The charitable giving of food is giving food to a person without charging that person any money for the food. It is true compassion and can be life saving.
When we want to serve food to someone living outside, we consider a few things.
1. We “serve” food to homeless people, we “feed” animals. Many years ago, Michael, a homeless man, brought this point to my attention. He explained how it felt to homeless people when they heard that the people serving them were “a feeding program.” “That makes it sound like we’re animals in the zoo,” he said. “Could you please call your program something else?” he asked.
2. Every person we serve is our “guest.” This idea came from Koo Koo Roos who used to say, and I hope they still do, to their customers, “Next guest, please.” The concept of serving a guest helps us remember that we treat each person we serve with respect and kindness. And it is our goal to have enough of what we’re serving so that every guest gets the same item.
3. We serve everyone who asks us for food, whether we truly believe they are hungry or not. In rare circumstances someone who appears not to be homeless or in need, asks for food. We serve them just the same. Why? Because we understand that something may be missing in that person that perhaps the food that we are sharing can fill, at least for a time.
4. We can serve canned and packaged food in Los Angeles County, CA, anywhere and anytime. In Los Angeles, there are no health rules and regulations dealing with the distribution of canned and packaged food. Please check to determine if there are any applicable rules and regulations about this in your locale.
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Dear Christine,
I strongly feel we should not serve canned food to people who are in need as they have hardly any nutritional value. In Ayurveda they are considered stale food and the cause of disease.
Instead wee should feed everyone with healthy food! See The City that Ended Hunger :: Belo Horizonte, Brazil – A city in Brazil recruited local farmers to help do something US cities have yet to do: end hunger.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=3330
Love and thanks for your well-meaning article!
Margot
Margo,
Thanks for your comment.
I agree with you that canned food often has less nutritional value than fresh food. However, many homeless people in the United States have no food at all. They have no refrigeration, they have no way to prepare food or…well, you get the idea.
And there are a host of laws/rules/regulations about serving fresh foods which can be complied with but which may also limit what can be served and where.
Fresh, organic food should be and could be available to everyone, I think. However, we're not there yet. So, in order to keep people alive and to comply with existing laws, we serve canned food.
The goal would be to create – exactly what you write about – the farmer to consumer connection for homeless people. And laws that are people-survival friendly.
Unfortunately, we are a long way to go to get this ideal. But, I would not be in this business if I didn't think we can do it!
There was a medical doctor who testified before the Santa Monica City Council some time ago, and he said that the worst death is starvation. People, he said, are actually starving in the US and even serving them candy is better than the pain that they experience from being very hungry.
Many homeless people in the United States are suffering from starvation and definitely malnutrition.
We are Children Helping Poor and Homeless People take the long view and the short view at the same time. We recommend serving as healthy a food as possible to homeless people and we're working to raise awareness of the whole issue, particularly among law makers.
Margot, please stay in touch. Thanks for the link!
Christine
Children Helping Poor and Homeless People (chphp.com)
Website: http://www.chphp.com
Margot,
You've said it so well.
My best wishes,
Christine
Children Helping Poor and Homeless People (chphp.com)
Website: http://www.chphp.com
Dear Christine,
you know many people think canned food is food – good enough for anyone. It is my conviction: It is something you put into your mouth which might fill the stomach for a short while, but it is no food.
And I hesitate to even consider that to give canned food to anyone would be or should be a good thing to do.
Let's go for the real thing – right from the start – and never compromise on what is really essential!! Let's not evoke the impression that canned food will create nourished healthy people whose nervous systems can function well as they have received nourishment this way. They haven't. It goes against my feelings. Please do understand this….
Homeless need to be fed and if a city in Brasil can do it, a city in the US should all the more be able to do it. Let's strive for that. Let's go for the real thing.
Best regards and applauding your good intentions and enthusiasm!
Margot