From: Scott Keen
Columbus
Insanity has beset our state and federal governments. Chainsaw-swinging lunatics, blindly cutting budgets and employees at every government agency will, ultimately, impact mostly the weak and poor and ill.
Woke Jesus referred to such people as “the least among us.” I think MAGA calls them “vermin.”
Let’s focus on one issue — food insecurity.
We read stories about the record number of people in Columbus seeking food assistance. Sadly, this is typical across the country. Wonderful agencies like Love Chapel struggle to rise to the occasion. As government funding decreases, donations from the public will have to increase.
A sadder issue is individual people who have no home and live out of their backpacks and a tent. These poor, mostly white males, alone and hurting and wondering what happened to them, are feared and disrespected by the public, but are a vulnerable population in need of immediate help. There, but for the grace of good health, good luck, and a supportive family, go many of us. Their most basic need is food.
The small “food pantry” boxes around town offer smaller quantities and more immediate, if sporadic, help suited to individuals living alone. I am most familiar with the one in the plaza at our county’s incredible library.
Originally placed by the now-defunct Tony Stewart Foundation, the box depends on Good Samaritans to stock it with food.
Kudos and blessings from your favorite deity to anyone who stocks these pantries!
Now imagine standing at the food box, cold and hungry with everything you own in your backpack. You have no can opener, pot, stove, electricity or home. You can’t carry much food but burn many calories living outside this time of year. What would you like to see in that box?
Unfortunately, my experience shows that the box is often empty or contains foods useless to hungry homeless people: Cases of canned green beans or corn (without pop top lids) which offer about 60 calories and zero nutritional value. Too many bags of dried beans or white rice (yum!) that require significant cooking.
Even rusty, damaged, years outdated cans of weird foods. Diet foods and flavored coffees. An after-Thanksgiving turkey carcass still in the baking bag (really). A half-eaten plate of buffet food from a party. Much of this is thrown away.
If you don’t want to help these folks, at least don’t insult them.
Pantry users tell me they like cans (with pop top lids) of real food like soup or pasta, canned meats, packs of tuna salad and crackers, meat sticks, breakfast bars, trail mix bags, chips and salsa, cereal and shelf stable milk. Basically, substantial foods in small packages that individuals can eat on the go with minimal preparation.
Leaving things like bug repellent, gloves, hats, small first aid kits, socks, wet wipes, or hand warmers is also good. But remember, these boxes are primarily for food.
One act of kindness is never wasted. Let’s be kind to these guys.
