You can help
Your support is crucial to food pantries. Food pantry volunteers everywhere are committed to feeding the hungry with dignity and awareness. People working in pantries know of the connection and kinship to every person who needs food.
When you help your local pantry, you not only strengthen your community, but offer some peace and harmony for those caught in a seemingly never ending struggle.
When you support a food pantry you help the volunteers in their work to feed the hungry. No pantry can succeed without you! Here are some opportunities for participation:
SEND A PANTRY A FINANCIAL GIFT.
Pantries everywhere need $$$ to keep going. Your contributions are tax deductible. Think of a food pantry the next time you prepare your taxes.
CONSIDER A PERIODIC DONATION.
It’s easy to set up a monthly or quarterly donation in whatever amount you choose on Paypal if your pantry of choice is signed up. If you prefer to send a check, let the pantry treasurer know so you can get some self addressed envelopes to make the job easier. Regular donations offer a financial flow coming to the pantry. This is, really, the easiest way to offer your support.
PAY A SPECIFIC BILL FOR THE PANTRY.
One of the biggest ongoing expenses a pantry has is gasoline for pantry vehicles. You can help in this effort when you buy a gas card for the pantry. The volunteers will be appreciate your generosity.
GIVE A DONATION TO HONOR A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER.
Often, when you give a contribution as a gift to a friend or loved one, the pantry will send a personalized card to the recipient acknowledging your gift. Include the name and address of the honoree, along with your tax deductible donation so the volunteer can do this.
SHARE THIS LETTER WITH EVERYONE ON YOUR EMAIL LIST.
Please forward this post to everyone you know.
PRAYERS, LOVING SUPPORT, AND KIND THOUGHTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
Thank you for supporting your local food pantry. You are important. I send blessings your way. Pantries do not work in a vacuum. They simply cannot succeed without your help.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
How to Successfully Shop at a Food Pantry
At a time when people are busy wrapping gifts and planning festivities, some are struggling just to pay the rent and buy gas to get to work. Hungry is not a category of people. It’s a situation that happens. It can happen to anyone. December is especially hard on those visiting a food pantry for the first time. It’s the reason I write this guide
Leave fear, embarrassment, shame, tears at the door. Most people using pantries are finally in a place where they can rebuild and heal. When the struggle for food is relieved, life finally feels as if it’s getting better. For many, the pantry is a safe place. This is a good group to join.
Arrive a hour before the pantry opens This makes for a long wait but there’s a better selection right at the beginning. Use this time to network with your line neighbors. They can be a resource if you’re trying to navigate your way through Department of Social Services, being foreclosed upon, get your car repaired.
Learn how long you’ll be in the shopping room, what foods are usually found on the shelves, whether you get to choose the food or receive a bag of groceries, what other pantries people shop at.
Bring some ID. Some pantries require much: photo ID, proof of residence, proof that other family members exist.
Once you’re registered, shop every time you’re allowed. With luck, you’ll find a pantry offering weekly visits. People sometimes just don’t go if they still have any SNAP card (food stamp) money or if they have a few bucks left over from a paycheck. Pantries have different food every week and you may miss out on some real savings by not shopping often.
Some pantries have periodic visits from nutritionists offering recipes and food tastings. Don’t be shy. Ask for information you need to adjust to the new way of cooking offered by pantries where food choices are different from the super market. If you’re suddenly cooking with only a crock pot or microwave, the nutritionist can be a valuable resource.
You may see fresh fruits and vegetables you don’t recognize. At each pantry visit, take home one new food, find a recipe and prepare it. If you do this, your cooking skills will be vastly improved over time.
Volunteer. Giving away food and sharing smiles with those around you offers its own spirituality. You’ll interact with people you never thought in your wildest dreams you would ever even meet. Pantry shoppers are traveling down a path away from hunger. Go with this journey which opens the door to inner growth.
Stick with this new routine. It’s the 21st century way to get delicious, nutritious groceries for your household. It’s been years since pantries offered exclusively emergency food.
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Peace and food for all..
Thurman Greco
Take $1 – Leave $1
The young musician’s sign said it all:
TAKE $1
LEAVE $1
She sat on the sidewalk in front of Houst the other day, with her guitar box open. True to Woodstock tradition, she was singing for tips. Her sign, her posture, her music really resonated with me. I really feel that we are now fast approaching the point in our country where our residents are divided into two groups:
those who use pantries, soup kitchens
those who do not use pantries, soup kitchens
So, that puts us in the Take $1 – Leave $1 lifestyle.
Food pantries and soup kitchens, through the food distribution process work relentlessly to end hunger. Most people working in pantries or soup kitchens are volunteers who understand they offer hope and sustenance to a community of people living with and affected by hunger and, in some cases, homelessness.
Any amount you can spare will help make the pantry or soup kitchen you support a better place. Please send a donation today. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of people who have little and need a lot. Take $1 – Leave $1
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Thurman Greco
Thank you for reading this blog. The story is true. The people are real.
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Connect – 8 Ways to Help the Homeless
“Homeless is not a category of people. It’s just a situation that happens. It can happen to anyone.” – Salvador Altamirano-Segura
The homeless have problems just like you and me:
employment
health issues
disabilities
domestic violence
veterans
THEY JUST DON’T HAVE A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS.
Homeless people, families enter food pantries very quietly. They’ve lost their voices. The goal is to melt into the background, get food, and disappear.
There is an exception to the voicelessness when the person communicates with beings unknown to the rest of us in tongues we don’t understand. One shopper I know has been in another world since before I began working in the pantry in 2005.
We can all help the homeless in some way. Each of us has talents and skills which can be useful.
1. DONATE. Homeless people carry their kitchens in their pockets so a lot of food which we take for granted and use is just not helpful. Important in the homeless diet is:
peanut butter and crackers
cereal in small packages
fruits and vegetables which can be eaten raw
milk in small containers.
Give throughout the year by regularly donating to a food pantry in your area which is most homeless friendly.
2. VOLUNTEER. Pantries everywhere need an extra set of hands to:
Answer mail
Drive a truck
Serve food
Clean up at closing time
Send press releases
Hold food drives
Straighten shelves
Deliver food to the home bound
3. CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSETS. Donate clothing, bedding, books, in good condition to places where the homeless will have access to your gently used items.
4. SHARE. Do you or does someone you know have a garden? Donate the excess to a homeless friendly pantry or soup kitchen in your area. When your garden tomatoes get to be too plentiful, there are those in your area who need the food. Donate, don’t dump.
5. PUSH THE ENVELOPE. Contact elected officials about homeless issues in your area. Encourage them to make ending homelessness important in your community.
6. EDUCATE YOURSELF. Returning veterans have special needs. For one thing, they often begin their separation from the military homeless.
7. FIND A JOB. Encourage your church or community to hire a homeless person. Many homeless want to work, have skills, but have trouble finding regular employment.
8. TEACH. Do you have a skill to share? Contact a local shelter and offer to give classes.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
The stories are true. The people are real.
Please share this article with your preferred social media network. And send it to anyone you know who might be interested.
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Artwork for this article was donated by Jennette Nearhood
Thurman Greco
5 Important Things You Need to Know About SNAP
“Hunger and income inequality is probably the single biggest issue facing this country.” – Susan Zimet
When you use SNAP, you don’t just get much needed food for your household. When you use SNAP, you create a ripple effect of money for your community. You can use your SNAP card with pride knowing how your purchases will benefit your area.
Here’s how it works: SNAP is federal money. When you use your SNAP card at a local supermarket, you bring it into your community. The grocer uses the money to benefit the local grocery store. This purchase strengthens local businesses.
Are you in a household with senior/disabled members? If so, you may still qualify for SNAP even if you have a higher income. SNAP works for individuals, couples, and families.
Are you paying mandated child support? If so, this money you use to pay child support is not counted toward your income.
You can work and still qualify for SNAP, stretching your food budget every month. When you use SNAP, you more easily afford the nutritious foods you and your family need.
You can shop at a food pantry and still qualify for SNAP.
SNAP can be an important addition to you and your household budget. Apply for this benefit today to help yourself, your household, and your community. How cool is that?
Thanks for reading this blog.
The story is true. The people are real.
Don’t forget to join the email list.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network and to anyone you know you may benefit from SNAP but is not using it.
Thurman Greco
My Story and the 9 Truths I Discovered
I began my life changing journey fighting hunger on a cool autumn Thursday in Woodstock, New York in 2005 where I volunteered for the first time at the local food pantry.
I was assigned a shift with Marie Duane. I drove over to the Woodstock Reformed Church, parked my car behind the buildling and cautiously walked in. I had never been to the pantry before.
I entered the empty hallway and found the pantry on the right. I walked into the room and there it was: a small space, actually, about 12′ by 16′. Each wall supported a set of metal shelving units. Each unit stood about 6′ high and 3′ deep with 4 shelves. Most of the shelves were empty. A few shelves had some food:
cereal
tuna
soup
peanut butter.
There was a little handwritten note in front of each display:
person: 1 item, family: 1 item.
There may have been other items on shelves but I don’t remember them.
A small table stood in the center of the room. A metal folding chair was placed in front of each window.
We sat in the chairs, Marie and I, and chatted as people trickled in. We discussed the usual: weather, gardening, knitting, decorating the alter at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church.
“Hi. How are you? Will you please sign your name here?” Each shopper signed in and noted the number of adults, seniors, and children in the household. After signing in, the person walked around the room selecting from the cereal, peanut butter, tuna, and soup. The selected food was placed on the table and bagged to take home, wherever or whatever that was.
On this morning, not blessed with any psychic knowledge, I was totally unaware of experiences waiting for me in the pantry. Never in my wildest thoughts did I envision the hall filled with hungry people, the tiny room packed with fresh produce and jammed with shoppers.
Nor did I for 1 moment ponder the push back I would experience as the number of hungry seeking food grew. Within a few short years, this 2 dozen single homeless men – mostly Woodstock’s colorful characters – had swelled (due to a tanking economy) to over 300 people weekly. This number finally approached 500 people weekly before it was all over.
Now, in the autumn of 2015, our stock market experiences numerous “corrections”. I realize I learned some things over the years which, for me, are ground truths about the pantry.
Feeding the hungry with dignity is the most important thing.
Single homeless men are now far outnumbered by members of the Struggling Class, households of working people holding down 2 and 3 jobs just to pay the rent and buy the gas to get to work.
The 3 most hot button words in the English language are food, sex, and money. These 3 words are concerned with a person’s core beliefs, emotions, and spiritual attitudes. Food and money, or the lack thereof, loom large in pantries.
The sidewalks in our communities and cities have become wards of untreated mentally ill people. In our great nation we don’t hospitalize or otherwise treat many of our mentally ill. Instead, they they are incarcerated.
Some of these untreated mentally ill happen to be homeless. Homeless is not a category of people. It’s just a situation that happens. It can happen to anyone.
The 50+ senior population has many who lack enough $$$ for food and are largely a silent group. The bottom line is this: When our grandparents don’t get enough to eat, they often get sick.
I’m seeing a whole generation of children who have never been inside a grocery store.
Shoppers at our pantry can get a 3-day supply of food weekly. Their job is to make it last 7 days. Many share this food with a pet. Often, the only thing a person has left from a prosperous past is the dog.
The most difficult thing I see in the pantry is a Korean War vet getting food. Something I just can’t understand is how a person who served in a very brutal war, and subsequently spent an adult life working and paying taxes should have to be in a food pantry line in his old age.
Much of the food available to the hungry in food pantries is diverted from its trip to the landfill.
There is absolutely no excuse for anyone in our great nation to go hungry.
Thank you for reading this blog. The story is true. The people are real.
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Thurman Greco
The Talk and 7 Convincing Talking Points
Think back to the time when you were a child. Life was less complicated then, for most of us. Occasionally your parents or grandparents had talks with you about life. Your mother, father, grandmother, teacher may have spoken to you about sex, money, God, doing right from wrong, not stealing. These talks were important.
Well, now you are an adult with your own life. Consciously or unconsciously, these talks shaped you and influence you to this day. The reality is that the person who took the time and effort to make you a successful adult may now be in need of a talk. It is entirely possible that this older person is quietly doing without the food necessary to lead a healthy life.
Why is this happening? Well, the answer may be easy. There are simply more days in the month than money. Many seniors in our country have outlived their pensions, savings, ability to hold down a job. The statistics tell us that one senior in seven does not get enough to eat. One way seniors can be helped is with SNAP.
1. 50+ seniors are eligible for SNAP. If you are a senior, please apply for these benefits your taxes have paid for. You worked all of your life, paid your taxes, contributed to the economy. It is now time for you to benefit from all of the contributions you made throughout your life..
2. SNAP helps you pay for the food you need to live a healthy life. When you eat healthier food, you can prevent and control some chronic health issues. This will lower your medical bills.
3. With SNAP you’ll have more $$$ each month.
4. SNAP is a debit card which offers you privacy. If you don’t want anyone to know that you receive SNAP, they won’t.
5. When you use SNAP, you are benefiting your community. You are bringing $$$ into your local economy which helps farmers, grocers, and local businesses.
6. When you receive SNAP, you are not taking $$$ away from someone else who might need it more. There are enough SNAP benefits for everyone.
7. Contact your local Department of Social Services Office to apply for SNAP.
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Thurman Greco
Children of the Pantries – a tribute to Richard, Jamie, Robert, and Mikey
“Everything tells us that children who grow up in poverty are much more likely to be adults in poverty.” – Peter Edelman
The flier came in the mail last Tuesday – reminding me that, once again, school is starting. Immediately I thought of pantry shoppers everywhere struggling to get the kids ready for school.
I remembered my own childhood with my mother
sewing my school clothes
buying new shoes – saddle oxfords
buying sweaters and a coat
filling a special kitchen cabinet with school lunch snacks
taking me to the local Ben Franklin store with a list of needed school supplies.
2015 is sooo different! All the households I know are now:
scrounging for any and all free hand-me-down school clothes they can find
checking around to find out who has free school supplies to share
connecting with the schools to see if there will be any backpack programs and how school breakfast/lunch programs will be managed at their children’s school this year.
And, all the while, the parents are holding down 2 and 3 jobs. And, invariably, in the midst of all this activity, the car will break down…
Invisible almost, children come with their parents to shop at the pantry weekly for food. These children are beautiful, alert, intelligent. These children are so well behaved in the line and in the pantry. How they stand in the line with their parents/grandparents all that time every week and remain well behaved, I’ll never know. They come for a three-day supply of food which must last seven days. Shopping in a pantry usually takes a couple hours minimum.
As more and more household members work more and more hours at minimum wage jobs to pay more and more money for rent and gas to get to the jobs, more and more families appear in pantry lines. Every time I see a child in the pantry, I’m grateful for the efforts pantry volunteers make to get the most nutritious food they can find and bring back to the pantry.
This is especially important because many pantry families live in food deserts and have no supermarket nearby. People are forced to shop at a:
pharmacy,
gas station food mart,
convenience store.
Sometimes the hungry simply can’t afford the prices in upscale grocery stores and supermarkets.
One household of 4 came weekly to the pantry. The children, Robert and Mikey, came with their parents Richard and Jamie. We all smiled when the Allens arrived at the pantry. Rich drove in with Robert riding shot gun in a bright chartreuse repurposed ambulance which still had the sirens.
Jamie arrived in 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
helped pack the take out bags
assisted the older and infirm shoppers
was loved by everyone
Richard:
stood outside the building as the pantry opened
supervised the parking lot to keep the chaos to a minimum
managed the hallway
knew the stock in the storeroom
made sure the shoppers had help getting their food to cars
made friends with everyone in the shopper line
stood in the pantry room when the shopping line was overcrowded
was always on the lookout for anything which might upset the flow of people into the pantry
taught Robert to break down the used cardboard boxes
taught Robert to haul groceries out to the cars
Richard didn’t teach Robert to climb to the top shelf 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, he came to the pantry room and ate anything that didn’t eat him first…raw.
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 shopped. For many, this was transformational.
Mikey was therapy.
Children are important in a pantry. It’s estimated that 25% of the people receiving food at pantries are children. Hungry children experience more learning difficulties and more illnesses than their well nourished classmates.
If you can, a donation of food or school supplies to a nearby pantry will be extremely helpful.
Thank you for reading this blog. The stories are true. The people are real.
Thanks for your patience. I won’t be publishing articles on this blog quite as frequently while I work to get the reflexology book ready for the publisher.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco
Writers’ Boot Camp Inspiration
I’ve been inspired by the Writers’ Boot Camp experience to knuckle down and finish the reflexology book…AT LAST!
So, I’ll be posting on the hunger/food pantry blog every other week for the next few weeks. I hope you are not inconvenienced by this.
Thank you for your patience and your support.
Thank you for reading this blog.
Please refer this article to your preferred social media network.
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Thurman
http://www.reflexologyforthespirit.com
http://www.goodmorningwoodstock.com
Libraries – and the Hungry
“Hunger and income inequality is probably the single biggest issue facing this country.” – Susan Zimet
LIBRARIES ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO A TOWN, TO A COUNTRY.
Libraries are equal opportunity events offering information, learning, culture for any and all who enter. They also offer an opportunity to get in out of the rain, snow, heat. As far as I can tell, it’s easier to get into a library than it is to get into a lot of pantries.
For one thing, I don’t think you have to prove where you live to get into a library. There may be libraries out there that require proof of address, and other identification but I don’t know about them. (If you know of a library requiring identification or proof of residency to enter, please let me know. I don’t want to be wrong about that.)
Libraries are important to a community. The most important thing I carry in my wallet is my Woodstock Free Library Card. I never have to show it to anyone to use the library. I just walk in the door and all this wonder, this knowledge, this information is available to me…for nothing. But, for some reason, I feel that it’s important to carry it.
At the Woodstock Free Library, a person can even take his/her dog if it’s on a leash.
As soon as I walk in the door, I see the computers. And, of course, they are available to everyone. These computers are sooo important to those of us who are in a situation where there are only funds for rent and gas. For those in the “broke” category, a computer is out of the question.
For those in the homeless category, library computers are even more important because they are a homeless person’s ticket to communication with the outside world…especially offices such as Department of Social Services, Office of the Aging. For a homeless person seeking shelter, they are invaluable. For a housed person seeking a larger or less expensive apartment, they are necessary. A job seeker cannot get hired these days without access to a computer.
We can all get an email address quickly and cheaply at Gmail.
I’ve been connecting with area libraries recently to book a series of speeches I’ll be giving this year. Libraries in communities all around Woodstock are in such wonderful condition. They are right in town in beautiful buildings. Ample parking is available. The libraries are open for extended hours.
They have bathrooms – a luxury that we all need.
I mention these things in a blog about hunger and food pantries because, in a perfect world, I would have a library and a pantry in the same building. It only makes sense really. After all, all the people I see in the pantry are also all the people I see in the library.
Thanks for reading this blog.
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Thurman Greco
