Hunger Is Not a Disease

8 Ways the Hungry Get Food.

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Betty  and her daughter are Woodstock born.  They’ve shopped there regularly since the Good Neighbor Food Pantry opened and began feeding the hungry.

For years, they shopped at the pantry, CVS, Rite Aid, and Woodstock Meats between periodic trips to Walmart in Kingston.  Then, several years ago, Betty’s  husband died and trips to Walmart ceased to be part of the routine.  It became a luxury for them when a relative invited them to ride along to Kingston to shop.

Finally, he died too, and now Betty and her daughter have no transportation to Kingston.  They’re eating out of the pantry and CVS.

The combination of limited income, no access to affordable grocery stores, and no automobile makes life difficult for the 2 women.  Although she probably qualifies, Betty has never gotten SNAP.

There are many people in a situation similar to Betty and her daughter. People in Betty’s  situation learn to cope with lack of access to food and the complications created by a limited budget and no automobile.  They

get SNAP if they can.

dumpster dive.

shoplift.

ask friends and relatives for food.

borrow $$$ for food from friends and relatives.

visit a friend or relative at mealtime.

go to the soup kitchen.

shop at a pantry.

Betty  is a single senior living with an adult daughter.  Life is a bit more complicated with young children in the household when there’s not enough food and no $$$.  Households develop coping mechanisms to deal with the situation.

One such technique consists of simply serving less food.

Another consists of just skipping meals.

A third is to feed children what is available and adults go without.

But, whether the household has adult children, younger children, or no children at all, hunger is a reality for people in this situation.  They are classified as either being at risk of hunger, or experiencing hunger depending on the severity of the situation.

Whatever the classification, one thing is certain:  
People in this situation are intimately connected to hunger on a daily basis.  
They are also a good example of the reality that in this country we have  2 food systems:

one for the poor and

one for everyone else.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

Everybody Needs a Reality Check.

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The Kingston, NY  Walmart is our reality check.  We sit outside the store every month asking for food to feed the hungry  (except December when the Salvation Army gets the sidewalk).    Three solid days of speaking with the people entering and leaving the Walmart tells us more about the economy, the state of the American people than any fancy reports, economic reviews, sophisticated papers, magazines.

“Just asking for a donation to help us feed the hungry at the Reservoir Food Pantry.”

“What do you need?”

“Peanut butter, soup, canned beans.  Actually, anything you select will be given out on Monday.”

This month was no exception.   The weather was bitterly cold.  We all wore all the clothes we had and brought blankets.  No amount of extra gloves, sweaters, long johns, blankets worked against the cold.

We covered the 2 doors…just barely.  We had 1 person at each door from 10 ’til 4 all three days.  And, we could never have done it without the help of the customers who kept us all energized by opening their wallets as they ran past on their way to the building.

Prasida sat at one entrance all day every day.  The rest of us spelled each other at the other door.

There was the usual miracle:

This month we had no food for takeouts because the door to the takeout room was frozen shut.  So,  people donated exactly the amount and kind of canned/boxed foods needed for the takeouts.  We didn’t specifically ask for this food.  It just happened that way.

Our hearts were warmed repeatedly by the generosity of the shoppers.

Even though the place was cold beyond description, we feasted on the view of the mountains.

In spite of all the stories on TV and in the papers about jobs, jobs, jobs…we saw a completely different story.  We saw people:

with no coats.

counting their $$$ to be able to get just the items they need.

whose shoes were not warm enough.

who had no hats or gloves.

whose transportation situation was desperate.

whose positive mental attitude  resisted all efforts to beat a person down into the ground.

The energy of those customers will sustain us all on an even keel until our return visit in February.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

November, 2014

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“Say goodbye to the landlord for me;

Sons of bitches always bored me.” – Guy Clark

Yet another round of food stamp cuts went into effect just a year ago this month.  This national event with far reaching repercussions didn’t negatively affect everyone.  After all, a person not receiving SNAP card funds wasn’t even affected unless s/he was politically conservative.  In that case, November 5, 2013 was a glorious day.

FOR THOSE RECEIVING SNAP CARD FUNDS, THE IMPACT WAS SERIOUS.

Diane, a pantry shopper has been a widow now for a little over 2 years.  She depends totally on her low social security check.  Her SNAP card allotment was reduced to $45.  This $45 is her total food budget.  After Diane pays her rent and utilities, she has no $$$ left for food.  All the food she eats comes from the SNAP card and a pantry.  She purchases her clothes at the Family of Woodstock free store.

Diane’s old car recently needed repairs and she tried to borrow the needed $$$.  That never happened so she wisely gave up and moved to Saugerties to be on a bus line.  Honestly, I don’t know how she managed to pull off a move.  They are very expensive endeavors.

FOR PANTRY VOLUNTEERS, THE NOVEMBER 5TH CUTS BROUGHT DREAD.    We know  reducing SNAP card benefits isn’t the answer.   When people shop for groceries with SNAP funds, they not only offer nourishment to themselves and their families, they bring much needed outside $$$ to the area, which is often depressed.

Many people have financial problems today which they are never going to overcome without a serious change in our country’s attitude toward poverty.  People have no $$$ for food because of:

lack of viable employment

high housing costs

high medical costs

Pantry shoppers lack resources to get beyond a chronic condition of lack in their lives.  A few people today are rich at the expense of the poor.  According to Couleecap, the richest 1% increased their share of total income by 10%, while, on average, the remaining 99% saw their piece of the pie shrink by 1-2%.

As food benefits were gutted on that fateful day in November, pantry volunteers had valid concerns:

THEY FEARED A NEW WAVE OF OVERWHELMINGLY LONG LINES OF HUNGRY PEOPLE.

They feared we would all run out of food for the people and be unable to get enough  to feed the ever increasing number.

There was a realization that few understand:   it’s been a long time since we really were emergency food providers.

MANY FEARS BECAME REALITY.  Pantry shopping has definitely become more popular.   Every week Prasida and Francine bring back more and more food and every bit of it is distributed.  Sean Bigler records our weekly journey on a chart on the Reservoir Food Pantry Facebook page and on our website.

The Food Banks of Northeastern New York and the Hudson Valley mustered forces to provide enough food every week.  They send trucks to farms, grocers, food manufacturers and bring food back for pantries to take to their shoppers.  If the hungry can make it to a pantry, they are fed.

POOR AND STRUGGLING PEOPLE HAVE SLIPPED YET ANOTHER NOTCH AWAY FROM THE RICH.   I am convinced, every time I open the pantry doors, that there are now 2 Americas:  the haves and the have nots.

We recently received a request for statistics:

How many have we turned away?

How long is our waiting list?

THE QUESTIONS WERE ENDLESS, IT SEEMED.   Well, we don’t have those statistics in the Reservoir Food Pantry because we feed the people.  The weekly trip to Latham continues rain,  shine or snow.  The monthly food drives at the Kingston Walmart are important for pantry volunteers.

Most weeks we run out of food about the same time we run out of people so we don’t turn anyone away.  We offer a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who donates food to food banks and food pantries.

At the pantry’s close last Monday, there were 4 carrots left over in a small box, and another small box 1/2 filled with green beans.

We cannot do our job week after week without the continued support of:

Migliorelli Farm,

Ulster Corp gleaners,

Shandaken Community Gardens,

Kingston Walmart,

Boiceville IGA.

Father Nicholas at Holy Ascension Monastery shares donated yogurt with our pantry.

Pieta Williams brings items of dignity.

Lisa Library sends new books for the children.

Beecher Smith and John Parete at Boiceville Inn are the reason we have a pantry with shelves now.

LAST MONTH WE SERVED 856 PEOPLE.  In September the number was 834.   We expect November’s number to be higher.  It has never gone down yet.  Why should the trend be different this month?

THE ACTUAL NUMBER DOESN’T MATTER.   We don’t plan to turn anyone away.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

Food Pantry Blog – Paying It Forward.

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For a little over a year now, we’ve asked…and you’ve answered:

We sent out letters last year about this time to congregations in the area.   Wesleyan Community Church and West Hurley Reformed Church offered food drives and donations.

The Zen Mountain Monastery sponsored us while we processed the 501(c)3 application.

John Parete houses our Take Out Department.

Beecher Smith  hosts our shed on his property and allows us to use his parking lot.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant hosted our canopied pantry all summer as we worked from their beautiful parking lot .

The Olivebridge Library allowed us to schedule speeches to help spread the word.

JOMA lets us hold our board meetings there monthly.

Brad Bernard from the Community Bank is on our board.

Pieta Williams and the Ulster County Board of Realtors Community Service Committee donated Items of Dignity to our pantry.

Board members stand outside the entrance to the Boiceville IGA one Saturday every other month.  Everyone shopping on that day shares something with us. Every bit of this food goes to our Take Out department where volunteers  prepare packages for home bound households.

The Kingston Walmart hosts us for 3 days every month.  The generosity of the shoppers is mind blowing.  Again, 100% of this food goes to feed home bound residents.

Esotec Beverages shares its upscale beverages with our pantry.  These foods go to our home bound people.

Migliorelli Farms shares produce every week.

Shandaken Gardens delivers produce weekly.

Ulster Corps volunteers bring produce over from gleaning projects.

Finally, after a year and almost a month, everything came together this week.  Our pantry is open, it’s operational, everything  works, and it’s wonderful!  Board Members got the shed/pantry and outfitted it with lights, heat,  an entrance ramp.

Today’s pantry shift was a day out of a dream.  Everything flowed  beautifully.  With your support, with community support, we are  on a venture that I never, ever dreamed was  possible.

Monday afternoon  we opened the pantry about 30 minutes early.

And, why not?  We were ready.  The produce was in.  The shelves were stocked. The shoppers were there.

READY.  SET.  GO.

One senior in 7 does not have enough to eat.  We serve more seniors at the Reservoir Food Pantry than we serve adults and children combined.  We strengthen the entire community as we assist those who are most vulnerable among us.

Thank you for reading this blog/book.

Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.

Please send a comment.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco