Gift For The Holidays-Hunger

I was talking with my aunt yesterday and learned something that I find very, very disturbing. My aunt volunteers for St. Vincent De Paul's. They put together food boxes for the hungry. They do this year round and do the holiday food boxes also. Anyone who has been hungry may know a bit about how these places work. You sign up/register and are eligible to receive ONE food box a month. What you get depends upon what is available.

These places are funded in part by our federal government and private donations. Since Obama has been president the federal funding to these places has been reduced significantly. First the funding was cut by thirty percent. Then it was cut another fifty percent. And they are replacing canned fruits and veggies with fresh. Noble idea but most fresh produce doesn't last a month! As for the private funding many donations have also been reduced or stopped. I know for a fact that my aunt regularly buys cases of foodstuffs to take in to be put into these food boxes.

The amount of foodstuffs that they are able to provide in these boxes has been drastically reduced. What once was enough to feed a family for over a full week is now only enough for a couple of days.

Normally St. Vincent De Paul's where she volunteers makes up between 350 to 400 holiday food boxes. These ones have the goodies to cook a holiday meal. A frozen turkey, cranberry jelly/sauce, canned pumpkin for pie and stuff like that. This year they will only be able to make up 35-40 holiday gift baskets. I find the fact that they will only be able to do 10% off what they normally do very sad, disturbing and extremely frightening.

I guess our government has come up with a way to end joblessness and homelessness-starve these people to death...and on that sarcastic note....

I ask that all of us who do have enough food remember and think of our nation's hungry. Please, please donate to your local food banks! I know I'm buying at least one holiday dinner deal per holiday to give away to someone in need. One of my local stores always has a holiday meal special with all the basics for a very reasonable price.