Serious post. If you have any extra money at all, please read.

[Lyric]

(cross-posted to The Lounge and General Discussion)

Right now, food prices are going up and food bank donations are down. As a member of the "poor class" (with some education, thank goodness) please let me humble myself to ask.

If you have any extra money, PLEASE donate to your local food bank. Poor Americans are in a dire situation. You know the annoyingly high electricity and gas bill you're paying? Poorer Americans are dealing with the same thing, with less resources. I personally know of a woman just a couple of mobile homes down who's eating canned cat food and rice. There's an elderly woman down the street who's living on canned green beans and white rice.

People are desperate. Please god, if you have anything you can spare...help. If you need help finding a resource, I will PERSONALLY assist you. Consider this a request on my knees. I will GLADLY volunteer my time, but I'm just as poor as they are. I have no money to give. This request to those who are better off than me is the best I can do.

Please, please. Even if it's just cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie mix from your cupboard. Anything helps.

On my knees for the hungry of America,
Brandy

[mloutre]

1. Already doing that on a weekly basis. Great post, Brandy, THANKS!

[Lyric]

7. I wish I could do more.

But we are just as poor ourselves.

This is the best I can do for my poor and/or elderly neighbors in the trailer park...and in poor neighborhoods nationwide.

I am doing what I can. Everything I can.

:hug:

Brandy

[mloutre]

9. Absolutely no apologies necessary. You're doing a lot just by putting up this post.

And by volunteering your time to help your neighbors -- not just by helping them get an extra can of baked beans or two when they need it most, but by doing THE most important thing of all:

Hearing them, feeling them, spending time with them, reaching out for them, letting them know that they are not alone and unloved.

Greater love hath no man or woman than to do these things for those around them.

Blessed be, Brandy. And do not doubt. You are helping them more than you can ever know.

[fight4my3sons]

2. k&r

thank you :)

[liberalmuse]

3. Thank you for reminding me.

It's time to make a donation.

[TomInTib]

4. I would like to thank you for this post.

I have certainly enjoyed better times along the way, but donating to the food banks brings me great (tho hardly affordable) joy.

Both of our Town's grocery stores have collection barrels.

[K8-EEE]

5. Thanks for the reminder

It's been awhile since I last donated. K&R.

[glowing]

6. If every dollar that was sent to Obama or a politician was matched to a

food bank, we would be lifting up ourselves and helping those who really need the relief now.. Not 2 or 3 yrs down the road when some kind of half-assed policy is passed.

[AllentownJake]

10. True

and if every $ that was spent gambling in this country was matched we wouldn't have a need for welfare. Our democracy is rather cheap when you take a look at where Americans spend their money.

[xxqqqzme]

38. That's part of the problem - the

publicans have everyone thinking taxes are bad! Trying to drown the government HAS cheapened it. We need to start thinking of tax dollars as an investment in our country. Providing quality public education is a long term investment as is repairing/replacing our infrastructure. Making certain people are secure in their homes w/ clothes and food is huge investment in our country.

This past quarter our DFA group dedicated our volunteer hours & money to our county food bank. It is heart wrenching to know so many are going without.

[Skidmore]

16. Good community organizing idea to send to the Obama campaign.

We have an effort in our area to provide "Farmer's Market Dollars" to the elderly who are on very low incomes so that they can purchase produce at a very low cost or get it for free at the local farmer's market.

[Lyric]

8. My eternal thanks to everyone who is taking this seriously.

I live in a trailer park. We are POOR. I know many, many poor families with children. Begging my fellow, better-off DU'ers is the least that I can do.

We get Food Stamps, and even WE are going through our pantry, looking for whatever we can do without. A woman came to my door today--68 years old and retired. Her husband is disabled. They are practically starving, living on wet cat food and rice. We're leaving a package on their porch tomorrow. If we, Food Stamp recipients who barely make 10k a year can afford to do so, ANYONE can.

:grouphug:

My love to anyone who cares for strangers in need. And my promise--I will personally vouch for the people in need that I know.

Brandy

[AllentownJake]

11. Will do

I have a case of my Father's favorite soup that we had to special order he asked for before he died. I'll take it to the foodbank. Hopefully there are people with a taste for pepper pot in my area.

[Lyric]

12. I'm sure there are.

Hungry people care about FOOD and little more beyond it.

Shameless :kick:

[antigop]

13. oktoberain, I will send in my monthly check as long as I am able.

K&R

[dgibby]

14. Thanks.

Thank you for posting. I will do what I can to help. Also, you might want to post this in the DU gardening group, as excess produce from the garden could be donated. In addition, if you can, start a community garden-a great way to help your neighbors. Good luck, and keep up the good work.

[mloutre]

15. Listen, yo. No matter how much you have, or how little you have, you can do this thing.

This is where the rubber meets the road, y'all.

This is where it gets real.

If you have only two cans of baked beans in your cupboard, give one to the person who doesn't have any.

If you have two only dollars in your wallet, give one to the person who doesn't have any.

If you have only two hours to spare tomorrow, give one of them to those who need your help.

If you have the time & wherewithal to sit there where you are and read this message online right now, then you have the ability to make a very real difference to those who need it most tomorrow.

Don't just sit there and be a mouse potato. Get up off your asterisk and do something to help those who need it most.

Trust me, you'll go to sleep tomorrow night feeling a whole lot better about yourself.

And for all the right reasons, too.

And if that ain't worth it, then I don't know what is.

[mloutre]

17. please go kick and rec this where it's cross-posted also:

GD: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3608404

Lounge: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7914970

[Undercurrent]

18. Beautiful post, and so very much needed now, more than ever.

The reptiles have done deep damage to our economy, and people are suffering. I think the economy will get worse before it gets better, even after Obama is elected because of the falling dollar, and the "delayed ripple effect". Not just here at home, but globally.

We need to help each other.

[Nay]

19. Oktoberain, when I donate, is it better to just give money, or do food

banks really do better with actual food? If they prefer food, what would be some of the better things to give? Mr Nay donates money to the local food bank regularly, and I'd like to know if that's the best way.

[Lyric]

20. Honestly?

Food banks do a better job of bargain shopping than we ever could.
But I would caution--caution, not warn against--establishments with a religous agenda to portend to.

ANY secular group = YAY
ANY religious group = Make sure they at least do not discriminate between clients; that a GLBT client is as able to get help as anyone else.

:grouphug:

Brandy

[Nay]

21. Thanks. I'm an atheist, and would rarely or never donate to religious

groups -- certainly not any in this area. It's full of RWers.

[michaz]

23. I can tell you this, I am a secretary at a Catholic Church here in our town.

We collect food items constantly, as do all the churches here, and then it is given to the "Neighborhood Center" where they give it out as needed. Every week when I do the church bulletin I have a spot for this and let the parishioners know what foods are needed the most each month. I can tell you there is a lot, and I mean a lot, of food collected. We also give gas vouchers to people in need for gas so they can get to their Dr.'s appointments. I have seen a very large increase in this over the last few months. We also give out grocery store cards for people in need of immediate help. I can't tell you the times I have seen Father give money out of his own pocket. There are no "strings attached" to these people either and they are certainly not all Catholics or any other religion.

[mloutre]

33. thank you for making it clear that not all religious charity is discriminatory by default.

And *major* props to you and your church community for all the things you are doing to help those in need, no matter who and what and why they are.

[Hippo_Tron]

34. When I last visited second-harvesters what they really needed was manpower

Their warehouse was packed to the rafters with food. They needed people to distribute it.

[leftyclimber]

22. Logged in just to K&R.

:hug:

[rasputin1952]

24. K&R They recently had the Postal Food Drive here,

the postman left a nice note, and laughed at me the next day when he said he almost got a hernia because I left 3 bags; stuff was on sale, so I lucked out and could get some pretty good stuff.

[DarkTirade]

25. I don't have a whole lot to spare, but I'll K&R this one to keep it visible for others.

:thumbsup:

[caraher]

26. Thanks for the timely post

I'm doing OK and it's good to be reminded where extra help is needed.

[Lyric]

27. Kicking

For the sake of hungry people nationwide....

:grouphug:

[Uben]

28. I wonder if they'll take fresh fish?

I'm retired and do a lot of fishing. Been doin it for years. I catch a lot of fish and throw them back because my freezer is full and my friend's are too! I could donate a lot of fresh fish to any charity in my area if they have the resources to store and distribute. I could freeze the filets for them if they have freezers to store them. I could donate something like fifty to a hundred pounds a month easily. I'll check the local food banks and missions. I already give some directly to those less fortunate than I, and they are overjoyed to get them. But, it's really hard to know who is the most needy. I'm sure there are single moms and elderly folks who would love a fresh fish dinner rahter than eating from a can. Finding those people is much harder than catching the fish. Any ideas?

[maddezmom]

29. that sounds like a very generous offer, I'd contact Second Harvest

and see if they could help you.

http://www.secondharvest.org/how_to_help/donate_food/

Good Luck. :hi:

[DangerousRhythm]

30. A helpful hint for anyone who's in need...

I like cooking economically and frugally and I must say one of the cheapest, most nutritious and tasty meals I make is a giant 5 or 6qt pot of split pea soup. It lasts us a week or more and bags of split peas (you only need 2 bags per pot) cost around 40 cents each. Add a bunch of carrots to that for a dollar or less, if you can afford it, a tin of ham from the dollar store goes nicely in it, chopped to your liking. A few cloves of garlic is great flavoring for it and a bulb of garlic should probably cost no more than 25 cents. All you need is some salt and pepper which can be acquired for free at most fast food joints. So, basically, you get many nutritious meals for the week for around 3 bucks. :D

Anyway, it's super cheap and easy to make, and split pea is full of protein and vitamins. Just follow the instructions on the back of the bag. You can add or subtract ingredients according to taste and need which makes it pretty flexible. :)

[JustAnotherGen]

32. I responded to the OP without reading

Other posts.

Great idea Dangerous! I'll add the fixings to my bags I bring with me next week! :-)

[Baby Snooks]

40. Been there, done that..

And vegetable soup is just as easy to make, a little more expensive but not much, and both are certainly more tasty than Ramen noodles not to mention more nutritious. Add a pound of hamburger to the vegetable soup and you have vegetable beef soup for a week. Instead of just four hamburgers. Necessity is the mother of invention. But also the mother of discovery. Or rediscovery. We forget how inexpensive good nutrition really is. Even when the price of food is going up.

[DangerousRhythm]

46. Indeed.

I just made a great soup out of store brand beef broth (cheap!), barley and 25 cent "La Moderna" brand pasta stars... threw some carrots, celery, garlic and spices in and it was delicious! It lasted us about four days and was super cheap to make. Good nutrition is truly inexpensive when compared with the cost of a meal at McDonald's. For the cost of your average Quarter Pounder meal, let's say, I could probably eat real food, healthier food, for close to two weeks.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. k/r

Going down to volunteer at the Essex County food bank again next Saturday. I always go with food - and if you guys can afford it . . . Milk is a big item there (we have a refrigerated section in ours) as are cheese, eggs, bread, pasta, pasta sauces, and canned meats - think Tuna. People can stretch their meals with this.


If you can't afford it - then your time is always appreciated. It's messy volunteering - but in two hours of your time with a group of other people you would be amazed at how much food can be sorted and put out on shelves.

[Swagman]

35. who could possibly ignore this plea ?. personally I've gone out

and found people in my own community who need help.

There's a double benefit here: 1; you are obviously helping someone in great need (oktoberain is correct-the problem is huge)

and 2: the feeling you get from helping others in need does wonders for your soul-you get hooked on it !

[Spiffarino]

36. We had a huge food drive in Asheville, NC

Manna Food Bank's donations are down and the need is way up. The people of this town came through in a big way, but the need for more food will continue to rise as long as prices go up and wages remain stagnant.

Too many people can't afford to simultaneously feed themselves and get to work. Just another failure in a long line of miserable failures brought to you by George W. Bush and the Republicans.

[Blue Gardener]

37. If you have extra produce from your garden

They will probably take that as well. Plan ahead and plant a little extra next year if you can.

[Autumn Colors]

39. Can they use food coupons?????

I've gotten heavily into coupon trading and am often able to get the Sunday inserts in multiples. We're really scraping by ourselves, but if the food banks do a lot of bargain shopping with the cash donations, I can certainly give them stacks and stacks of coupons for food and household items to combine with the cash donations.

What do you think?

For those DU'ers looking for extremely cheap food, if you are near any hotels that have free newspapers for guests, try going in on Sunday morning and finding the paper and getting the coupon inserts out of them.

I've been able to get free boxes of Rice-a-Roni by hoarding the 50-cent coupons and then waiting for the local supermarket to mark them down to $1.00 per box. They double the coupon, so the Rice-a-Roni (or Pasta Roni) is FREE.

I highly recommend this site for coupon trading and databases for knowing what's on sale at any store in your area as well as all known coupons that are out there.

http://www.hotcouponworld.com
(my user name is the same over there, so look me up)

[TomClash]

41. The NYC food bank gets a regular donation from me

NO ONE should go hungry - ever. No one should have to choose between food or clothing or shelter - ever.

[Zhade]

42. You make me feel ashamed.

I haven't been helping.

What's wrong with me?

Going to donate RIGHT NOW.

EDIT: Done.

[1Hippiechick]

43. REMEMBER THE KIDS IN THE PROJECTS WHO ARE HOME FROM SCHOOL DURING THE SUMMER

Many people do not realize that the only food that some children can count on is what they receive at school. So, besides all the other many needs that they receive daily, our local Loaves and Fishes also feeds the kids in the projects--predominantly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I asked the director today what Loaves & Fishes needs. Her reply? "Everything"

May I also remind ppl to get involved with their local homeless shelter? If you've never darkened the door or prepared meals there, you will be surprised at what you see: loving, grateful people--in some cases, entire families. "There but for the grace of God go I."

[blondie58]

44. Thank you so much for posting this, Brandy

you are so right- there is such a need. As a letter carrier, I see how much we collect the 2nd Saturday of each May, but I'm sure that it is already getting depleted. That poor couple- cat food and rice? That is just not right to let this happen in America.

[ncliberal]

45. Meals on Wheels is also a good place to donate time or money.

Please keep them in mind also. Unfortunately, there are some people that can't get to a food bank.

This program is losing volunteers due to high gas prices. They are also having a hard time feeding people due to rising food costs. Some locations are no longer delivering daily meals. I saw a story about a Meals on Wheels program in California that had to switch from daily deliveries to deliveries every 14 days. The results were catastrophic. For many people that meal is the only thing they eat all day.

Our local program is run by the Council on Aging. I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere.