Hunger Is Not a Disease

Food Pantry Rules

A food pantry is what it is because of three things:

the economic situation at the moment

the volunteers

the people who shop there.

The people come together looking for groceries but often, they want and need far more.

While the coronavirus pandemic rages, the food pantry lines get longer every pantry day because people, families, deal with change they didn’t ask for.

In short, they are rewriting their destiny stories without a road map or instructions.

A number of the people in the pantry, both shoppers and volunteers,  didn’t know about food pantries until circumstances  set up a situation where they suddenly looked around a room and realized where they were.

There is a name for their category – SITUATIONAL POOR.

A person fits into the situational poor category when s/he lands in a situation created by an event such as a hurricane, fire, floor, pandemic, or other disaster which destroys the home, car, job.

Pantries offer much – peace, community, spiritual connection, groceries.  I always think of a food pantry in the basement of a church as a cross between a church service and a busy pizza place.

A food pantry, and those connected with it, are not a program.  They are a community.  As volunteers, all we really do is open the door.  As all the hungry people walk through the door, they undergo a change somehow.

Each person in a pantry, in whatever capacity, has experienced rejection in some way – too young, too old, too crazy, too sick, too poor, not poor enough.

The food pantry experience  does not heal a person, nor does it change the story.

The food pantry experience does not offer therapy.

The food pantry is, instead, a conduit for each person’s own healing.

FOOD PANTRY RULES

Sign your name in the register as you enter the pantry.

Find a place in line.

Do not crowd or block the door to the pantry room.

No more than 2 shoppers are allowed in the pantry at one time.

No more than one new shopper is allowed in the pantry at one time.

Shop for a three-day supply of food for everyone in your household.

Place your selections on the table as you shop.

Respect the restrictions on certain foods.

Finish your shopping in 10 minutes.

Once you begin to bag your groceries, do not continue to shop.

Because the food availability is different each time you shop, it is best to visit the food pantry weekly.

Thank you.

Thurman Greco

P.S.  The rules may be different at the pantry where you shop.  Each food pantry is different.  The space is different.  The times the pantry is open is different.  The management is different.

These  specific rules were used in the food pantry I managed where the people were many, the space small, and the hours few.

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Prayer for the Hungry – Number 2

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O Heavenly Father

I offer You gratitude for all Your blessings and love which You continually share with parents struggling with underemployment, poor health, insufficient food, transportation challenges.

I ask You, the source of all living things, to protect and guard parents who shop at the pantry.

Help them listen to their children’s needs as they struggle to live a life with insufficient resources… time, money, housing, health care.

Offer the peace which can only come when they know that You are a part of their lives every day.

O Heavenly Father, help them overcome their greatest fear – hunger.

Guide their lives so that no one in their household is hungry.

Encourage them to see the positive aspects of their lives.

Teach them to co-create abundance

Give them the courage to reach out when their needs are overwhelming.

Let them know that  they can be secure in their paths.

Teach them to travel through their lives with grace.

Offer them the wisdom they need to hear Your guidance.

When, if…they question the struggle, please let them know You are with them always.

Please, gently touch their lives with your healing hands when health issues become almost too much to bear.

I ask these things in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

 

Thank you for reading this blog dedicated to food pantries.

Please share this prayer on your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock, NY

Art Work  donated by Jennette Nearhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Successfully Shop at a Food Pantry

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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.

Thank you for reading this blog/book.

Please share this article with your preferred social media network.  Also, please share this information with anyone who may be able to use it.

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Peace and food for all..

Thurman Greco

Are You Afraid in the Pantry ?

“Are you ever afraid in the pantry?” the woman asked. She was at a talk I gave about hunger. “No.” I answered. “Never. Not in the pantry. The pantry is a safe haven.”
But, I did understand her question. It went much deeper than fear in the pantry. This woman was reaching out. We live in perilous times. ISIS, police, illness, hurricanes, rapists, purse snatchers, you name it. Danger appears to be everywhere around us.

Many, many people live in fear. Many of those are afraid to voice their fears.
When I write about specific health issues on my reflexology blog, fear is almost always a factor.
Well, there are things we can all do to cope. There’s no need to live a life feeling vulnerable.
For starters, we can protect ourselves. I practice several different forms of protection.
Prayer
Meditation
Visualizations
Preparation

Every Saturday morning, promptly at 9:30, I can be found entering the Fitness Connection in Kingston where I study self defense under trainer Paul LaCroix. I’m there for an hour each week learning finger jabs, wrist escapes, double wrist escapes, elbow smashes, kicks, bear hug escapes, and ground defense techniques. Paul teaches new things every week. Basically, he’s teaching me that my elbows and knees are weapons to be used in case of attack or assault……
Paul’s classes are a lot more fun than doing repetitions in a gym, that’s for sure. And, the added bonus is that I feel as if I’m prepared for an unknown assailant.
And, of course, I feel as if I’m going to be a bit of a surprise for anyone who thinks that as a 70+ year old cotton top, I’ll be an easy mark.

I’ll be blogging more in the future about self protection techniques. We all need these tools because it’s important to feel safe both physically and spiritually.

In the meantime, you’re invited to join Paul’s Saturday morning class. It’s ongoing and it’s adaptable to different age, strength, and skill level.
See you there!