There are a lot of hungry people in our area who don’t have money to buy food.
If you don’t believe me, I refer you to the “From Truck to Trunk” event spearheaded by Action Church and held Saturday at East Ridge Elementary School.
The organizers gave away – repeat, no charge, free – more than 2,100 30-pound boxes of food to those who are – and I’m going to use a politically correct phrase – “food insecure.”
People pulled up in their cars, provided some information to organizers, pulled forward and had the box loaded up in the trunk of their car. That box contained 10 pounds of taters, a gallon of milk, yogurt, fruit, cheese, hot dogs, some chicken and more.
Organizers of the event said the food came from the federal government and it was destined for hurricane relief along the gulf coast. It was explained that the trucks couldn’t get through, and instead of turning around and taking it back to where it came, or perhaps chucking it all, it wound up through the efforts of a few who recognized the need in our area. East Ridge got one of the trucks of food.
Daniel Beard, the Pastor of Action Church, posted on Facebook that his church will be starting a food pantry in the near future. If it gets up and running, and there’s no reason to believe to the contrary, it won’t be the only church in the city helping feed the unfortunate.
East Ridge Methodist Church on Prater Road has been operating a food pantry for several years. They do a bang up job twice a month to anyone that is hungry and needs help. The parking lot is packed on most days the pantry is operating.
Here’s a link to the pantry’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Charity-Organization/East-Ridge-Community-Food-Pantry-101585781247147/
I don’t know who the hungry are in East Ridge, though I did see one of my neighbors, an Hispanic immigrant who works long and hard every day, come in with what appeared to be a box from this event.
I would imagine some of the hungry are the elderly folk who own their homes, yet watch them fall into disrepair. Many of them, I’m assuming, are living on Social Security checks that just might pay for the utilities, put some groceries on the table, and cover the cost of prescription drugs. The decaying eaves and rotting windows being replaced … no way. The grass! Please. Gotta some way, some how pay that property tax bill that just came in the mail. Remember, there’s no relief from property taxes for seniors.
I would imagine some of the hungry are the children, who normally get fed when they go to school on “free or reduced lunch” programs. Yes, I am aware that during the pandemic and kids were staying home, the school system had made arrangements to feed them anyway.
However, I remember when I was 14-years-old and my mother fed me two chicken breasts, a half pound of mashed potatoes, a tub of broccoli, and that was after a ream of peanut butter and crackers with two glasses of milk.
I would imagine some of the hungry are the people who lost their marginal jobs during the pandemic and they ain’t coming back. Somehow, they’ve slipped through the cracks. The future looks bleak, even though the stock market indexes indicate otherwise. Stock market! These folks don’t contribute to 401Ks, there was nothing left over in the paycheck to contribute.
Observation: This internet publisher went to the Food Lion on Saturday morning to pick up a few items, not the main grocery run. We got some milk, Worcestershire sauce and some toilet paper. Of course, the bride got a couple of extras; some ground beef, a small amount of cheese, a pound of pre-packaged lunch meat, some cereal, apples, peppers and lettuce. I’m leaving off a few items, but it was really not much. Let me tell you, the cart wasn’t half full.
When she started to purchase a few other items, I jokingly said, “No, let’s keep it under a hundred.”
When Amber got through ringing it up, and it didn’t take long, dear reader, the tab came to $103.44. Say what?
We feed two people and a dog at this household.
Honestly, I don’t see how some people can afford to feed a family of four on minimum wage salaries. I don’t care if you are working two or more jobs.
I know where my next meal is coming from. Apparently there is a significant number of people in East Ridge who can’t make that statement.
God bless Daniel Beard and all the others who have the compassion to help feed the hungry. It could be a full-time pursuit.
