Using "Wasted Food"

[dverna]

A neighbor gets food from the food bank every week. He receives so much stuff he is overwhelmed. He has given us stuff he does not use or has in overabundance. Some is thrown out to the critters. He recently got a 50 lb bag of onions and it sat outside until most of it froze...we took one small bag.

We do not need free food, but it will go to waste or will be fed to birds, turkeys, deer etc.

It is all useable. We have stopped taking a lot of it as we have over a dozen cans of chickpeas we rarely use, bags of walnuts, bags of rice, bags of peas, beans etc. My neighbor has given us large cans of canned salmon (that is not cheap) because he doesn't want to use it. We will NEVER turn salmon down!!

When my fiancé worked at the same food bank, they pushed a lot of stuff onto her to "move it". Saying "Take it, it will go to waste."

I do not have an answer, but it irks me to see food wasted. My mom would use stuff up even if we had to eat the same dish three days in a row. She rarely threw away food. My parents lived through the depression so maybe that taught them not to waste food.

I see "people starving" in America that are 50 lbs overweight. I see nice cars in the line at the food bank.

Just needed to rant.

[Electrod47]

All our garbage gets composted...everything edible is eaten.........except for that last cold burnt french fry, that goes to Murphy..the dog.

[Arkansas Paul]

I see "people starving" in America that are 50 lbs overweight. I see nice cars in the line at the food bank.

Just needed to rant.

That is a unique "problem" we have in America.
Just think how that looks to impoverished countries. Their poor people are starving to death. Our poor people are eating themselves to death.
Not that obesity is strictly a problem of people below the poverty line, it certainly isn't. We are a fat people (me included) across all socioeconomic lines.
We forget how good we have it here.

[Froogal]

Check with one of your local churches.

[abunaitoo]

At the food bank here, they have 4 large dumpsters outside.
They get filled up by people getting free food.
They keep all the good stuff, and just throw the rest away.
Foodbank had to put dumpsters because people would just throw everything in the parking lot.
It's a big scam here.
kind of sad.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

America's processed food diet is why so many people are obese.
In fact, some of the most inexpensive food is the worst culprit.
and yes, I am one of the obese people.

[imashooter2]

The best solution would be for the guy to stop taking handouts he doesn’t need or use. Surely the food bank could send their excess to a place that can use it.

[HWooldridge]

I feed any excess food to the dogs, chickens or the hogs. I try not to waste much.

[BD]

My wife also volunteers at the local food bank. The issue is that the food is donated based on what is surplus to the suppliers needs, (usually they couldn’t sell it before it went bad). Most of the people in need of nutritional support are not experienced cooks, and do not recognize the possibilities in foodstuffs they are not familiar with, (or that require more than minimal preparation), If the food bank has tons of oranges near the end of their shelf life, it is not realistic to expect these people to come up with lbs of sugar and the equipment to can marmalade. We are in northern Maine, at the very end of the east coast supply chains. A lot of what we see are nuts, and canned goods, little juice cans, dry beans and rice. Occasionally frozen chicken or game meat from the warden service. Many people raised in the processed food cultural norm are at a loss to deal with any unfamiliar bulk food stuff. Education is needed to go along with whatever is available. That takes a faculty volunteers and a little $$. All hard to come by.

[Milky Duck]

food and wasted just do not go in same sentence in our household.
anyone caught dumping donated food should automatically be put on list to never recieve again. in the days of cook books yeah maybe some slight excuse but every phone these days has a search function... recipes are too easy to get.zero excuses.

[Kestrel4k]

I am proud to say that virtually no food gets wasted in my household; am divorced, so having total control over the input (grocery shopping) and output (cooking & eating) makes it easier; it's not rocket science, I just make sure things are cooked/eaten before they go bad. :-/

Onion skins and carrot tops accumulate in freezer tubs for my home-made vegetable stock. In the last month, I think the only food I threw away was the last 20% of an 8-oz tub of hummus that finally turned.

I did an experiment with the Thanksgiving turkey carcass & bones one year; after repeated boils to extract everything for the turkey stock, the final disposal weight was 1 pound - from a 25lb frozen turkey. That means ~95% of that bird was eventually ingested (ignoring initial water content losses). Two turkeys per year, plus adding in the accumulated CostCo roast chicken carcasses/bones in the same fashion. Making 10 gallons of turkey/chicken stock every 6 months, ~$5 of electricity per batch; 50 cents per gallon for good rich healthy stock. And once you cook rice in that stock instead of water - I love /my/ cooked rice & would never go back. :-)

Also, I really can't justify the expense of wasting food.

[Winger Ed.]

I used to donate to the big food bank in the city until a buddy who did work on the building would tell of the
employees stealing frozen meats, canned hams, various other items of good and expensive items.
And seeing the parking lot full of fat people driving cars I could never afford picking stuff up
pretty much soured me on supporting them.

Out here, our church food bank vets all the people who they give stuff to.
They get donations from stores, and buy a lot at deep discounts from them too.
As far as I know, there is no waste to speak of.
After they close, if there is any perishable things left over, they give them to anyone who wants them.
One of the neighbor friends volunteers/works there and once in awhile she'd bring things to give out.
We've gotten a few tomatoes and a couple loafs of bread here & there.

[MrWolf]

Check with one of your local churches.

Agreed though you may find out they may not want them either. Food here does not go to waste. What we don't eat (two of us) goes to the dogs or chickens. Anything we don't want to go to the chickens ends up in the woods for the critters though that basically never happens.

[John Wayne]

A few of us started a food bank 20+ years ago. Now feeding around 1000 people each month. It did not take long for the grocery stores to chastise us for NOT marking thru the skews with a big black sharpie. The recipients of our efforts were taking the food back for cash. I've seen a lot. I've caught wealthy people in a BMW once and a Mercedes once when I insisted, fighting their resistance of course, to carry their food out to their car. I've never been on the dole. But, I do see a need to give food right when someone loses their job until the dole money starts but that's all.
JW

[JimB..]

Once fired a guy from his very well paying job for lifting a block of government cheese at a work food drive event.

[MaryB]

Local food shelf is all processed food... one of my friends used to get food there and stopped because he was putting on to much fat weight... garbage food, starch, crap in cans...

[Jeff Michel]

Main reason to have a couple of hogs, what you don't slaughter for you own use at 9 months sell them and get a couple more. Should finish at 225-250#. Nothing going to waste and you could help the bottom line and knowing where your pork comes from don't hurt either.

[dverna]

The food is coming from the church food bank.

I guess throwing it out for critters is the best option.

[deces]

Long ago, I remember with my babysitter going to some warehouse downtown, as we entered the building there was some fold-up tables with a person handing out big blocks of cheese. I never thought the country would revert back those days. My only question now is, where is that free cheese?

[jimlj]

My wife also volunteers at the local food bank. The issue is that the food is donated based on what is surplus to the suppliers needs, (usually they couldn’t sell it before it went bad). Most of the people in need of nutritional support are not experienced cooks, and do not recognize the possibilities in foodstuffs they are not familiar with, (or that require more than minimal preparation), If the food bank has tons of oranges near the end of their shelf life, it is not realistic to expect these people to come up with lbs of sugar and the equipment to can marmalade. We are in northern Maine, at the very end of the east coast supply chains. A lot of what we see are nuts, and canned goods, little juice cans, dry beans and rice. Occasionally frozen chicken or game meat from the warden service. Many people raised in the processed food cultural norm are at a loss to deal with any unfamiliar bulk food stuff. Education is needed to go along with whatever is available. That takes a faculty volunteers and a little $$. All hard to come by.

I also volunteer at a local food bank, and my experience is basically the same. We get bags of nuts, rice and dry beans from the USDA that most people getting the donations don't know how or have the means to prepare it.

[dverna]

I also volunteer at a local food bank, and my experience is basically the same. We get bags of nuts, rice and dry beans from the USDA that most people getting the donations don't know how or have the means to prepare it.

People who need free food will learn to use it. There a lot of folks with $500+ phones in these lines and it is easy to figure out how to cook anything. Most are too lazy.

I stopped giving to the church food bank years ago after seeing what I saw.

The fellow I mentioned in the first post gave us two 2 lb bags of salad shrimp. We made shrimp etouffe with it. We had rice he had given us a few weeks earlier. Our cost was some seasoning, onions, celery, garlic, butter, and bell pepper that was under $5. Took an hour to make it. One bag of shrimp gave us three hearty meals for two. He was going to throw the shrimp out because it was too small! That kind of waste is nuts.

[deces]

People who need free food will learn to use it. There a lot of folks with $500+ phones in these lines and it is easy to figure out how to cook anything. Most are too lazy.

I stopped giving to the church food bank years ago after seeing what I saw.

The fellow I mentioned in the first post gave us two 2 lb bags of salad shrimp. We made shrimp etouffe with it. We had rice he had given us a few weeks earlier. Our cost was some seasoning, onions, celery, garlic, butter, and bell pepper that was under $5. Took an hour to make it. One bag of shrimp gave us three hearty meals for two. He was going to throw the shrimp out because it was too small! That kind of waste is nuts.

To be fair, shrinkflation really is a thing. :kidding:

[Alex_4x4]

Long ago, I remember with my babysitter going to some warehouse downtown, as we entered the building there was some fold-up tables with a person handing out big blocks of cheese. I never thought the country would revert back those days. My only question now is, where is that free cheese?

Free cheese only comes in a mousetrap.

[jsizemore]

The only way food leaves the house is through me.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

We don’t waste food. What little scraps we have get fed to the chickens or pigs. The few times I have been given processed food (freezer burned, etc) for the animals, the time it takes to unwrap/empty and dispose of the trash makes it hardly worthwhile. The volume of garbage that goes along with our food is staggering.

[Thundarstick]

What I've seen around here is that the give away items are mostly bulk items a regular household would not buy to begin with! These give aways are almost always devoid of high quality protein items as well.

On a little different note, I find it appalling that it's against the law here for a food processor (bakery, restaurant) to give away outdated and food scraps to be used for animal fodder (pigs chickens).

[Kestrel4k]

People who need free food will learn to use it. There a lot of folks with $500+ phones in these lines and it is easy to figure out how to cook anything. Most are too lazy. [...]
That's exactly it in a nutshell. :|

[pipehand]

A neighbor gets food from the food bank, and they have to take what is given. When she gets more sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, winter squash, potatoes, etc than she can possible use, we get the excess of the excess. I have canned turnips, carrots, squash, and used a lot of the produce in soups and stews. I wouldn't want it to be wasted as wasting food was like the eighth deadly sin when I was growing up. It is amazing how there are so many on "assistance" that use their cards on the 1st of the month and only want premade/prepared food. You couldn't get a lot of them to take the basic ingredients that are donated to the food pantries. I'd do more to prevent the food waste, but my current lifestlye doesnt lend to getting a couple of weaners.

[Ed K]

Donated food is wasted because all on the dole are eating BigMacs.

[phantom22]

What I've seen around here is that the give away items are mostly bulk items a regular household would not buy to begin with! These give aways are almost always devoid of high quality protein items as well.

On a little different note, I find it appalling that it's against the law here for a food processor (bakery, restaurant) to give away outdated and food scraps to be used for animal fodder (pigs chickens).

I worked for a small deli when I was younger back in the early 2000's. The leftover bread was given to a local lady who called it 'pig bread' as she fed it to her stock. I have no idea if this was illegal or not, but I don't care if it was. It wasn't wasted.

[txbirdman]

Back around Christmas time my the deacons in my son’s church bought 200 cooked hams and passed them out in the immediate area of his small church. They had distributed 70 the year before and ran out so this year they upped the amount. They had covered the needs of all those they were aware of who needed help so they began passing the remainder out to people in low income housing. They weren’t knocking on every door but just randomly stopping here and there. One of his fellow deacons told him that he knocked and a little old lady met him and immediately burst into tears. She told him she did really remember how many days it had been since she’d had anything to eat and had been praying that God would send somebody to her with some food. Well the deacon ( about 6’5” and 250 lbs) said “he lost it”. He said both him and the lady were crying like babies. He had 3 hams and tried to give her all three but she refused. She said one would be enough for her, that there were other people in the area that needed help too. I told my son that his church needs to check on that woman periodically. He said, “It’s been handled Clint (the deacon) said as long as he’s able to do anything about it that little lady will never suffer like that again. Praise God!

[Kestrel4k]

Wow, that sort of gets you right there, doesn't it tx.

[txbirdman]

Yep. Can’t tell that story without choking up myself.

[jimlj]

People who need free food will learn to use it. There a lot of folks with $500+ phones in these lines and it is easy to figure out how to cook anything. Most are too lazy.

I stopped giving to the church food bank years ago after seeing what I saw.

The fellow I mentioned in the first post gave us two 2 lb bags of salad shrimp. We made shrimp etouffe with it. We had rice he had given us a few weeks earlier. Our cost was some seasoning, onions, celery, garlic, butter, and bell pepper that was under $5. Took an hour to make it. One bag of shrimp gave us three hearty meals for two. He was going to throw the shrimp out because it was too small! That kind of waste is nuts.

I agree with a lot of what you said, but I still think a lot of what is given out would be hard for a person or family to use. Last year we got a pallet of boxes of shelled walnuts. In each box was 12 two and a half pound bags of walnuts. We have limited space to store said walnuts so each week everyone who comes through the line gets a bag of walnuts till they are gone. Perhaps it is just me, but 2 1/2 pounds of walnuts will last me the rest of my life IF i live another 50 years. One piece of walnut will last my wife the rest of her life if she lives 1000 years. If I were getting a bag of walnuts every week for a couple months the vast majority would be wasted. I'm guessing about 25% of the people we help live in motels. They may have access to a small frig and microwave oven, but have no way to cook 5 pounds of chicken, a package of ground beef or a bag of dry beans so I suspect those items get wasted.

I won't argue about people with $500+ cell phones. I see it all the time as they drive up in newer cars than I have. It might be their own fault they are hungry, but they are still hungry and as long as I am able to help I will.

[Froogal]

We wanted to donate fresh zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes from our garden. We were told that the recipients probably did not know how to use any of that stuff.

[dverna]

We wanted to donate fresh zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes from our garden. We were told that the recipients probably did not know how to use any of that stuff.

We are not going to make it as a society.

I have come to the conclusion that many of these "do good" organizations are hurting instead of helping. I suppose it makes the volunteers feel good that they are "helping". Regrettably, it seems some folks either cannot or will not help themselves.

I used to buy stuff for the church food bank and stopped doing so. No regrets.

[Dave H]

My last job was working at a trash transfer station I was the company mechanic and I would fill in filling the outbound trailers I was amazed at what is discarded in America we got compactors from grocery stores and a Salvation army processing warehouse tons of food and a steady load from Sally's six days a week kind of sickening the stuff I loaded to go to a land fill.

[deces]

Repealing laws against people having chickens in their yards, would go a long way to end many problems that plague the cities. People's life expectancy might actually go up, instead of the current nose-dive trend.

[pipehand]

Today is Thursday. Thursday is food pantry day. Neighbor dropped off one of the TWO cases of Breakstone sour cream she got. That is something that doesnt take well to freezing or canning. Will make some onion dip and possibly use it in cheese cake. There will probably be waste. One neighbor has chickens- will see if the hens can convert it to eggs. Two cases of sour cream! That's an expensive name brand that I couldn't even find at Christmas-the store was out of all but the "lite" kind. I may have to start building a pig pen after all.

[pipehand]

Today is Thursday. Thursday is food pantry day. Neighbor dropped off one of the TWO cases of Breakstone sour cream she got. That is something that doesnt take well to freezing or canning. Will make some onion dip and possibly use it in cheese cake. There will probably be waste. One neighbor has chickens- will see if the hens can convert it to eggs. Two cases of sour cream! That's an expensive name brand that I couldn't even find at Christmas-the store was out of all but the "lite" kind. I may have to start building a pig pen after all.

[.429&H110]

20 years ago I worked for the MESACAN food bank. I built three big freezers from recycled restaurants. Why do you need big freezers? When a refrigerated truck is unloading at a supermarket, when the store is full, the rest goes in the dumpster, or food banks, come and get it.(Not really that simple) If I had a fourth freezer, I could have filled it. The Book says "Feed my sheep".

But we are feeding criminals...

Surely. But. If a woman wanders into Mesa AZ and has a baby, that kid is a hungry American.
Mesa AZ figured out illegal immigration 100 years ago. Now it's everybody else's turn.

There is a big morgue in Phoenix. If you are murdered without ID nobody cares. Is this ok in America?

[MaryB]

I agree with a lot of what you said, but I still think a lot of what is given out would be hard for a person or family to use. Last year we got a pallet of boxes of shelled walnuts. In each box was 12 two and a half pound bags of walnuts. We have limited space to store said walnuts so each week everyone who comes through the line gets a bag of walnuts till they are gone. Perhaps it is just me, but 2 1/2 pounds of walnuts will last me the rest of my life IF i live another 50 years. One piece of walnut will last my wife the rest of her life if she lives 1000 years. If I were getting a bag of walnuts every week for a couple months the vast majority would be wasted. I'm guessing about 25% of the people we help live in motels. They may have access to a small frig and microwave oven, but have no way to cook 5 pounds of chicken, a package of ground beef or a bag of dry beans so I suspect those items get wasted.

I won't argue about people with $500+ cell phones. I see it all the time as they drive up in newer cars than I have. It might be their own fault they are hungry, but they are still hungry and as long as I am able to help I will.

2 1/2 pound bag of walnuts? I would chow those down in 2-3 weeks LOL love them!

[Handloader109]

Yep, a pound of shelled walnuts would last about a week around here. Just snack on them. They are good for you.
We have lots of food banks here in NW Arkansas. Walmart donates tons of food every week. We see stories every month or two showing the drive by pickups. Half the folks drive better cars than I've ever owned, and $80k pickups. Most ate just coming because its free. Yes there are legitimately hungry folks. But most aren't.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

mmm I love walnuts.
I lightly coat them in Olive oil, roast at 350º for 17 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with sriracha salt. It makes for a healthy evening snack, so I can avoid high carb snacks. A pound probably lasts 3 weeks, if I behave myself.

[JimB..]

Black walnuts are the best walnuts!

[snowwolfe]

I don't like wasting food. But I am not going to force myself to eat it for more than 2 days straight. Leftovers are fine for one extra day and after that they go into the garbage or go to the local wild animals. Americas passion for not wasting food is why so many of us fight our weight all our lives.
My parents wouldn't allow us to get up from the kitchen table unless we cleaned our plates every meal.
Those type of habits need to die.

[trebor44]

48,000 Seniors in Idaho need "food security"! Really! "Food begathons" are good publicity and assuage the guilt of those who need it!

[Good Cheer]

We wanted to donate fresh zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes from our garden. We were told that the recipients probably did not know how to use any of that stuff.

I'm still eating last year's. We have a short growing season so I'm working towards getting the seedlings started. Expanding the perimeter deer fence this year. Planning on preserving more because I suspect I may be feeding more.
Seems as though there's really no rest in retirement; that's not a complaint. [smilie=w:

[country gent]

Had a couple sister laws that got the holiday boxes of goods from local churches to make prepare a holiday meal. Never once did they not complain about not liking something. Like the new "immigrants" complaining about housing food not being to their standards.

I donate canned goods to local churches for their kitchens Most are upset by the above people complaining about what they get.

[IHuntDragons]

Convince the food bank to invest in a couple freeze dryers and start freeze drying the excess for longer term storage when times get lean and they have less to provide.

[DukeSoprano]

I am the manager of a large dairy, not a farm but a milk processing plant. Besides what we donate, we sell milk to the large food banks at a low cost.
Our quality supervisor was off one day so I took a complaint call from a lady.
Her complaint was that the gallon of milk she had spoiled before the expiration date and she wants a coupon sent to her.
I start asking the routine questions, like what was the date on the gallon, processing plant number and time stamp so I can do an internal investigation.
One of the questions was, what store did she buy it?
"I didn't buy it, I got it free at the food bank"

[.429&H110]

We are called sheep in Scripture for a good reason and it's not a compliment.

[farmbif]

wish I had access to dumpster of free old food. there is an old pigpen on my property that I would put back to use

[TreeKiller]

I have run a Food Bank that distributes USDA food for 13 years. i had a lot of trouble when i first started with the people getting food since i had carried mail for 34 years and delivered mail to them. I finely decided that i was here to pass out food and then it was in the Lords hands. If you have a lady strand and cry because she is grateful is replaces the 100 that are just looking for free food so they can spend the money on drugs and alcohol.
Some if what i am getting on the 16th of this month;
Shrimp salad 350-500 count25 cases 20/2#
Chicken leg qtrs 5# 26 cases 8/5 per case
Cheese shered 197 cases 6/2
other can and dry items
total weight 17514.490#
also fresh milk,butter and bread
we do between 1300to 1400 family's a month 2700 to 3000 individuals

[MaryB]

I have run a Food Bank that distributes USDA food for 13 years. i had a lot of trouble when i first started with the people getting food since i had carried mail for 34 years and delivered mail to them. I finely decided that i was here to pass out food and then it was in the Lords hands. If you have a lady strand and cry because she is grateful is replaces the 100 that are just looking for free food so they can spend the money on drugs and alcohol.
Some if what i am getting on the 16th of this month;
Shrimp salad 350-500 count25 cases 20/2#
Chicken leg qtrs 5# 26 cases 8/5 per case
Cheese shered 197 cases 6/2
other can and dry items
total weight 17514.490#
also fresh milk,butter and bread
we do between 1300to 1400 family's a month 2700 to 3000 individuals

What would help people out is partnering with FoodSaver or some other company to provide vacuum sealers for the poor. And put on a class showing how to use them to break down bulk packages of food and how to seal and freeze leftovers.

For 10 years(my back is to bad now...it was a lot of work to setup a portable kitchen then tear down and cleanup) I taught a cooking class using basic tools, microwave, electric fry pan, a crock pot... and a toaster oven(you would be amazed what can be made in one, I did a turkey dinner for 6!). So many had no clue how to cook what they were given. I still answer questions via email and try to find an online tutorial for people to watch.

[.429&H110]

Mesa AZ, NoPole AK, was an education for this Yankee and so is Green Valley.
There are thousands of old folks here.

Some old folks will not/can not/don't want to cook. Microwave ovens are a good thing.
Grocery stores here will deliver, and have pick up service, and an app for that using coupons.
Old folks can't walk 100 yards but they can drive(?) and live on drive through whoppers. Not a great diet, and getting expensive. These independent old men are usually veterans, and I am glad to see veterans stepping up and helping, the need is great. These old boys burn out housekeepers quickly, landscapers have a no-go list. You can find old folks at Veteran's Breakfast, but some won't go.
Maybe to live so long we have to be really stubborn...

[Wag]

This thread is prompting a ton of memories for me. Not good, either.

Yesterday, the wiff and I went and volunteered at the local food bank. For many years now, we've donated to them and we've heard about their food drives they do every year, especially at Christmas and Thanksgiving. They always rake in a ton of food and money with the local radio stations as the driving force behind those food drives.

So, fast forward to yesterday and we go to volunteer. We had no clue ahead of time what was in store for us but when we got there, we discovered that it is a HUGE warehouse. The real estate alone must be worth millions of $$$. They have pallet racks and pallet moving gear, forklifts and a ton of other commercially viable equipment to handle a LOT of "stuff."

I was amazed. It's truly and enterprise.

Combine that experience from yesterday with a lot of stories that compare with the ones above and it's clear that we as a nation are so wealthy, we aren't even able to use the stuff we have. And yet, we always produce more.

It reinforces my policy of not giving things to the people panhandling on the corner. They can go to the local shelter or rescue missions.

--Wag--

[Shawlerbrook]

A couple different issues here. First unused food should either be composted or used for animal feed. The second issue is dependency and the fact that many expect to live on handouts. I am all for helping those that honestly cannot help themselves or are experiencing a hard time. But we have raised a sizable part of our population that have know idea that man was made to support himself. Big reason for this was LBJ and his Great Society. In wildlife management they teach that feeding wildlife is bad because the population will grow to depend on it and lose the innate ability to fend for itself. Well us human are just highly specialized mammals .

[.429&H110]

Yah, a freezer you can drive a forklift into is a big freezer...
But one guy can unload ten tons of turkeys if you build it so that he can.

[BrassMagnet]

What would help people out is partnering with FoodSaver or some other company to provide vacuum sealers for the poor. And put on a class showing how to use them to break down bulk packages of food and how to seal and freeze leftovers.

For 10 years(my back is to bad now...it was a lot of work to setup a portable kitchen then tear down and cleanup) I taught a cooking class using basic tools, microwave, electric fry pan, a crock pot... and a toaster oven(you would be amazed what can be made in one, I did a turkey dinner for 6!). So many had no clue how to cook what they were given. I still answer questions via email and try to find an online tutorial for people to watch.

Well done!
We can surely use more of this!
Maybe some of our church food banks can try a little of this and see if it helps.
I vaguely remember a lady many years ago that could only buy the higher priced cut up chicken parts rather than the much cheaper whole chickens. I asked why? She didn't know how to cut up a chicken. After I taught her how she began buying whole chickens/

[BrassMagnet]

Long ago, I remember with my babysitter going to some warehouse downtown, as we entered the building there was some fold-up tables with a person handing out big blocks of cheese. I never thought the country would revert back those days. My only question now is, where is that free cheese?

I received Gov't Cheese once! The first year we received it in Colorado, I was home on leave for hunting season. The only requirement to receive it was a Colorado Drivers License. The next year, you had to be unemployed or on welfare.
I believe our Gov't has stopped storing food for the bad times.

[BrassMagnet]

I moved to a small town in SE Missouri. I went to the Senior Center to get to know some of the local folks. A lot of old folks here are barely eating and their food money doesn't last through the whole month. They can get one free meal a day on the days the Senior Center is open. usually Monday to Friday, but closed for foul weather.
I have chickens now! I take the extra eggs in and give them away.

[thxmrgarand]

Here in the 49th state we have 92,000 people on SNAP (food stamps) out of a population that is very likely now less than 700,000. Public schools give 3 meals a day to any student that wants them without requesting any income information. State government, which does the bookkeeping for the federal food programs - by decree, they claim - has been unable to keep up with the new food stamp enrollees for at least the past year. Hundreds of new administrators have been added to chase the growing demand.

At the same time we have we have public and private employers having a difficult time hiring people. Almost all food consumed here is imported from other states.

An estimated 95 percent of the state population has their health care paid by government one way or another. The regional private, nonprofit health care provider for BIA beneficiaries (people here from any state that are at least 1/32 Native American) just raised their starting minimum wage to $25 per hour.

Government and tribal corporations own just about all the land in this state.