Hunger Is Not a Disease

Abundance 2: LeAnna, Catherine, and Jane – Women, Mothers, and Hunger in the Food Pantry

Abundance.  LeAnna volunteered in the pantry.  She had a business degree, a house, two adorable children and a spouse with a fancy career post somewhere in Europe.  He decided he wanted nothing to do with her anymore.  No money came across the ocean for her and the children.  There was no money for taxes she owned on the house, or anything else for that matter.

LeAnna was happy to take the vegetarian items available each week.  Her children loved fresh vegetables so there was much to choose from.  The girls saw yogurt as a treat.

Catherine had a house full of children including two so close together, I thought they were a set of twins.  She couldn’t get it together to work.  And, I doubt if she could have gotten employment in our area anyway.  This lovely lady had two advanced degrees.

There weren’t many, or possibly any, jobs available in Ulster County in her career field.  And, of course, once a woman gets an advanced degree, the lower level jobs aren’t open to her unless she hides the education.  Sometimes education can be hidden.  Sometimes not.  It all depends on the situation.  The main thing is to get it off the resume.

Catherine was open-minded about the food she selected.  She took anything not tied down.  Because she qualified for cases of USDA, Catherine left the pantry with a case each of pasta sauce, canned corn, green beans, vegetarian beans, refried beans.

When she finished shopping, ten-year-old Robert Allen, our next-to-youngest volunteer, brought out the flatbed metal wheeled cart, put her groceries on it, and wheeled them to her car.  Little toddler Mikey, our youngest volunteer, ran along behind.

I saw Jane, the young mother who couldn’t work because her husband threw her up against a wall, injuring her back.  She had an eight-year-old child she was trying to raise without the luxury of child support.

Jane chose items from shelves where bending and stretching weren’t  necessary because she couldn’t do those things.

And, to return to the beginning of Abundance, these three families and referenes to the critics about  shoppers all owning upscale cars – Catherine, LeAnna, and Jane owned fairly late model SUV’s in good condition.  They invited the criticism of the pantry naysayers when they drove into the parking lot to shop.

Here we had three households, single-headed households in need of food.  If not for a couple of years, then for several months.

For some, feeding hungry people means we fed freeloaders.  Not all hungry people look needy.  Some of the best-dressed people in Woodstock never spent a dime on their clothes.  They had no money for clothes so they shopped at  Family of Woodstock.

Neither of these households was homeless, although they could be when the tax collector came to call.

Neither of these households was without transportation although they could be if the SUV needed expensive repairs.  Nobody in these households looked poverty-stricken although they could be if the car needed repairs.

For the moment, neither LeAnna, Catherine, nor Jane looked poverty-stricken although, they would in time with no child support from the spouse to help with expenses.

These three women had several things in common.  They were divorced.  They had children.  They received no money from the ex-spouse even though each one had a lucrative, influential employment career, money, and a bright future.

There was not a job among them.

There was little or no money for a food budget even.

LeAnna, Catherine, and Jane each lived with abundance on one hand, a large box of unpaid bills on the other hand, and hope, dreams, and fears somewhere in the middle.

The children were eligible for school breakfast and lunch programs.  But, that didn’t give them enough food to eat at home.  And, there was no lunch program for the mothers.

So, it was off to the pantry.  This was a life-changing decision.  Using a pantry requires commitment, endurance, and effort.  Attitudes about food in particular and life in general change.

Pantry shoppers are often self-disciplined, self-controlled, determined to do what is best for the family.

Freeloaders?  What do you think?

Every week when these women shopped I saw myself as a young woman returning from Mexico with my two daughters and nothing but the clothes on my back.  There was no way anyone, just by looking at me, would have known how little I had.

Whether we come to the pantry as shoppers, volunteers, or both, all of us are asked by the pantry to leave; the past behind.  And, of course, that’s different for everyone.

How can we move forward into a new life if we never give anything up?  For some, giving up the past means letting go of the job we lost, the home, the furniture that went in the home, maybe the family, self-esteem, the car, good health.

What happens in the pantry, this shopping, this offloading, has the potential to be the greatest journey of one’s life.  The hungry person learns things in new ways, and sees things never noticed before.  And, finally, there is the knowledge that anything can happen.  When all is said and done, things will never be the same again.  Better off for the experience, thoughts change.

Beliefs and core values are found.

I’m sticking my neck out here to say this.

Being hunger in 21st century America is a spiritual journey involving miracles, forgiveness, endurance, and spiritual healing.  It’s all about discovering that it’s never too late to be who you really are.

That’s what this story is all about.

Thank you for reading this  blog post in two parts.  Please forward it to your preferred social media network.

Thurman Greco

 

SNAP

SNAP is important.  SNAP will help you if you are having trouble buying groceries.

SNAP is important for your community, too, because when you are able to get food with SNAP, you will have cash available to help pay your rent or buy gas to get back and forth to work.

Have you, or has someone you know, applied for SNAP?  SNAP was formerly known as food stamps..  SNAP is about all that’s left in the way of assistance for people because welfare is shrinking and shrinking and shrinking yet again.

If you are having trouble paying for your groceries, now is a good time to apply.  If you’ve applied in the past and were denied, maybe you need to apply again.  You may, after all, have answered a question incompletely or incorrectly and were denied this benefit.  Try again.  You might do better this time around, especially if you or someone in your house is disabled or is a senior with medical expenses.

Some people are reluctant to apply for SNAP because they don’t know if they are eligible.  Or, maybe they applied in the past but were denied.  Many people don’t know how to apply and are overwhelmed by the application.  Some people have never heard of SNAP and think of it as food stamps.

One thing:  If you work, you need to know how to meet the work requirements.

Some information is needed to successfully apply for SNAP.  This information comes in several categories.

Proof of income is necessary.  This comes in the form of pay stubs, social security income information.

An identification is needed.  This might be a State ID, passport, birth certificate, etc.

Bills help.  This will include medical, heating, water, auto, rent.

Your social security number and the numbers of everyone in your household is necessary.

Dependent Care Costs will help.  These include day care costs, child support, attendant for disabled adult.

Contact your local Department of Social Services office to arrange for application assistance.  If this doesn’t work for you, contact your Office on Aging or Catholic Charities.

SNAP is an important benefit which will help you if you are having trouble buying groceries.

SNAP is important for your community, too, because when you are able to get food with stamps, you will have cash available to help pay your rent or buy gas to get back and forth to work.

SNAP is important for your household because you’ll be able to get more food with your SNAP card and you won’t be hungry anymore.

This translates to better health.

Thank you for reading this blog post.

Please share this article with your preferred social media network.

Please forward this article to anyone and everyone you know who might be able to have a better life with SNAP.

Thurman Greco

This book is being published now and will be available soon!

This book will be going to the publisher before the end of the year.

 

There’s all this Food out There

IMG_2647-150x150“While you’re making your way around the room, take what you need of the fresh produce, breads and bakery items.  We’ve got potatoes here and carrots, onions, peppers, spinach, salad mix.  Take what you can eat in 3 days.

“IS THIS YOUR FIRST VISIT?   Welcome!  We hope you’ll come every week.  That’s how you get the best deals.  Come on in.   Go around the pantry in a clockwise direction.  Begin here with a bottle of water.  Now, as you go around the room, can you use a box of cereal?  How about a jar of peanut butter?  We have some jelly today.  Take a jar of mayonnaise, too.”

I was speaking with a new shopper, a young woman who had just come in the door.  She was on the verge of tears.  I  learned  the best way to handle this situation was to  cheerfully guide her through the room.  When a person cried, I  treated the event as though everything was normal.  And, it was normal to see people crying in the pantry occasionally.  If they asked for a tissue, I gave them one.  Other than that, I  ignored the tears.

“No thanks.  I have a jar of mayonnaise at home now.  My kitchen is almost totally empty because my husband hasn’t worked in 7 months.  I’m completely out of food.  But I do have some mayonnaise.”

“Take it anyway.  You never know when we’ll get more in.”  Back on this wall is the USDA section.  Take a can of each type of vegetable or fruit for each person in your household.   That means you can take cans of vegetarian beans, refried beans, green beans, corn, peaches, and tomato sauce.  How many people are in your household? “There’s me, my husband and our 2 daughters.  They’re in elementary school.”

MONTHS LATER HER STORY REVEALED ITSELF.   Her husband, badly injured in an accident, may never work again.  They sold  a piece of land  for money to live on.  One child has diabetes.  Here was a woman struggling against all obstacles to do the best she can to raise her children properly.

I’M ALWAYS PROUD TO CARRY USDA PRODUCTS IN THE PANTRY.   When a person’s kitchen is totally empty, it’s a godsend to be able to take several cans of different foods to put on the shelves at home.  Our tax dollars are at work here.

Let’s consider the United States Department of Agriculture for a moment.  As our country accumulates agricultural surpluses, the food is distributed to those in need.  I always get the feeling that our government is embarrassed by this food.

A much better, more mature, more realistic attitude  is to realize (understand)  it’s impossible to produce only the food we need.  It’s  better to have too much food than too little.

Droughts and floods work on their own schedules and weather is very difficult to control.

CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVE:  FOOD SHORTAGES.

SURPLUS FOOD HAS A DEFINITE PLACE IN OUR COUNTRY:

Diverting food from landfills offers communities an opportunity to feed people who don’t have any money after paying for housing and transportation to work.

Diverting food from landfills offers communities an opportunity to improve our environment.

Diverting food from landfills offers communities an opportunity to ensure that children do not go to school hungry.  This is a major investment in the future because children have a difficult time learning on an empty stomach.

NO ONE IN OUR GREAT NATION SHOULD GO HUNGRY.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

 

 

There Shouldn’t Even Be Pantries

There are sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry.  – Ed Asner

THE CROWD WAS HEAVY THAT AFTERNOON, WITH THE HALLS PACKED.

People had begun to line up two hours early to shop in the pantry.  Every poverty category was gathered outside the door:  artists, crazy poor, disabled poor, elderly poor, employed poor, disabled poor, generational poor, hardworking poor, homebound, homeless, ill poor, mentally ill poor, messed-up poor, musicians, poets, newly poor, resource poor, struggling poor, transient poor, underemployed poor, unemployed poor, veterans, Woodstock’s colorful characters, writers.  They got a three-day supply of food last week and by now it was all gone.

THE PANTRY ROOM OVERFLOWED WITH PRODUCE:  oranges, lemons, carrots, potatoes, onions, eggs, Bread Alone breads, Bella Pasta, packs of organic salad mixes, fresh herbs, mushrooms.  The list seemed endless.

The pantry opened promptly at 3:00 and by 3:02, there were four people already shopping in a line in the pantry room.

PRASIDA, RICH, GUY, TONY, AND ROBYN WERE AT THEIR STATIONS MOVING PEOPLE ALONG.

“Will the next two people in line please come into the pantry room now?”

“We’ve got room for another person here.”

“HEY TONY, HERE COMES ANOTHER BOX”.  I was pitching freshly emptied boxes to Tony about every 2-3 minutes.

“How”‘s it going?  Don’t forget to take a bag of carrots.  We were able to get enough for everyone to take a bag.”

“Wait, wait, wait.  What’s wrong?  You’re crying.  What happened?”

“Oh Thurman, I feel sooo ashamed.  I was at the head of the line.  Suddenly, a man walked in the door who wasn’t a shopper.  He came right up to the line and spoke to us all:  ‘There shouldn’t be any pantries.  None of you should even be here in this building.  All of you should go out and get jobs.’ “

“Thurman, you know I’m too old to work.  Nobody hires people in their 70’s.”

“Listen Beverly, don’t even think about it.  It was nothing.”

“OKAY EVERYONE, LET’S KEEP SHOPPING.” I SAID AS I WENT TO THE PANTRY DOOR AND CALLED TO GUY.

“What’s going on?”

” Thurman, a watcher came in and told everyone in the line that we should all go out and get jobs and that none of us should even be in the building.  Everyone’s upset.  But, we’re handling it.”

“Thanks’s Guy.”

“Here Tony, can you take a couple of extra boxes real fast?”

“Thanks.”

“WE CAN TAKE TWO MORE PEOPLE IN THE PANTRY.”

“Thanks for coming today.  Be sure and take all the bread and salad you want.  Don’t forget to go down to the barn for some frozen food.  We’ve got some good deals down there today.”

“Welcome to the pantry today.”

“Let’s keep the line moving now.”

“TONY, CAN YOU TAKE SOME MORE BOXES?”

On behalf of all the people shopping and volunteering in the Good Neighbor Food Pantry that afternoon, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this blog/book.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

The Wednesday Afternoon Farm Festival in Woodstock

In typical Woodstock fashion, the town fought over the farm festival for years before it finally happened.
FIGHTS LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN WOODSTOCK ALL THE TIME.   Every community improvement takes years of fighting before it becomes a reality. And, while this entertains many people, it holds up progress.
Those years of fighting represented  lost revenue for a town that really doesn’t have a lot of options for income.
Oh well, I’m getting off track here.
THE WEDNESDAY WOODSTOCK FARM FESTIVAL MEANT SOOO MUCH TO THE PANTRY.
But, not how you might think. Symbolism is important here. As people go down the path toward the pantry, they begin to lose their connection to the community. This happens mainly because they have no money to participate in  activities and they’re depressed, embarrassed, sad about being broke, sick, out of a job, going through foreclosure, etc. You put in the words here.
Every situation is different, but the process is the same for the people going down the path.
So, the pantry shoppers, for the most part, didn’t have the money to participate in the farm festival.
MIGLIORELLI FARMS OFFERED A SMALL MIRACLE AT THE END OF EACH MARKET AFTERNOON.   Several volunteers from the Good Neighbor Food Pantry were allowed on the grounds in the final few minutes of the market to load up a car with some of the veggies. We then took them back to the pantry and stacked them to distribute on Thursday.
WHAT A GIFT! Migliorelli Farms offered a real emotional boost to our many shoppers as well as delicious, nutritious food. Migliorelli  fed the body as well as the soul.
Now, the shoppers at least had a small connection to the farm market festival.
Until…one day a member of the Farmers Market Board of Directors called me up and pulled the plug. “You can’t have any more of the produce Thurman. People are not shopping at the market because they’re waiting until Thursday to come to the pantry to get the food free.”
“HOW CAN THIS BE? The pantry shoppers don’t have the money to shop at the farm festival. Have you seen the people who shop at the pantry?” I was shocked to hear such words from a person who had never set foot in our pantry.
“Don’t even try to talk me out of this Thurman. Our Board voted on this. The Migliorelli food will be donated to an agency in Kingston. It will not be wasted. You will not get any more of the Migliorelli produce.” And, with that, she hung up.
I was stunned. I felt as if someone had hit me.
AND, IT WASN’T THE FOOD THAT DID IT.   Our pantry was going to continue to have enough food. The Food Bank offered beautiful, fresh, organic produce every week, all year around. All we had to do was go up and get it. And, go get it we would. Our pantry commitment to fresh produce was serious.
The pantry shoppers, many of whom had absolutely no money at all were being denied participation in a local event that anyone could get in to…all it took was money.
Then, somehow, I’ll never know how, a miracle occurred. Someone (some people) spoke to someone (some people) and attitudes were adjusted.
WE WERE ALLOWED TO GET PRODUCE AGAIN.
I never knew how this happened. And, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that some person (people) fought for the pantry. And, they didn’t care whether anyone else knew what they did.  They just wanted the produce to stay in our community.  They just did whatever was necessary to get the food to the hungry.  Rules were changed.  Votes were changed.

FOR THAT, I’M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.

Whoever brought about this change created a positive energy ripple effect.

Whoever brought about this change definitely made me realize that all is not lost in this world.

In spite of this, I never felt comfortable with the farm market food again.  I felt each Wednesday’s gift from Migliorelli’s Farms might be the last.  I held my breath as Guy drove the van over for the produce.  I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it return with fresh produce.

When the farmers’ market returned the next spring, I waited (quietly apprehensive) to hear words from Rick:  “Thurman, Migliorelli is going to share its produce with the pantry this summer”.

Even as I heard those words, I didn’t believe them until I actually saw the produce.  I always had a well formed Plan B ready in case we had to start making extra trips to Albany on Thursday morning.  The need for fresh produce for our shoppers was great.

For the most part, these people were all in the process of losing so much.  It was up to me to keep Thursday produce on the agenda at the pantry.

At the Reservoir Food Pantry, we are extremely proud to have Migliorelli Farms sponsor us.  Our shoppers have beautiful, fresh Migliorelli vegetables every week .  What a beautiful gift!

Thank you.  From the bottom of my heart.

ON BEHALF OF THE MANY SHOPPERS WHO USE THE PANTRY, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS BLOG/BOOK.

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Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

 

 

 

Spaghetti Sauce – That’s what it’s all about in a food pantry.

I’ve always had issues with spaghetti sauces.
MY MOTHER NEVER PREPARED A SPAGHETTI SAUCE.   She cooked in the classic French manner. Her family was one of the first settlers in Texas and had one of the largest ranches in the state so beef was on the table every day. Her meals focused on extremely thick steaks, composed salads with chopped apples, raisins, nuts arranged on a bed of lettuce in the middle of a salad plate and dressed with her own specially prepared poppy seed dressing.

The steaks were always at least two to four inches thick and were cooked at least medium rare. My mother learned the cooking and nutritional rules of her day and lived by those principles until she died.
SHE NEVER TAUGHT ME TO COOK.   “I want you to do other things with your life than cook. We’ve got can openers now. I’ll show you how to operate one of those when you get married.” True to her word, she did and I did.
As I set up my own kitchen right after getting married, one of the first things I taught myself to prepare was a tomato sauce to be served on spaghetti. It was easy, cheap, and just my speed.

THE RECIPE INCLUDED TWO  28-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, a 6-ounce can of tomato sauce, 1 cup water. It was seasoned with a teaspoon of dried basil, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of dried oregano. I put 1 clove of crushed garlic in a large pot along with 2 tablespoons olive oil and browned the garlic. Then, I added everything else and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
I CAN’T SAY I’M A COOK.   However, I can say that, like my mother before me, I lived with a set of guidelines learned about nutrition, food safety, and how to follow a simple recipe to the “t”.

YEARS LATER,  my second spouse took cooking classes on Tuesday evenings at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, MD. It was glorious. He never really cooked a pasta sauce either. He finally ended up in what was for him a dream job as a vegetarian chef for Marriott and I never complained. After all, he did all the grocery shopping and cooking. What was there to complain about? Life was glorious!

MORE YEARS LATER, IN THE GOOD NEIGHBOR FOOD PANTRY,  I ENCOUNTERED YET MORE ISSUES WITH SPAGHETTI SAUES.   For one thing, there weren’t any. Pasta was available maybe half the time. But, the traditional jars and cans of spaghetti sauce were very difficult to find on the order list. It’s a shame too, because homeless or near-homeless people lack kitchens and to be able to open a can or jar of spaghetti sauce and heat it up in a pan over a burner or in a microwave would have been a real treat.
At one point, the USDA inventory included a low salt spaghetti sauce loaded with sugar. People took it home but we all knew that if they had diabetes, life could get complicated. This sauce certainly met the requirements for a low-salt product.
FINALLY, IN  2012, Progresso came out with a series of canned cooking sauces. And, following their policy of generous donations, they sent a huge shipment of them to the Food Bank.

HURRAY! I was able to buy these sauces for sixteen cents per pound which was well within my budget and many cans were available. And, buy them I did. One of them, Fire Roasted Tomato, appeared to be adaptable to a simple pasta sauce situation. While they were certainly not the traditional spaghetti sauces, they worked.

THAT’S REALLY WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT IN A PANTRY.   We get the best fit we can based on what’s available. The shoppers take it home to wherever that is (tent, camper, room, apartment) and fake it. Welcome to the world of those who have no money for food.
Peace and food for all.
Thank you for reading this blog/book.
Please share this article with your preferred social media network.
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GNP43

Thurman Greco

Inspections in the Good Neighbor Food Pantry in Woodstock

“As I finish writing about this unpleasant part of my life, I tell myself that was then, and there is now, and the years between now and then, and the then and now are one.”-Lillian Hellman

As the coordinator of a Food Bank pantry, I was trained by, supervised by, evaluated by, and inspected by the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley.

THESE INSPECTIONS WERE ALWAYS INFORMATIVE, INTERESTING, AND A RELIEF TO HAVE BEHIND ME.   I categorized them in several “Stages”.

A STAGE ONE INSPECTION   was  pre-arranged by either the Food Bank or myself.  The representative from the Food Bank showed up at the appointed time, carried a clip board with a form which was filled out. After the inspection, we all signed the paperwork, made small talk and the person left.

The questions dealt with the food on the shelves, how clean the room was, how far the shelves were from the walls. The Good Neighbor Food Pantry never passed this 6″ limit but no one ever said anything. The pantry room was simply too small.

A STAGE TWO INSPECTION WAS A PHONE CALL.

“Thurman, how are you doing? I’m calling because we’ve received a complaint.  Someone called and reported  a shopper  standing outside the pantry crying. What happened?”

“I don’t know.  I’ll  get back with you as soon as I can find out?”

“When do you think we’ll hear from you?”

“As soon as possible. I’ll ask some volunteers and  get a handle on the situation. Thanks for calling.”

At a Stage Three inspection, someone called, wrote, or visited the Food Bank with enough venom, concern, clout (you choose the word) to cause a person to get up from his/her desk, go out to the parking lot and drive to Woodstock to inspect the situation in person on the same day.

MY FIRST STAGE THREE INSPECTION WAS THE RESULT OF A PHONE COMPLAINT, I THINK.   I never knew for sure. Things were urgent enough that a USDA inspector came out from Albany in a State of New York car. He was a handsome young African American  man (in his 40’s) wearing  a white shirt and conservative necktie. The minute he walked in the door, I knew something was up. After all, who ever comes to the pantry in Woodstock wearing a shirt and necktie?

When he left two hours later, he knew “what color my skivvies were” as my grandmother used to say. He went over inch of the pantry, asked a million questions and took a kazillion notes. This man not only found out everything there was to know about the pantry, he realized early on that I was a brand new coordinator.

HE BECAME A WONDERFUL TEACHER AND I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW TO MANAGE A PANTRY FROM HIM.   I asked him a million questions back and also took a kazillion notes. When he left, I felt I had a friend and the knowledge I gained gave me confidence  in my performance. Needless to say, my score was wonderful.

When  in Albany the next week, I told one of the Food Bank employees about my   recent inspection. Her face blanched as I talked.  This gentle, well mannered, kind young man was the nastiest inspector on the circuit. He was only sent out when someone was really messing things up and needed to be “taken to the woodshed.”

A NOTE TO WHOMEVER COMPLAINED THAT DAY:   the inspection was thorough, fair.   I passed with flying colors.  Thanks!

One important thing I learned from him: It’s not necessary to ask shoppers for identification. No one is required to show anything to get food. The people do need, however, to share their names, the number of people in the household and how many seniors, adults, and children are in the household.

HE ESPECIALLY LIKED THE CHAIRS LINING THE HALLWAY AND THE FRESH PRODUCE IN THE PANTRY.

As he left, he had one suggestion:  get office space in the pantry.  He and I both knew that it  wasn’t going to happen. The building committee finally allowed me to  store records but I couldn’t use any space as an office.

AND, OF COURSE, BOTH THE CHAIRS AND THE PRODUCE WERE VERY CONTROVERSIAL.

AFTER I FINAGLED STOREROOM SPACE, I REQUESTED AN INSPECTION.   I wanted to avoid a confrontation further down the road if the room didn’t meet  Food Bank standards. We passed that inspection.

EVERYTHING WAS CLEAN, SAFE, AND SANITARY.

ONCE WE BEGAN OUR TAKE OUTS, A FOOD BANK INSPECTOR CAME OUT AND SPENT ABOUT TWO HOURS WITH PEGGY JOHNSON.   She answered all Peggy’s questions, got a very clear understanding of what Peggy was doing, how she was doing it, and who was receiving the food. When she left, Peggy was confident in her role of Take Out Manager for the pantry.

WHEN MIRIAM’S WELL WAS ON THE ROAD, WE HAD AN INSPECTION UNDER THE TREE AT ST. GREGORY’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH.   No one was ever more excited about that inspection than I. We were  proud of Miriam’s Well and how the shoppers were responding to the experience.

WE HAD ONE DISTURBING STAGE THREE INSPECTION.   I pulled into the parking lot one pantry day afternoon to find a Food Bank representative  waiting for me.

“Thurman, we’ve received some serious complaints about a volunteer stuffing her vehicle with food while hungry people are lined up and waiting to receive their food at the Mass Food Distributions. What is the story here? Is this a fair distribution of food?”

“I’ll look into it immediately.”

OVERALL, OUR INSPECTIONS WERE POSITIVE.   The only negative one was the inspection in the parking lot of the food pantry.

Peace and food for all.

Thank you for reading this blog/book.

Please share this article with your preferred social media network.

Please leave a comment.

Thurman Greco

A New Family Visits the Good Neighbor Food Pantry in Woodstock for the First Time

“Is this your first visit? Welcome. We hope you’ll come every week. That’s how you get the best deals. Come on in. Go around the room in a clockwise direction. Start here with a bottle of water. Now, as you go around the room, can you use a box of cereal? How about a jar of peanut butter? We have some grape jelly today. Take a jar of mayonnaise, too.”
“No thanks. I have a jar of mayonnaise at home now. My kitchen is almost totally empty because my husband hasn’t worked in seven months. I’m completely out of food. But I do have a jar of mayonnaise.”
“Take it anyway. You never know when we’ll get more in. Back on this wall is our USDA section. You can take two cans of each type of vegetable or fruit for each person in your household. That means you can take two cans of vegetarian beans, refried beans, green beans, corn, peaches, and tomato sauce for each person. How many people are in your household?”
“There’s me, my husband and my two little girls. They’re in elementary school.”
“With four people, in your household, you can take eight cans of each of the USDA foods.”
I was always proud to have the USDA foods. When a person’s kitchen is totally empty, it’s a godsend to be able to take several cans of different items to put on the shelves. Our tax dollars are at work here.
“While you’re making your way around the room, take what you can of the fresh produce, breads and bakery items. We’ve got potatoes here and carrots, onions, peppers, spinach, salad mix. Take what you need from the 100-lb. bags of onions and carrots. Take what you can eat in three days.”
“Over here in this section, we have a shelf of canned miscellaneous items. You may take one item from this shelf. Underneath, we have #10 cans. Take one if you think you can use something that large. As you go along, be sure and take some mushrooms, tomatoes, celery, yams. Don’t forget the Progresso cooking sauce. Can you use a box of crackers? We’ve got some Triscuits today. How about bread? There’s a lot of Bread Alone bread today. Take what you need. Up on the top shelf we’ve got corn flakes.”
On and on this went as the people circled around the room.
Months later her story revealed itself. Her husband was badly injured in an accident and will probably never work again. They owned a piece of land which they sold for money to live on. One child has diabetes. Here was a woman struggling against many obstacles to raise her two daughters properly.
Thanks for reading this blog/book.
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Peace and food for all.
Thurman Greco

Paul Shultis, Jr., and The Men of Woodstock and 4 Categories of food

In the last post Gene Huckle suggested that I go to a Woodstock Town Board meeting and try to get a truck.

So I did.  I went to a Town Board meeting and asked the Town to drive a truck over and pick up the food for the pantry.  What did I have to lose, right?  Well, that request went nowhere.  However, townspeople responded.  Calls came in from area residents.  And several volunteered monthly.

After that, I would put an item in the “Woodstock Times” newspaper on the week before the shipment arrival asking for volunteers.  People just showed up at the Hannaford’s.

Paul Shultis, Jr., became a “regular”.  He showed up every month driving a heavy  duty pickup with a trailer attached to the rear.  His rig could carry 4,000 pounds easy.  I loved, loved, loved the sight of that rig coming up to the pantry door filled with food.  Paul Shulti, Jr., took time off from work every month so he could caravan the food from the Hannaford’s to the pantry.

We would never in a million years have been able to get the food to the pantry without the generosity and dedication that Paul and the townspeople showed as they arrived at the Hannaford’s parking lot every month.

Each month I spent the week before the delivery day calling the Food Bank daily to place the food order.  I started the order on Monday and then added to it throughout the week.  On Monday I ordered food from four different categories:

USDA

Donated Foods

Salvage Food

Coop Food

I ordered everything I could get from the free United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food first.  The USDA food is part of the government’s farm subsidy program which includes, among other things, distributing excess food to the hungry.

The next post will focus on how the Food Bank works to get the food for us.

Thanks again for reading this blog/book.

Peace and food for all.

Thurman Greco

Woodstock

I ordered