Hunger Is Not a Disease

What I Believe – Seniors in a Food Pantry

As seniors age, the courage we experience becomes more obvious as we feed hungry people.  After all, what does a senior have to lose?  Courage is a necessary part of the aging personality because our platform continually shrinks.

We’re often overlooked in the homeless arena.  Those looking out forhomeless people  focus on an older adolescent (especially if there’s an infant involved), and families.  There’s just not much energy left over for hungry people seniors and cocker spaniels.

It never occurred to me that turning away hungry people in the pantry line was something I would do.  Or could do.  Or even consider doing.  Turning away hungry people was not an option.

I came to the pantry as a crone or harridan depending on the circumstances and a person’s attitude toward me and my attitude toward hunger.  I brought already formed opinions and beliefs, many of which were with me at birth.

Some argue that people are born as blank slates.  I can’t agree.  For one thing, I never experienced a blank slate when it came to hungry people.  I didn’t have an “aha” moment when I met my first hungry person.  I didn’t examine the value of feeding hungry people  in a philosophy  or government class.  I never, at any time, analyzed the concept of feeding the hungry.

Because I lived my opinions about hunger, and because I got up close and personal with hungry people in Mexico and Venezuela, I was comfortable with the concept of feeding hungry people.

I never even considered not feeding hungry people I the food pantry.  When I saw them, I remembered moments in  Mexico and Venezuela and realized hunger is an intensely personal situation accompanying malnourishment.  Hunger can lead to starvation.

Hungry people needing food are voiceless.  Even though it’s harder on those with mental and emotional issues, it impacts everyone spiritually.

As they distribute pantry food, volunteers reduce costs in other areas of government:  healthcare, housing, education.

A long-term poor diet contributes to illness which poor people can’t afford.  Healthcare costs get shuffled over to taxpayers.  When forced to choose between housing and food, the hungry often opt for housing.  Later, if they can’t pay the housing costs and end up homeless.  This results in further tax bills.

When school children are too hungry to learn, the damage is long term.  They risk becoming uneducated adults unable to qualify for employment.  Our problems flow to the next generation and the future.

DANA

“Hi, Dana.  Come on in and shop.  How’re you doing this week?”

“Fred’s still in the hospital.  He’s been diagnosed with kidney disease and he’ll be on a special diet when he comes home.”

“I’m sorry to  hear that.”

“I’m so glad you sent me to Dr. Longmore.  He told me exactly who to go see, what paperwork to get, everything I needed to get care for him.  I hope Fred’s coming home soon.”

“Dana, I’m so happy to hear this.”

“Thank God the pantry has all these fresh fruits and vegetables.  By the way, do you have any laundry soap today?”

“I wish!”

I met Dana the first morning I worked in the pantry and she shared her adventures with me every week from that pantry day on.  Of  all the people going through the line in the pantry, I probably learned more about her than anyone else.

I never learned where she lived, how many children she had, where she came from or anything like that.  What I learned from her was a running commentary of present tense food insecurity.  She shared her daily struggle as she traveled through life trying to keep a roof over her head, clothes on her back, and food in her refrigerator.

Walking through the line weekly, she shared her life with me.  I learned how she found a coat for the winter when the old one wore out and she had no money.

“Dana, your coat is beautiful!”  It’s going to keep you so warm!”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?  You should have seen it when I found it.  It was filthy!”  I couldn’t even tell what color it was.  I took it home, put it in the tub and worked on it all afternoon ’til I cleaned it up.  Now look at it.  It’s a perfect fit!”

I learned how she struggled to keep her car going…and then finally gave it up.

“The bus is working out real well over here.  I catch it about two blocks from my apartment in Saugerties and ride it over.  I wait in the hall ’til it comes back to take me home.  I only have to carry my groceries about five blocks in all!  I’m so lucky I found this bus.  I get to ride free because I’m a senior!”

Dana was the most confirmed optimist shopper in the line.  And, when Dana was in the line, I was the most confirmed optimist pantry volunteer in the place.

Thank you for reading this article!  Please refer it to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Children in the Good Neighbor Food Pantry in Woodstock

Everything tells us that children who grow up in poverty are much more likely to be adults in poverty.” – Peter Edelman
Invisible, almost, children came with their parents to the pantry weekly for food. These children are so well behaved in the line and in the pantry. How those kids stood in line with their parents all that time every week and remained well behaved, I’ll never know.
As more and more households work more and more hours at minimum wage jobs to pay more and more money for rent, more and more families are appearing in pantry lines.
That means children. Prior to 2008, there were few to no children in the line at the Good Neighbor Food Pantry in Woodstock. “There weren’t any lines either. With the downfall of the economy, more and more children were seen in the hallways.
For the most part, these children were beautiful, alert, intelligent. They were brought by parents or grandparents to shop for a three-day supply of food which lasted seven days.
Every time I saw a child in the pantry I was grateful for the efforts our pantry volunteers made weekly to get the most nutritious food we could find and being back to our pantry. The pantry carried some cookies, cakes, and occasional bags of chips. For the most part, our food was the best we could find. Anything organic we could find was brought back to our pantry.
Every time I saw a child in the pantry I was grateful for the efforts of their parents and grandparents made weekly to bring them to get the most nutritious food available because Woodstock had no supermarket.
People bought food in Woodstock at the CVS, RiteAid Pharmacy, Cumberland Farms, and Woodstock Meats. Woodstock was also home of the famous Sunflower Natural Foods Market but many of our shoppers simply couldn’t afford the prices there. Ditto for Sunfrost. Technically, Woodstock, New York, is a grocery store desert. The nearest grocery store is Hurley Ridge Market, an IGA, located seven miles out on Rte 375 in the community of West Hurley. There is no sidewalk to this store. A Price Chopper is eleven miles away in Saugerties on Route 212.
One household with children came to the pantry weekly with their parents. This household was a household of volunteers. They shopped at the pantry, too. When the pantry was open, Robert and Mikey were there with their parents Richard and Jamie Allen.
Richard stood outside the building as the pantry was opening.
Richard carefully watched the parking lot to keep the chaos down.
Richard managed the hallway.
Richard totally knew the stock in the storeroom.
Richard made sure everyone shopping at the pantry had help getting their food to their cars.
Richard made friends with everyone in the shopper line.
Richard walked down to the barn several times each afternoon when the pantry was open.
Richard stood in the pantry room when the shopping line was overcrowded.
Richard was always on the lookout for anything which might upset the flow of the people into the pantry.
Richard taught Robert to help out in the pantry.
Richard taught Robert to break down the used cardboard boxes.
Richard and Robert did their best to keep the cardboard out of sight.
Richard taught Robert to help out in the barn.
Richard taught Robert to haul groceries out to the shoppers’ cars.
Richard taught Robert to get the handcart ready for the food when a large household came shopping so there wouldn’t be so much heavy lifting.
Richard didn’t teach Robert to climb to the top shelves in the storeroom to retrieve much needed items. Robert learned that on his own.
Robert, 10, loved food…any kind of food. Whenever Robert wasn’t otherwise occupied helping out in the pantry, breaking down cardboard boxes, helping his dad in the storeroom, the barn or the parking lot, he liked to come to the pantry room and eat anything that didn’t eat him first…raw. I always felt Robert is destined to be a chef someday.
Little Mikey, 5, was never unhappy or trying to get into trouble. Mikey wanted nothing more than to help out in any way possible. Of course, being 5, Mikey invented ways to help if we didn’t give him direction. All in all, he was a gift to the pantry, smiling and greeting everyone who came. For many, this was transformational. Mikey was therapy.
Everyone at the pantry smiled when the Allens showed up to volunteer. They had their own little caravan going. Rich drove in with Robert riding shot gun. They had a bright chartreuse repurposed ambulance which still had the sirens.
Jamie drove a 22-year-old red Ford pickup with a black camper top which Richard and Robert kept going.
Jamie helped assemble the food for the take out bags.
Jamie helped pack the take out bags.
Jamie helped in the hallway.
Jamie assisted the older and infirm shoppers.
Jamie was loved by everyone.
Children are important in a pantry. For one thing, there are many malnourished children needing the food offered by pantries. It’s estimated that 75% of the people shopping at pantries are food insecure which means they don’t have enough food to eat on a regular basis.
It’s also estimated that 25% of the people receiving food at pantries are children. Malnourished children experience more learning difficulties and more illnesses. Hungry children have a difficult time learning. They get sick more often than their well nourished classmates.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco