I asked my husband if he thought the current poll (found to your right) sounded like a weird question, the question being: Do you think that the media reports accurately on food availability and food prices in the U.S.? The reason that I came up with this question is quite sobering, and the answer that I have is probably even weirder than the question. (Either that, or I think too much. :)
The reason this question came to mind is because it seems like there has been at least one article on "need" almost every day in the paper since we returned from our Thanksgiving trip. This may have stuck out to me because we had more than one paper to look at when we came home, so we didn't have a day in between to forget that the headlines dealt with similar themes. Granted, there are projects every year where people try to help the less fortunate with holiday meals, etc. It just seems like there are so many needs this year. To give you an example, and this is from memory, so subject to some error: greater need by some horrendous percentage for the food bank, children asking Santa for basic necessities, like shelter and warm clothing, people in need due to unfortunate personal circumstances, at least one company making layoffs in the early part of next year, but announcing it now so that people don't go out and spend money now that they won't be able to pay off later--and the list could be longer. My answer to the poll question? I guess I should have put an "other" choice, because here is what I think, according to the choices given:
--I figure that the food prices and availablity are probably as accurate as they can make them, but even as it is, the news is bad enough. I truly hope that people have at least some food storage in their homes, because just getting some more food in my own home to keep the rotation going is getting more and more expensive. Scary expensive.
--I also figure that there might be some motivation to not report accurately on the true situation if it is worse than it is, because what good would it do to have people panic? If there is a true food shortage, combined with high prices (like corn in the tug-of-war between use for food and use for fuel) people making a run on the available food will only make the situation worse.
--I also figure that there would be motivation to make things sound worse than they are, because it sells more papers/attracts more readers, etc. It seems like bad news (unfortunately)garners more attention than good news, so could it be possible that they leave out good angles and concentrate on the bad when it comes to the food situation?
--I also figure that it simply isn't possible to be totally accurate about the food situation, even if the intentions to do so are there. There is always the weather, and there is always the fact that something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, if the product in question is, in fact, for sale. There are the financial situations of the farmers (by the way, I have great respect for, and my hat is off to farmers, who do so much for other people, and who have a really tough job) and the possibility of natural disasters, or other things that could affect crops.
So, I'm not much help, am I? :) I don't know about the media coverage, but I do know one thing: it will never hurt to have food storage, and the sooner you get some (or more) the better your situation will be. I am sincerely interested in what you think about the media coverage, because I simply don't know. I just know that the news that I see about food availability and prices is generally sad/not good and the need that is being portrayed is downright scary. Get some food storage if you are able. Share if you are able. And if you are one of the people in need, I hope that things get better for you soon.
Speaking of food prices, one of my former polls was asked and answered like this:
In the last few months, I have noticed an increase in price for the food I normally buy:
In the meat department 45%
In the canned food section 50%
In the dairy section 40%
When shopping for staple foods (beans, rice, wheat, etc.) 50%
In the baking supplies section (oil, flour, spices, etc.) 77%
In the frozen food section 31%
In the fresh produce section 40%
Other 13%
Ah, the ever-elusive "other"..... :)
As always, thanks to those who participate in my polls. The questions usually just come from things I have been noticing/thinking about, and I appreciate your input. I hope that everyone's food storage is increasing--we're working on ours little by little, and fortunately, every little bit counts....
Showing posts with label food bank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food bank. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Keeping an eye out for each other
Received some troubling mail recently, again from the state foodbank. Apparently they have a program in place in which they send backpacks filled with food home every weekend during the school year with children who otherwise would not have anything to eat until school starts the following Monday. The fact that such a program is necessary is troubling in and of itself, but I am glad that it exists for those who need it. Even more troubling, however, are the struggles that the foodbank itself appears to be having.
The price per filled backpack is not too high, and it is filled with enough food for two days. That said, on the donation form, donors are asked to send enough money to support a) 8 children b)11 children c) 17 children. Of course, they leave a blank for your choice, as well as places for a monthly gift or matching employer's contribution or a place to use your credit card instead of sending a check. They indicate, though not verbatim, that anything you send would be a good thing. What bothers me is that they feel it necessary to start with sending enough for eight children. Not something like "Would you like to help a child make it through a difficult weekend? If you are able, it would be great if you could help even more..." To me, that indicates that there is a huge need out there, and in this case it highlights the effects on those who can do little about about it--the children. I'm sure that they are always affected, but it seems especially disturbing that they would have nothing at all to eat for two days if it weren't for this kind of help.
These kinds of problems aren't limited to our area, either. Everywhere you look, people are struggling to make ends meet. This article talks about difficulties that a particular food pantry is having, as does this one. In these cases, there is a shortage of donations--after all, the high prices in our economy affect everyone, even those who in previous circumstances were able to help with the supply (a fact that is also mentioned in at least one of the above articles.). There is higher demand, with less supply, and that means that more people are going hungry. That's one way that organizational help might fail (despite every good intention) in their efforts to help those in need.
It hasn't come to this in our country, that I know of, but in this article about Haiti we learn that there is food available, but there are problems in getting it distributed, which leaves the same result as no food in the warehouses--no food for the hungry. This article, while focusing on Britain, gives a good comparison chart for how prices are going up all over the place, in some places (food-wise) faster than they are here in the U.S., and it makes sense to me that a natural consequence to higher-priced food is an increase in the number of people who go hungry.
So what is my point? If you are still reading, :) I guess it's this: if we are in a position to help, hopefully we will. We may not be able to donate to a food bank, but if we have a few extra ears of corn in the garden, maybe we can leave them over the fence for a neighbor who is having some difficulty. Maybe we can invite our children's friend over for a pb&j sandwich picnic one weekend if we think it would be helpful, or have a family from the neighborhood over to share a watermelon. You get the idea. In my experience, people don't advertise when they are having difficulties--it's painful enough in the first place without making it public knowledge. We don't have to spell out what we are doing. And hey, even if it were to turn out that we were wrong--that there really was no need--what is the harm in building stronger neighborhoods, which could help everyone when a real crisis occurs? And if we are the only ones standing between our neighbors and hunger, whether it is a supply/demand problem, or an isolation problem where no food is getting through, I hope that we will have prepared ourselves enough to be able to share. It may not be for a long time--days, and not weeks or months--that we need to help each other, but even days would seem like forever if you have no food for you or your children.
There are more structured ways to prepare your neighborhood for emergencies, one of which I need to learn more about. With more knowledge comes more posts... :) But in any case, I hope that we will keep an eye out for each other. If you are already in a situation that makes putting anything aside difficult, please just do the best that you can. If you are in a position to stock up on a larger scale, please do so. You never know when things could get worse and what you have been able to put aside will help your family. And it may not be just family that needs your help when an emergency comes. We need to keep an eye out for each other. It's part of what makes our country so great, and something that would benefit other countries as well. United we stand.
The price per filled backpack is not too high, and it is filled with enough food for two days. That said, on the donation form, donors are asked to send enough money to support a) 8 children b)11 children c) 17 children. Of course, they leave a blank for your choice, as well as places for a monthly gift or matching employer's contribution or a place to use your credit card instead of sending a check. They indicate, though not verbatim, that anything you send would be a good thing. What bothers me is that they feel it necessary to start with sending enough for eight children. Not something like "Would you like to help a child make it through a difficult weekend? If you are able, it would be great if you could help even more..." To me, that indicates that there is a huge need out there, and in this case it highlights the effects on those who can do little about about it--the children. I'm sure that they are always affected, but it seems especially disturbing that they would have nothing at all to eat for two days if it weren't for this kind of help.
These kinds of problems aren't limited to our area, either. Everywhere you look, people are struggling to make ends meet. This article talks about difficulties that a particular food pantry is having, as does this one. In these cases, there is a shortage of donations--after all, the high prices in our economy affect everyone, even those who in previous circumstances were able to help with the supply (a fact that is also mentioned in at least one of the above articles.). There is higher demand, with less supply, and that means that more people are going hungry. That's one way that organizational help might fail (despite every good intention) in their efforts to help those in need.
It hasn't come to this in our country, that I know of, but in this article about Haiti we learn that there is food available, but there are problems in getting it distributed, which leaves the same result as no food in the warehouses--no food for the hungry. This article, while focusing on Britain, gives a good comparison chart for how prices are going up all over the place, in some places (food-wise) faster than they are here in the U.S., and it makes sense to me that a natural consequence to higher-priced food is an increase in the number of people who go hungry.
So what is my point? If you are still reading, :) I guess it's this: if we are in a position to help, hopefully we will. We may not be able to donate to a food bank, but if we have a few extra ears of corn in the garden, maybe we can leave them over the fence for a neighbor who is having some difficulty. Maybe we can invite our children's friend over for a pb&j sandwich picnic one weekend if we think it would be helpful, or have a family from the neighborhood over to share a watermelon. You get the idea. In my experience, people don't advertise when they are having difficulties--it's painful enough in the first place without making it public knowledge. We don't have to spell out what we are doing. And hey, even if it were to turn out that we were wrong--that there really was no need--what is the harm in building stronger neighborhoods, which could help everyone when a real crisis occurs? And if we are the only ones standing between our neighbors and hunger, whether it is a supply/demand problem, or an isolation problem where no food is getting through, I hope that we will have prepared ourselves enough to be able to share. It may not be for a long time--days, and not weeks or months--that we need to help each other, but even days would seem like forever if you have no food for you or your children.
There are more structured ways to prepare your neighborhood for emergencies, one of which I need to learn more about. With more knowledge comes more posts... :) But in any case, I hope that we will keep an eye out for each other. If you are already in a situation that makes putting anything aside difficult, please just do the best that you can. If you are in a position to stock up on a larger scale, please do so. You never know when things could get worse and what you have been able to put aside will help your family. And it may not be just family that needs your help when an emergency comes. We need to keep an eye out for each other. It's part of what makes our country so great, and something that would benefit other countries as well. United we stand.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Yet another reason to do something...
Well, look here for more reasons to get something in storage. We already have the prices of both food and fuel, but there have always been the weather reasons to store wisely. The article linked here talks about the flooding in the Midwest, but there is also drought other places, and where I live personally it has been cold--so cold that my husband just planted the corn, etc. in the garden last night. I was worried about the raspberries, but apparently some look like they are on the way.
There was a magpie outside our door this past week just screeching and screeching. It was probably our cat that bothered it, but whatever the reason, it was in the front yard basically yelling its head off. I looked outside to see what the commotion was, but that was the extent of my involvement. I just turned around and went about my business.
Sometimes I feel like I come across like that magpie. This blog has been all about "Get food storage! Get food storage!" over and over again. Maybe I haven't come across the right equivalent of the "cat" for a reader (if there are any readers of this blog :) )---the problem that would cause him/her to get excited about the problem and see the danger of not having food storage and do something rather than just turn around and just go about his/her business. I guess worrying about that is something that motivates me to continue posting articles and reasons, in hopes that more people, or maybe just one person, gets prepared and suffers less because of it.
I am seriously concerned about the food situation in our country. We got a letter recently from the state food bank asking for donations, but they weren't really asking. They were really pushy, from my point of view, but they asked for a summer donation, with a really high (at least for us) minimum donation to start. There was nothing along the lines of "we would appreciate anything you would be willing to give...", (although there was a space marked "other" after the high amounts) but there were 3 envelopes for the months of June, July, and August, and the "invitation" to make a certain donation each month, or just one huge (again, huge to us) donation all at once. The thing is, I can kind of understand why they are being so demanding (my word). The demand for help is increasing, and the donations of help are declining. I would assume that the people that sent the "request" for help (with something to the effect of "Please reply by June 30" splashed across the front) are probably the ones who have to send people away with less food or none at all, according to the supplies.
If you haven't started basic food storage at all, please start with my posts in May, where I list the bare minimums to start from scratch --I am no expert on this subject, but I try to follow and source those who are. There are so many good sources on the internet. Please start your food storage, so that you or you and your family will not be one of those that finds yourselves without. (Maybe I should rename this blog the magpie :).
Anyway, I don't live where some of these problems are, but they affect me. And believe me, when people go hungry, we will all be affected. My best source (Mom) always says to store a little extra to share, because there will people that will not be prepared. I hope that people will always find themselves with a little extra to share rather than with a little too little to eat.
There was a magpie outside our door this past week just screeching and screeching. It was probably our cat that bothered it, but whatever the reason, it was in the front yard basically yelling its head off. I looked outside to see what the commotion was, but that was the extent of my involvement. I just turned around and went about my business.
Sometimes I feel like I come across like that magpie. This blog has been all about "Get food storage! Get food storage!" over and over again. Maybe I haven't come across the right equivalent of the "cat" for a reader (if there are any readers of this blog :) )---the problem that would cause him/her to get excited about the problem and see the danger of not having food storage and do something rather than just turn around and just go about his/her business. I guess worrying about that is something that motivates me to continue posting articles and reasons, in hopes that more people, or maybe just one person, gets prepared and suffers less because of it.
I am seriously concerned about the food situation in our country. We got a letter recently from the state food bank asking for donations, but they weren't really asking. They were really pushy, from my point of view, but they asked for a summer donation, with a really high (at least for us) minimum donation to start. There was nothing along the lines of "we would appreciate anything you would be willing to give...", (although there was a space marked "other" after the high amounts) but there were 3 envelopes for the months of June, July, and August, and the "invitation" to make a certain donation each month, or just one huge (again, huge to us) donation all at once. The thing is, I can kind of understand why they are being so demanding (my word). The demand for help is increasing, and the donations of help are declining. I would assume that the people that sent the "request" for help (with something to the effect of "Please reply by June 30" splashed across the front) are probably the ones who have to send people away with less food or none at all, according to the supplies.
If you haven't started basic food storage at all, please start with my posts in May, where I list the bare minimums to start from scratch --I am no expert on this subject, but I try to follow and source those who are. There are so many good sources on the internet. Please start your food storage, so that you or you and your family will not be one of those that finds yourselves without. (Maybe I should rename this blog the magpie :).
Anyway, I don't live where some of these problems are, but they affect me. And believe me, when people go hungry, we will all be affected. My best source (Mom) always says to store a little extra to share, because there will people that will not be prepared. I hope that people will always find themselves with a little extra to share rather than with a little too little to eat.
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