Food Bank Day

Today was a food bank day. It's kind of like going to a pot luck dinner. You never know what you may get. For those who are curious some of the more interesting items I've received from one of the food banks were things like a whole case of fresh blue berries or a gallon jar of pickled hot peppers. Generally all of the food banks I visit allow you to receive food only once a month although there is one which has a two week cycle.

Because of the distances involved I only go to 4 different food banks. The closest one is about 2 miles away and the furthest one I try to get to is closer to 4 miles away from where my camp is. That's about my limit when I have to walk with a full backpack and a tote sack in this heat. I would use the bicycle but things hanging off the handle bars just does not work very well.

 The types of food you receive varies somewhat from food bank to food bank but for the most part you will receive enough food to last about 2 days. Today for example I received 1 pound of chicken thighs, 1 pound of pork chops, a whole case of blue berries, several melons, spaghetti pasta, and bread. Other times I have received no meats at all but plenty of fresh vegetables, potatoes, rice and beans. As you may well imagine, I have to get creative when I cook. The things you very seldom if ever receive from any of the food banks are things such as salt, pepper, sugar, spices, cooking oil, canned meats or fish, and many other things.

With all that said, I am very thankful for the various food banks in the area. I may have to get creative with my cooking style but I generally make something work even if it means doing without certain ingredients. As a final note, I have to say that of all the homeless people I know of who live in a camp where they can cook for themselves I only know of one other person who cooks on a regular basis. Most of the others eat elsewhere such as the Beautiful Feet or the Salvation Army etc.