
But, dig deeper. This blog is about the people who visit the pantry weekly…the voiceless people who are becoming more and more in number weekly. This is an incredible story in itself also: intrigue, expose’, denial.
And, on yet a deeper level, this blog is about the spiritual journey we are all on as we experience incredible change in our society. Most of this story is still, as yet, unknown to many, many people.
Because, you see, hunger as evidenced by food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters is still a taboo subject.
So…my challenge is to best tell this story, expose the shame that is being orchestrated by many people, and reveal the denial that many people still persist in perceiving.
What is going to work best?
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco

Food Pantry Blog – If Only….

The inspiration for this chapter came from a quote written by Janet Poppendieck, author of a book about hunger in America entitled “Sweet Charity”.
There’s all this food out there. Most people who know about hunger agree there’s enough food for everyone. If we would stop the push back on this concept, and just feed the people, our lives (everyone’s lives in the whole country) would be very different. Imagine a world without hungry children and grandmothers.
Just for a moment, think of all the ways we can benefit our many people and institutions by using this extra food.
For starters, think of pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, as our tax dollars at work. Much of the emergency food effort is manned by volunteers diverting food headed for the landfill. For my money, this recycling effort works primarily to keep people from starving in the streets.
Now, consider the United States Department of Agriculture. As our country accumulates agricultural surpluses, instead of being embarrassed by the food, life would be better if the USDA could proudly distribute the surplus to those in need. After all, surplus food is an uptown problem. It’s almost impossible to produce exactly what we need. Farms don’t work that way. Weather doesn’t always cooperate. Droughts don’t come by request. Floods have minds of their own. It’s better to produce too much than too little.
Businesses can and should ship excess food to pantries, soup kitchens, shelters. This is a responsible way to dispose of unwanted excess food products. When grocers donate to food banks, they avoid excessive dump fees and accrue tax savings. They reduce dumpster diving.
Universities, hospitals, caterers, restaurants, bakers, schools, can use Food Banks to absorb leftovers. In metropolitan areas, the surplus food can go directly to soup kitchens, pantries. This is both a civic responsibility and community outreach.
Community colleges and Universities can recognize there are impoverished students, staff and faculty in their ranks. Pantries and soup kitchens on campus will make it easier for students and staff to stay.
Elementary, Middle, and High Schools would do well to recognize the poverty among the students and staff. Food Pantries have a definite place in schools. Backpack programs should be in every school to ensure that students have enough food to eat over the weekends and holidays.
Churches, Synagogues, and other religious institutions have opportunities to express concern for their fellow man as they include the poor at the table. Congregations refer to their feeding efforts as outreach. These necessary hunger prevention programs feed people who otherwise would not have enough to eat and they give the congregations a local outlet for charity and outreach programs.
Courts and penal institutions can use this concept by having people work service hours at pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, to avoid or lessen incarceration.
Working at a pantry, soup kitchen or shelter provides service opportunities for people of all ages. The more people donate time, the less isolated these facilities become.
Diverting food from landfills offers communities an opportunity to improve our environment. Besides, why throw away good food?
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your favorite social media.
Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco