Food Pantry

[SolaSaint]

My wife volunteers for a local food pantry where they give out food to those who are in dire need and cannot make it without extra help beyond government give outs. Lately she says there is a increase in those coming to the pantry. We live in a part of America where we have it good and don't see many in need. If we are seeing increases in the poor needing food here, what is it like in your part of the country?

 

[Gib]

Our WMU runs a pantry out of the church. It's bigger than a pantry you would have in the average home. I've been in there a few times and it is usually well stocked. It always has been. I poked my head in yesterday and it's not even half-way stocked. We have people knock on the door or call daily needing food. We are in the Southeast.

 

[SolaSaint]

Sounds similar.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

Same in KC. The newscasts on the local stations have at least one or two stories a week wherein a charity that runs a food pantry or soup kitchen is running short and needs donations desperately. That happens even out here in Overland Park, Kansas, on the south side of the Kansas City Metro area. We're "well-heeled" and one of the richest counties in the nation, but we're having the same problems as the charities in the inner city. In Kansas and Missouri, EBT benefits for food are over $600, which is a pretty big food budget for a family of four, though obviously you don't buy steak and truffles on that kind of money. Still, it ought to be enough, but it apparently isn't for a lot of folks.

So much for the "improving economy."

 

[Crabtownboy]

My wife volunteers for a local food pantry where they give out food to those who are in dire need and cannot make it without extra help beyond government give outs. Lately she says there is a increase in those coming to the pantry. We live in a part of America where we have it good and don't see many in need. If we are seeing increases in the poor needing food here, what is it like in your part of the country?

With the cuts in the Food Stamp Program more people are turning to food panties for help.

Everyone, you, me ... everyone could cut our grocery bills substantially if we would just cook from scratch and not buy prepared foods. Prepared foods not only cost more they are not nearly as healthy.
Watch the video and read the article at the link below.

It has been about a week since drastic cuts to the nation's food stamp program took affect impacting some 47 million Americans, including families in Northeast Ohio.

Now forced to do even more with less, a lot of Ohio families are now making ends meet with the help of local food pantries.

This week alone the Maple Heights food pantry has seen their numbers double and they expect this trend to continue.

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/2013/11/07/food-stamp-cuts/3472439/

 

[SolaSaint]

I had said in another thread that my wife keeps us fed on less than 500 a month and maybe even better than that. She uses coupons and we don't eat high dollar items. We are not poor and we eat well while spending less than the average family that receives SNAP.

I will give God the credit here. Ever since I was saved and we started to tithe, our hearts have changed. We are satisfied with how God has supplied our every need. Isn't it amazing? As the song says, "The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

 

[HankD]

People here on the BB have obvious access to a computer. Coupons are vailable online.

If one lives in a populated area the local supper markets run their sale ads online as well.

When I was out of work we would shop in 4 different supermarkets and joined their store membership savings clubes to save $.

Of course you have to live in a populated area to do that.

HankD

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

People here on the BB have obvious access to a computer. Coupons are vailable online.

If one lives in a populated area the local supper markets run their sale ads online as well.

When I was out of work we would shop in 4 different supermarkets and joined their store membership savings clubes to save $.

Of course you have to live in a populated area to do that.

HankD

OK, how much did you have to live on a week? Do you have a mortgage & how much a month? How much is your monthly food bill? do you have to heat your home in the winter? Do you have a car payment & do you by gasoline to run the thing? Do you have maintenance costs? Whats your health care insurance bills per month? Anybody sick....do you have medical bills that are outa pocket? How bout utilities like water, power, gas or oil? Clothing costs? My point is these things add up....particularity when no income is coming in....perhaps due to a job loss. Coupons are the food manufacturers way of getting you to by their product (thats generally more expensive than bargain generic brands.....so please dont tell me that thats an effective way of conserving money.....today its not.

 

[HankD]

OK, how much did you have to live on a week? Do you have a mortgage & how much a month? How much is your monthly food bill? do you have to heat your home in the winter? Do you have a car payment & do you by gasoline to run the thing? Do you have maintenance costs? Whats your health care insurance bills per month? Anybody sick....do you have medical bills that are outa pocket? How bout utilities like water, power, gas or oil? Clothing costs? My point is these things add up....particularity when no income is coming in....perhaps due to a job loss. Coupons are the food manufacturers way of getting you to by their product (thats generally more expensive than bargain generic brands.....so please dont tell me that thats an effective way of conserving money.....today its not.

It was for me/us. Admitedly it is a little more difficult today.

Yes I had many of those items you mentioned above but there are ways to minimize those as well.

Fortunately wood was allowed to be burned where we lived in the State of WA. One can gather dead wood in the forests here as well.

We switched to HMO's and a local clinic. My kids (The kids we brought to WA) were covered by the state.

Today you can pick the products you want for coupons on the web.

You have to know your area and which stores have the better prices on which commodities and take advantage of sales, join their clubs and they will send you a weekly sale guide.

A freezer is necessary (buy it when you have $) We bought one for $50.00 from the Nickle Book.

Also, it's much easier to be conservative minded - turn off unused lights,etc, meal planning, trip planning, cut out the cable TV, etc. when you are out of work.

It took work and inconvenience, but it did make a big difference.

Now that I'm back to work (howbeit both my wife and I now are "retired" and on medicare) I live more afluently.

But when we were younger we also knew what to do to "tighten the belt".

We had 11 children and spent 15 years in Maine in our much younger years - had a milk cow and a couple of milk goats, chickens, ducks... Ate a lot of venison and fish as well.

We had a large garden, canned and stored a lot of food for the "rainy day".

In Maine the barter system is a big part of life (at least where and when we lived there) which where possible will probably be rediscovered everywhere (if we are fortunate enough to survive the economic crash).

HankD