Pondering charitable contributions

[KareninTN]

I'm sure many of you contribute food, through your church or other local charity, to help feed the less fortunate. My pondering is, how do you feel about contributing types of food that you do not yourself eat, because you believe them to be unhealthy? Or do you only give foods that you would eat? Sometimes organizations offer guidelines and sometimes not. Anyway, I find myself confronting this; what do you all think?

karenturtle

[Sunny]

Our church normally has a list of foods that they need donated for Thankgiving and Christmas dinners, everyone can pick and choose what they want to give. They always ask for Turkeys,dressing,etc... I donate enough for a whole family, Turkey and all. I figure that if there are families out there that are vegetarian or vegan they let the Church know.
I say do what you feel is comfortable. I eat this way for health and weight loss, not ethical reasons.
I also donate other times during the year, bags of rice, canned beans and veggies.

[groundhogg]

I just donate the usual stuff. When people are in need, they want what they regularly eat.

I really feel for any possible vegetarians or vegans in need who come to food banks, etc., because they probably can only get the usual Thankgiving package, or whatever other ways of distribuiton the particular organization has for non-holiday times. I also feel for hospital patients or prisoners, shucks, even college students living on campuses...most are happy with the usual SAD, but if there is one who knows better or even needs something different because of religious preferences, allergies, or whatever...well...I guess they just go hungry.

But on the whole, since most people eat SAD....those who just need food, period, and don't have necessary funds to have enough without assistance usually want the regular SAD stuff.

It does give me weird, unbalanced feelings as to the rightness or wrongness of it...but when I give, i give what the person wants, except in circumstances where it really bothers me too much to do that, and then I just don't give anything at all.

[Karen]

I'm sure many of you contribute food, through your church or other local charity, to help feed the less fortunate. My pondering is, how do you feel about contributing types of food that you do not yourself eat, because you believe them to be unhealthy? Or do you only give foods that you would eat? Sometimes organizations offer guidelines and sometimes not. Anyway, I find myself confronting this; what do you all think?

karenturtle

I donate only vegetarian items myself. I was veggie (and sometimes vegan) prior to MWLing. So it's more of a principle thing for me. I also try to donate more ethnic items which also tend to be MWL supportive. Here in Toronto, many families using food banks eat an ethnic diet and most of the donations are things like Wonderbread, Kraft Dinner, and instant rice -- not very friendly.

Karen

[Shari in MN]

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this because I have at one time received one of these baskets. It was needed and very much appreciated.

One of the items in my basket was white rice. I have never made white rice and had a hard time knowing how to make it and giving it to my kids in good conscience. I ended up using it to make rice pudding. If I put in brown rice there may be someone who does not know how to make it. They may be afraid to try something new. However there may be someone out there who knows they should be eating healthy, and knows how, but can't afford the extra cost of food. That is why we went from always using whole wheat pasta to white flour pasta. The whole wheat was $1.50 while the white was only $.50. Now I can't get my kids to eat the whole wheat pasta. I feel bad about this choice but at the time it made sense.

Sometimes things that can be McDougall friendly could be a big treat. For example I can buy Mac and Cheese because that is cheap and it fills them up. However canned pineapple can seem like a splurge. Another example could be real grape juice as opposed to punch.

I think the idea of including ethnical items is wonderful. I don't think I would has thought of that because I am not familar with their food.

Shari

[Karen]

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this because I have at one time received one of these baskets. It was needed and very much appreciated.

I've never received one, but growing up I know my mother made choices as you've described. I remember most that Coke was cheaper than milk, so we drank Coke.

One of the items in my basket was white rice. I have never made white rice and had a hard time knowing how to make it and giving it to my kids in good conscience.

I'd bet a great number of people from some communities would feel the same way. We almost never had rice when I was growing up, but I think that had more to do with the fact that my mother was a Stillman dieter. The only time I'd seen rice was at a wedding. I remember my mother had a box of instant rice that lasted years and years on the shelf.

I think the idea of including ethnical items is wonderful. I don't think I would has thought of that because I am not familar with their food.

Shari

I think it really depends on where you live or if there are nonmainstream Americans in your community. I know for certain there are people here where I live who eat rice, dried beans and lentils, plus spices, so that's what I donate. The hardest thing for tthese types of families is that they don't want to use a lot of processed or prepared foods and fresh items can't be donated to food banks.

Karen

[vegan nat]

I'm vegan for ethical reasons so what I give are what I would personally eat.
I go for foods that people know and would normally eat.

[Clary]

A little along another line on this subject...

At one time in my life, I was in great need of most everthing that money could by, and around the holidays, a church surprised me with a delivery of bags and bags and boxes and boxes of canned and packaged foods that their members had scoured their shelves and cupboards to donate for a food drive for the needy. I was overwhelmed with gratititude.

As I began to unload and put away the food, I began to notice bent, dusty, and dented cans, and started to inspect more closely each and every can and package for expiration dates and for damage. I am sorrowful to tell that out of that whole wonderful pile of food, there were at most 3 items that were safe to keep. (Many were years past the expiration date.)

I learned from that experience. I vowed at that time that any time I ever had a chance to contribute food to others, it would be from the best and finest and freshest of my stock that I had to give (of the foods that fit the guidelines of the organizing groups.)

[groundhogg]

CLary,

You make a very good point. We saw this a lot when we lived in an impoverished area.

One thing we noticed repeatedly, was that people sending down food or clothing or whatever it was (mostly sent down to us from somewhere in the "North") would often send junk, garbage, stained or ripped clothing, etc. It's really strange that sometimes people get the idea that being financially "challeneged" means you lower your personal standards for health and hygiene and even self-respect, and will eat any old nasty garbage and wear whatever rags are sent your way. It's good to remember that people's tastes don't change with hardship...you eat what you have to, do what you have to, but you still want fresh good food, clothes that don't make you look like a wreck, etc. We all had to throw away a lot of the stuff that was sent to us as "help". I always thought, if it's something you would give to a friend, then give it to the poor. If it ain't good enough to share with your friend, then throw it in the garbage, or if possible, send it to someplace that's in the business of fixing things up and making them nice again.

[Sandie]

As I began to unload and put away the food, I began to notice bent, dusty, and dented cans, and started to inspect more closely each and every can and package for expiration dates and for damage. I am sorrowful to tell that out of that whole wonderful pile of food, there were at most 3 items that were safe to keep. (Many were years past the expiration date.

At one time I volunteered at a food bank and while I know that most people donated great food items, some did use their holiday donation as an excuse to clean out their pantry of the "bent, dusty, and dented cans" and the expired ones, as well. The volunteers tried to remove any unsafe looking and expired cans & packages but I'm sure many slipped by. The particular food bank I volunteered at also received some of their food from grocery stores and much of that was cans that were about to expire so we had to get it out quickly.

I'm like you, I only give the best ~ strictly foods that I would eat, nothing less. And because I'm vegetarian first and a McDougaller second, I only give vegetarian foods.

[Karen]

Wow. Flash back to being about 12 years old and going around our neighbourhoods asking for food donations. And what I remember most is all the people who said "we don't keep any food in the house" instead of "no thank you, we'd rather not donate". It made you wonder how they ate...

We also got a lot of bad food.

It was sad and funny. In fact, it was the very nice homes that gave the least.

If someone came to my door right now and asked for food, I'd probably fill their car.