Hunger Is Not a Disease

Seniors and Those Who Care for Them

What does this photo have to do with hungry seniors and those who care for them?  A lot, actually.  This photo is a group of seniors  getting food from the Reservoir Food Pantry in Boiceville, New York.

Carolina Gerard, an outreach intern from the National Council for Aging Care forwarded an article to me this week.  It addresses some of the causes, complications, and cures for senior food insecurity.  Can you take a moment to go to http://www.aginginplace.org/the-facts-behind-senior-hunger

I’m sure you will find it interesting and engaging.

Thanks again for reading  this article.  Please share it with your favorite social media network.

 

A Politician Came to the House Today

I got a visit from a politician today, asking for my vote.

I simply couldn’t help myself so  I told him about the hungry in America.  It was easy to talk about the one in seven seniors in our country who don’t have enough to eat.  And I talked about the one in five children in our country who don’t have enough to eat either.

This young politician is interested in the welfare of Americans and talked a lot about health care and jobs and equal pay.  He talked about funding for seniors and programs for seniors.  He discussed everything but food.  Frankly, there was not one mention of food.

And, I stood there and listened to the speech and just couldn’t stand it any more.

Until this young man really sees hunger for what it is, he’ll never know the real situation for what it is.  It may be years (or maybe never) before he realizes how hard it is for the elderly to get food when their shoulders and knees don’t work, they no longer drive, and they live in a food desert.

Routinely, seniors choose between food and transportation, food and housing, food and health care.

Few know about food pantries and hunger unless they work and shop in one.  Beyond that, a food pantry is hidden.  People shopping in one certainly don’t tell anyone where they get their groceries.  And, those working in one don’t talk much either.

Pantry food distributed to families helps children learn better in school and help their parents work harder at the many jobs they hold down.

When people come to a pantry, they can forget for a while their  situation often means they pay more for what they get if they live in a food desert.  And that, at times, they simply get less because the food may not be available in their neighborhood.

Often, they do without if they have no access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  Instead, they go through the pantry line and leave with foods they could not otherwise buy.

On behalf of everyone who shops or volunteers at a food pantry, I offer gratitude for the wonderful food available to the many hungry people who need it.

Thanks for reading this article!

Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Ramen Noodles Should be a Choice.

Ramen Noodles should be a choice.

Ramen Noodles should be a choice.

 

On a recent New York Subway ride, I stood in a crowded car bound for Flatbush,   thinking about hungry people having only Ramen Noodles to eat because they had no money.    Just then,  an older black man near me spoke to everyone in the crowded car.

With a  well modulated, practiced, articulate voice,  this cotton top knew what he was doing.  He talked about veterans and their needs.  He obviously either wrote the speech because he was an excellent and experienced speech writer or he  found himself such a person to do the job.

He ended his short presentation with a plea for money.  And, wrapped up in this short talk  was the realization that he was as much interested in consciousness raising as he was in collecting dimes and dollars.  What he wanted, really, was for  captive audience members in the metro car to hear his message, digest it, understand it, and act on it in some beneficial way.

This man’s message  went right to my brain and my heart.  What this old cotton top didn’t know was that we are  on the same path.  I, too, am on a mission of consciousness raising and fundraising.  And, like him, I’m not doing this  just for the fun of it.  I’m on a mission to spread the word about a truly tragic and hidden horror in our country:  hunger in America.

I want people in this country to have enough food in their lives so that Ramen Noodles should be a choice.

I sell books and T-shirts to raise money,  give talks in libraries and church meeting halls. Finally,  I work daily  to interest you  in the plight of hungry people of every age  in our great nation who simply don’t have the money to buy food.  Ramen Noodles should be a choice.

When you purchase my book, you help me  feed the hungry.   All the proceeds of “I Don’t Hang Out in Churches Anymore” go to  buy food  for hungry people who need it.  Ramen noodles should be a choice.

Right now, because of the summer months, I’m donating peanut butter to hungry people.  At other times in the year, the focus will be on different foods.

Peanut butter has many qualities which bring it to the top of my go-to list.

Peanut butter…

is nutritious.

has a long shelf life.

doesn’t need refrigeration.

is a staple in a household with children.

can be eaten by people who have no teeth.

can be easily carried  in the pocket or backpack of a homeless person.

In short, Ramen noodles should be a choice.

Thank you for reading this post.  Please forward this article to your favorite social media network.

Ramen Noodles should be a choice.  Feed the hungry!

Thurman Greco