FRC: 'Nothing More Christian' Than Massive Food Stamp Cut -

[GolightlyGrrl]

Churches and charities can do wonderful things, but they can only do so much. Recently my church's pastor mentioned that some of our congregants have confessed to him that they can't donate as much money to the church, our programs and the charities we support due to personal financial issues. Some people have lost their jobs. Some are paying off medical bills. Now Unitarians are a pretty giving and charitable bunch, but we can only do so much with the finances we have.

And then an executive director of a local food bank mentioned during a television show that because so many donors are struggling themselves that can't give as much as they have in previous years. And some people who have helped in the past are coming to the food banks in need of food themselves.

So yes, we do need a public safety net.

[Lillybee]

Some food pantrys run by religious people in my city may help those that they deem to be the "deserving poor". If they think a person looks shady then that person is SOL and in addition is badly treated.

[debrand]

There is nothing really in the bible about fighting against abortions, or trying to force cashiers to say Merry Christmas, or any number of issues that make many American Christians passionate. There is a lot about helping the poor, not just in the New Testament but in the Old as well. When I have brought that up to Christians, they quote Paul's words to the effect that the poor should work. I always find the verses in Mathew 25 that state that if you don't feed the poor, you will go to hell. Yep, Jesus said it was so offensive to ignore d the poor that doing so will send you to hell.

Even in the Old Testament, god tells farmers not to plow all their fields so that the poor can glean. To me, that would indicate that we should not just give our excess to others but that businesses shouldn't be so bent on profit that they don't help the poor.

My only conclusion is that a lot of Christians have no idea what their bible actually says but just repeat what others tell them is in the bible.

[Rowan]

My only conclusion is that a lot of Christians have no idea what their bible actually says but just repeat what others tell them is in the bible.

:clap: So much this.

What others tell them ... and the parts that fit their own personal agenda.

[chissprincess]

please forgive me if I missed a post like this ....

Having been an administrator for non-profit charitable organizations who rely on monetary donations and donations of goods - is he aware that the goods people donate are often substandard?

A half-finished knitting project donated as a Christmas gift to a lower-income elderly woman.

Expired food, stained panties, worn backpacks, a couch with a spring sticking up out of the seat, food that few people eat (hello? really? canned brains??? - yes, they did) ..... and EXPIRED FOOD!!! and UNLABELED FOOD! (what was that supposed to be - like surprise gift? "I don't know what's in this can, so I'll give it to hungry people and get my tax write-off)

Most gifts and donations are nice, but there are folks who use donations sites as a way to clean out their pantry or their house. Not a viable option for people who can get some monetary assistance in the form of SNAP and buy non-expired foods where they know what's in the can and actually want to eat.

All of that pisses me off, but the bolded pretty much broke my rage meter. You don't give an elderly woman a knitting project so half-assed you couldn't even be bothered to finish it. This is why I don't do things like knit for charity -- I know my knitting is crap, I don't always finish my projects, and I don't think someone else should be saddled with my failed projects. Gods, people, common sense goes out the window when it comes to stuff like this, doesn't it?

[ILoveJellybeans]

There are people who donated a half finished knitting project, expired food and stained panties?

I thought everyone knew that when you donate old things to charity, worn underwear is a no even if theres no stains, and everything needs to be in good condition. Who would want to wear someone elses panties? Especially if there is a stain from someone elses poop/period.

[SPHASH]

There are people who donated a half finished knitting project, expired food and stained panties?

I thought everyone knew that when you donate old things to charity, worn underwear is a no even if theres no stains, and everything needs to be in good condition. Who would want to wear someone elses panties? Especially if there is a stain from someone elses poop/period.

I read somewhere that Rose Kennedy liked to give her staff her old used bras.

[formergothardite]

There are people who donated a half finished knitting project, expired food and stained panties?

I thought everyone knew that when you donate old things to charity, worn underwear is a no even if theres no stains, and everything needs to be in good condition. Who would want to wear someone elses panties? Especially if there is a stain from someone elses poop/period.

The time I volunteered at a church clothing/food pantry people donated the worst things. People would literally say things like "Well I would never eat/use this but I'm sure the poor people won't mind".

There is a local church food pantry that gives away fresh fruit and veggies that are locally grown but they run out quick and it is only during farmer market months.

[mirele]

The time I volunteered at a church clothing/food pantry people donated the worst things. People would literally say things like "Well I would never eat/use this but I'm sure the poor people won't mind".

There is a local church food pantry that gives away fresh fruit and veggies that are locally grown but they run out quick and it is only during farmer market months.

I volunteered briefly at a food pantry and one of the reasons i stopped is because I couldn't in good conscience give out the donated food. I'm a diabetic and pretty much all the food donated was crap for diabetics. Not even the canned green beans mentioned above.

One charity I donate to locally is one that provides backpacks with food to school kids on Fridays. So many kids have little food to eat at home and weekends are, obviously, hard. I appreciate the charity is there to do this, but honestly, the safety net is already this frayed that kids who are getting free or reduced priced meals at school don't have enough to eat on the weekends...I get so angry and so frustrated when I think of how we're shortchanging the most vulnerable aka "the least among us" as Jesus would say.

I'm seriously considering donating my sister and her husband's Christmas presents to a similar charity in her area. I usually send them gift cards, but they have enough money that my brother can do his (IMHO) vanity film project, yet kids are going without meals. Plus my sister is one of those people who thinks FDR was one of the worst things to have happened to the USA and that we're on the slippery slide to socialism...whaaaa?

[lilwriter85]

A friend of mine who is a social worker used to work for a women and children's shelter. That shelter had a policy that they didn't accept previously used undergarments, socks, and shoes. They were welcome to donations of used tops, pants, and dresses. The shelter did get donations of new undergarments and socks from people and businesses. Some thrift stores don't accept undergarments unless they have tags or are in unopened original packaging.

My uncle and aunt volunteered with a food pantry years ago before my uncle became ill. When I was a teenager I volunteered with them several times and like Mierle said there were times a lot of the food was geared towards diabetics.

[PennySycamore]

Mirele, I think it would be a wonderful idea to make a donation to that charity in your sister's and brother-in-laws names. I'm going to donate a flock of hope (chicks, ducks and geese) to Heifer International in my husband's name. He's always wanted backyard chickens, but I know who would end up caring for our flock. I already take care of our cats and dogs and I don't need feathered charges to care for as well.

[docmom]

No canned brains. Got it.

Yep, in milk gravy! Note cholesterol content...

Yum!

[doggie]

Hey lots of calories in them brains keep you warm on a cold day.

[SPHASH]

Mirele, I think it would be a wonderful idea to make a donation to that charity in your sister's and brother-in-laws names. I'm going to donate a flock of hope (chicks, ducks and geese) to Heifer International in my husband's name. He's always wanted backyard chickens, but I know who would end up caring for our flock. I already take care of our cats and dogs and I don't need feathered charges to care for as well.

This year I drew my moms name for Christmas giving and she wants me to make a donation to my local food shelf/Goodwill which I plan to. She has been requesting this for several years now. I'll still give her a little something to open at Christmas like a CD.

[SPHASH]

I'm seriously considering donating my sister and her husband's Christmas presents to a similar charity in her area. I usually send them gift cards, but they have enough money that my brother can do his (IMHO) vanity film project, yet kids are going without meals. Plus my sister is one of those people who thinks FDR was one of the worst things to have happened to the USA and that we're on the slippery slide to socialism...whaaaa?

You tell your sister that FDR actually saved capitalism in the 1930's and if it weren't for him we would all be speaking Germanese right now. Sorry to get on a rant but FDR is my hero.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

I have to agree with Salsa - I'm doing a mental health internship at a temporary housing shelter, and, while we are fortunate to get many wonderful donations (that don't include BRAINS - wtf??) and our pantry is generally pretty full, the diet that our clients eat if they can't supplement from food stamps is atrocious. All white pasta, canned soups or top ramen, maybe some canned vegetables or fruit (but not the low sodium or syrup free ones), chips and crackers. If you're lucky, we'll have something like Spaghettios or the Trader Joe's tomato soup in the carton. Everything full of sodium and preservatives. Coming out of grad school (and still living in poverty due to this internship being unpaid but needing the hours for my license), I fully understand eating shit food (and have gained about 10 pounds every year I've been poor). Even being overweight and habitually eating a diet that would make an athlete cringe, the few times I have had to eat the way my poor clients have, I've been physically ill. Constipated (sorry, tmi), nauseous, no energy, no focus, even though I was never at a point that I was literally starving for calories. Food stamps give the option of whole apples, oranges, bags of lettuce, etc. Things that are healthy and cheap, and at the very least give some roughage. Unfortunately, most food banks aren't set up for fresh or even frozen foods.

To think that a food bank, even a great one that has a relationship with local businesses (like mine does) can take the place of individual choice is fucking ridiculous. Oh, and I don't deal directly with donations, but even some of our most conscientious donors will sometimes give things that no one wants - a tv without sound, a mattress with a HUGE dent on one side, etc. We smile and say thank you to maintain the relationship, but have to throw it out.

ETA: To be fair, most of our donors will ASK if they can donate certain things - a pallet of food close to expiration or a few days expired, for example, to make sure that we can actually use it. This organization does try to use everything as much as possible, which is much easier if you can PLAN to disseminate 100 jars of baby food within a week.

[salsa]

A friend of mine who is a social worker used to work for a women and children's shelter. That shelter had a policy that they didn't accept previously used undergarments, socks, and shoes. They were welcome to donations of used tops, pants, and dresses. The shelter did get donations of new undergarments and socks from people and businesses. Some thrift stores don't accept undergarments unless they have tags or are in unopened original packaging. tak

My uncle and aunt volunteered with a food pantry years ago before my uncle became ill. When I was a teenager I volunteered with them several times and like Mierle said there were times a lot of the food was geared towards diabetics.

When donations show up at the door in garbage bags, workers (those who work for 8 or 9 dollars an hour) take up "administrative costs" to sort through what's in the garbage bag - and that frequently includes unwashed clothing, including dirty panties. Yet because there's a need, they sort through and take stuff home to wash.

[lauraloralara]

Two summers ago in college I worked for a really wonderful program that took food donated from various locations around town and made it into meals for Meals on Wheels recipients and a local program for grandparents raising grandkids. Our university is fairly wealthy, but the town surrounding it is extremely impoverished, so being able to take part in that program was so great. And the food donated was just outstanding - we got so much fresh produce from the campus garden, lots of healthy food from places like Trader Joe's, extra leftover bread from Jimmy John's... even the sorority houses would donate food when they had ordered too much or couldn't use what they had. From what we would make a meal plan usually of a couple of meals plus servings of fresh fruit and whatever prepared food (like muffins) had been donated. It was great. The only problem was, we could only serve about 70 people, and there are so many more additional people in our community who need assistance.

[noni alabaster]

There are people who donated a half finished knitting project, expired food and stained panties?

I thought everyone knew that when you donate old things to charity, worn underwear is a no even if theres no stains, and everything needs to be in good condition. Who would want to wear someone elses panties? Especially if there is a stain from someone elses poop/period.

I feel a little turd-ish because I just gave a big donation that included a once-worn, sturdy black bra (I lost a bunch of weight, quickly, and couldn't ever hope to wear it again), and a lovely cardigan that had a small stain on one of the panels. I loved that cardigan, but I have one that I love a little more. This donation did include many pairs of J. Crew® and Lucky® pants and jeans, all with tags on, among other good stuff, so I hope I wasn't too terrible. :(

[GolightlyGrrl]

May attitude about donating food is this: If you won't eat it, then don't donate it. I try to donate to my local food bank as much as possible. In fact, my alma mater is collecting food. And I'm going to donate some non-perishables. When I do donate I usually give canned soup, canned veggies, peanut butter, apple sauce, rice, etc. This stuff may not be gourmet or fresh but it's better than canned brains or expired spices.

I also donate clothing to a local thrift store (which reminds me-I have to do this shortly). But stained panties? That is just disgusting.

[tanksmom]

I've done Scouting for Food in my area for the last 5 years and it never ceases to amaze me me what people donate. As other posters have said if you wouldn't eat it why should someone down on their luck have to eat it??? Expired food, dented cans, missing labels, swelled cans, food with bugs in the containers, half eaten bags, moldy dry goods. People who are already hurting are still people and deserve food that is safe.

Also ask your local food bank what they need. My food bank also collects diapers (child and adult), pet food, pet litter and unopened, unexpired personal care items. Also they prefer if you only have a small amount of money to buy donations that you just donate the money since they can purchase $3 worth of goods for every $1 donated. YMMV of course but I usually give them money since they know what their shelves are short on.

[Arete]

Our church collects and has a list of preferred items that get hauled to 2 different food pantries every other week. Off the top of my head

-rice (white or brown)

-plain pasta

-bagged onions

-bagged potatoes

-garlic

-canned tomatoes (priority for canned goods)

-canned single vegetables

-canned tuna

-peanut butter

-fruit preserves

-canned fruit

-canned soup stocks

-canned soup

oatmeal

dried fruit, usually raisins

packaged nuts

-diapers, any size

-baby food, any age type

-baby wipes

-baby washes

-family size shampoo and conditioner

-bath soap

The list was created years ago over concerns some people were putting in garbage. There are definite warnings that your cans can wind up on display if they are expired, so that keeps that bit of azzhattery down. The food pantries have been begging all their donors for more donations, and we are still falling short. Both pantries get fresh food donations weekly from local farmers, but that is now over till spring. All the donors are playing "musical money" to be able to buy as many holiday turkeys as possible for distribution through the food banks, but the need is great and there is a possibility we may fall short. Yeah, it would be absolutely no problem to take the distribution of nutritious food for the needy over from the government. :evil-eye:

[salsa]

I feel a little turd-ish because I just gave a big donation that included a once-worn, sturdy black bra (I lost a bunch of weight, quickly, and couldn't ever hope to wear it again), and a lovely cardigan that had a small stain on one of the panels. I loved that cardigan, but I have one that I love a little more. This donation did include many pairs of J. Crew® and Lucky® pants and jeans, all with tags on, among other good stuff, so I hope I wasn't too terrible. :(

Don't feel that way. The bra was probably usable and someone got a good find when she bought it (I presume it was a she who bought it, but ya never know). Dirty, period-stained panties or skid-marked boxers are what I'm talking about. Stained clothes, if they're clean might still be viable; I work with a young woman who puts together cool outfits from thrift store clothes - often clothes that she's cut up or altered in some way. She doesn't sew, but has an eye for doing things like making a vest out of a stained t-shirt. Hey, I wear my stained clothes!

I'm talking about people donating CRAP! Not even bothering to wash it and such as that

[RosyDaisy]

These people need to open their Bible and read the words in red. Jesus didn't didn't put any conditions on helping people.

[curlytoes79]

My local food banks often specifically request canned veggies with low or no sodium. I recently put together a Thanksgiving basket for a needy family and tried to get no-sodium cans when possible, since I couldn't donate fresh food.