Increasing numbers of Americans are hungry...

You forgot whining and griping. There were a couple poster that felt that farmers were being insulted by comments in this thread, but how about the people that work everyday trying to help and feed people truly in need. Some of the comments in this thread spit in their face. There are people that donate a tremendous amount of time money and resources to helping needy people. They are rarely thanked or shown appreciation for their efforts, and it is depressing to know that 80% of the fruits they provide are abused and wasted.

I completely agree with your comment...
Your exponential example also works in reverse if someone is really trying to help themselves. Two people with different handicaps working together can accomplish three times more than the individual efforts of each, 1+1=3, and 1+1+1= 6. I have seen this work many times, but there are individuals that are too proud, independent, or just plain too ornery, to work with people enough to feed themselves, it is easier for them to just say I am hungry/starving and it isn't my fault.

"O"

At the local food bank.. in this very rual area, I helped.
A lot of the Elders are living alone, family to lazy to help or have no family. They truly go without food a lot of the time. This is one of my major pet peeves.
They have a fixed income and it comes down to roof over their head and their meds... OR eating.
What I brought went for a sort'a local version, meals on wheels.

I feel bad because I haven't been able to help for almost a year now.
I know help and food donations for these poor folks are way down this year. Because the ones that used to be able to help, can't.

DH was laid off, through no fault of his own. The ecomony came crashing down and we went with it. As many, many others in this area.

I had enough saved by to keep us going this long but time is running out. DH was laid off just about 12 months ago..
Garden didn't produce very well this year which didn't help.

DH has had many interviews but the jobs are very few in this area, so he has been looking all over the country.
Another problem many older out of work people face... those same type companies are either sending the work overseas or offering mini wage contract jobs only and they are not hiring knowledgeable middle aged workers.

We have many family friends that are good hard working engineers, some with master and PHD degrees... who haven't had an interview yet.
They WANT to work, need to work just like my DH. Sending out many resume's a day, for any and all jobs they Might even be qualified for.

Yes... some people take advantage of the system but many don't. When you work up front and in person at the food banks, listen to the locals.. you truly learn who really needs the help.

We don't want hand outs, we want and need a fair wage job.

You are looking at the face of the new poor, hard working people are really going without.

Like us.. they don't have a lot of so called "toys". Our Mortgage is very modest, we live in a small farm house.
We have one 2000 Toyota Echo, one riding lawn mower, impossible to mow around the wee house we have without it at DH age, one rather used 1978 AC tractor given to use when DH father passed away...we need to run this place. But it needs a tire replaced now and we can't afford even a used one. This is the tractor we use to dig us out of the snow and plow down the road to the neighbors to dig them out as they have even less than we do. This year... if it snows, we will not be able to help.

Then my horses one I have had for almost 10 years. Maggie does small logging and dragging when needed. Because we have big pastures and a hay field, doesn't cost us out of pocket to feed them. They in turn keep the grass down around the fields closest to the house. Keeps the fire danger down. The grey mare is helping me get over my accident... using her for Hippatherpy.
Thats it... no fancy cars, no toys, not even a good barn. We have cobbled together shelters.

For Us... if some miracle doesn't happen within another couple of months, we will have to move in with my parents. While we are lucky to have this fall back, it is not some place I really want to go.

Get very tired of hearing that... everyone that doesn't have a job is lazy and doesn't want to work, or had too many toys and that is why they have no money.
People I know and us aren't like that. We work hard, we save as much as we can and really go without.
There are things out of our control that has happen to us. We could not force the company to not lay off so many people.

Glad so many here have no issues, haven't lost their jobs and the World is turning up roses.
Just hope you never have to live in someone else's shoes.

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Shari

That's the advantage of working on a very small scale and directly working with and interacting with people. We're easily able to determine when someone needs a temporary hand up, or when someone is just milking the system.

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Thank you for your post, bergere. It's a huge relief to see someone who understands reality.The forgotten elderly are heartbreaking for me. Many of them truly are going hungry, and it's so much worse when they are raising grandchildren (and there are an increasing number of these). They go hungry rather than risk their grandchildren going into the foster care system.There used to be several grocery stores that gave us huge amounts of expiring and discontinued food, so that we were able to help a much larger number of families, and give lots of surplus to a Church pantry and the homeless shelter. But all those stores either closed down, or sold to new owners and the new owners won't donate to us. So for a while there we weren't able to help hardly anyone.

But then I started hanging around the coupon forums, and discovered CVS and I learned a hundred new coupon tricks, so now we're able to help again, even though we have practically no money. No toys here. The roof is rotting, the walls in some of the rooms are unfinished, the ceiling is open to the attic in places, no cable, no satellite, no big screen TV, no electronic games, the furniture is worn out ...well, you get the idea.I don't have a fall back I can count on. Let's just say I have a very screwed up family (dysfunctional doesn't even describe it. I need to invent a new word).Amen!

I'm tired of hearing that I must have brought it on myself. I was a workaholic until I got too crippled. I took every hour of overtime I could get, working up to 70 hours a week. I used to ride a bicycle 5 or 10 miles one way to work, in all weathers. Now I can't even peddle a bike at all because of my knees.

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We don't want hand outs, we want and need a fair wage job.

You are looking at the face of the new poor, hard working people are really going without

Absolutely right. And it is so sad.

Across U.S., Food Stamp Use Soars and Stigma Fades

With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/us..._r=1&th&emc=th

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I wonder how many years it will take for the name of Food Stamps to transition to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).

And, I know it is hard to judge people by their appearance and dress, but I have been behind some in the supermarket checkout line who used the card and it surprised me.

Ladycat - you are always here trying to help others with coupons and deals - no need to explain your situation to anyone - there by the Grace of God go I..and I know the "we're not hungry and have never been" may one day be in dire straits.

Never say it can't happen to you! All it takes is ONE life altering circumstance, be it health, job, death of a spouse, etc. and that "safe, comfy, food in the pantry all the time" may be gone.

I give to food banks, give to individuals (once I bought groceries through out a year for a friend who lost her job and though she searched and searched, she couldn't find another that paid anywhere close to above minimum wage) and finally she had to move to get another job. No money, no move! So the boarding barn all pitched in and helped her get moved and now she is doing very well and has her own home again.

Charity begins at home - if your table is bountiful, share with someone who has nothing.

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Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

I believe some are poor because circumstances beyond their control. They need help.

Some are poor because of poor choices. We need to find a way to help their victims (such as their children) without padding the pigpen for the adults.

Because of this, I wish we could "denationalize" our charity. I believe when charity is local and home grown, it allows for the discerning of which is which, with appropriate differences in help.

Now, our town has lots of newly poor due to low natural gas prices causing layoffs. Those workers will take space at the community garden and grow food. They will accept fresh fruits and veggies.

But our local soup kitchen and food pantries refuse those foods for the "generational poor." We have excellent public housing, so it isn't that they have no place to cook. It is either that they won't, or don't know how and refuse to attend free lessons.

There is only so much you can do for those people, so we focus on helping those willing to try.

Even Scripture tells us to discern, teaching both that "whatever ye do unto the least of these ye do it unto Me" AND "if any will not work, neither let him eat." I believe we need to be aware of the difference between "will not work" and "cannot work or cannot find work".

I'm very careful to help only those who truly need the help. I've lived amongst the "users" and "system manipulators" enough to spot them a mile away.

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Bravo, ladycat. Sounds like you do it right.

Unlike our one size fits all political system.

Case in point: neighborhood guy who will and can work, even in the downturn he can get jobs because he works so well. That feeds his kids. Until some govt. charity comes along--then he quits working. Not working, he drinks. Drinking, he is mean to the family.

So people who have really good hearts and intentions, wanting his kids to have even more than he can provide, wind up causing the kids to get hit.

In his case, we find offering odd jobs to be more effective. Let's him provide them with a bit more than the job does, without killing his will to work leading to booze and hitting.

We don't expect that of the elderly man in the neighborhood, however, when he needs some help. We just share produce, which he loves.

I've read this thread thouroughly and have come to the conclusion that there is a multitude of mentalities or personalities if you will from the "woa is me" attitude to the " if you ain't got a job, you don't want one" attitude. I would think everyone agrees that the system of welfare has been and continues to be abused. I also think most folks don't mind helping out if they know the system is for those who are really in need of assistance. In between these 2 areas is the gray area and that is what everyone is discussing here. IMO the the framers of the constitution never in their wildest dreams thought "helping" would come to this. Years ago if anyone needed assistance they either went to family or a close knit group of same needs folks or they went to church. Nowadays those in need rely on the government for the most part. Now can anyone tell me what is wrong with that picture? Anyone? Anyone?

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We have now officially entered the twilight zone.

Wow, this is now up to 6 pages.

The problem really is dysfunctional families, & they tend to perpetuate themselves now. This is best dealt with on a local basis first, then state and national when the locals are overwhelmed. But alas, the govt does not work that way.

Do volunteer Work in your local community, and make a difference.

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We will meet in the golden city, called the New Jerusalem,
All our pain and all our tears will be no more.....