On My Mind

There are only a few things in life that truly bother me to my core and one of them is to see people, namely children, go without food, a basic need.


According to the USDA in 2008, 14.6% percent of households (17.1 million households/49.1 million Americans) were food insecure and 4.1 percent of all U.S. households (4.8 million households) accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times.


I am passionate when it comes to giving to charities such as Feeding America and helping locally when able. I am proud that the company for which I work has partnered with Feeding America and has become the first of their donors to supply over 100-million pounds of food in a single year and has been named their 2010 Donor of the Year. They have also have a $2 billion commitment to fight hunger underway. It is exciting to know that one of my passions is able to be pursued through work resources.

I bring this up now, because this morning Ray and I volunteered for a while at the Hancock County Food Pantry. It is a small building with cement floors, 7 stand-up freezers/refrigerators, sparse shelving and a two door loading dock. They had moved everything out of the building so that they were able to clean and paint the floor this weekend and Monday was the day to finish cleaning, move everything back in and restock the shelves. While it was not the most fun thing I have ever done on a Monday, it was rewarding to hear folks clamor over how nice it was to have help stocking shelves, filling bins, wiping down fridges, and cleaning a restroom (Since I cleaned their public restroom, Ray has been tasked to clean our apartment by himself. Fair is fair! J)


All of that to say, try it sometime. Find your local food bank, walk in and ask how you can help them. I have never been to one where I have been turned away. Assistance is always welcome. Put together a food drive at your church or workplace.


Just remember, these folks are trying to meet a basic necessity: food for all.