10th
December 2012
The only difference between stumbling blocks and steppingstones is the
way in which we use them. Unknown
Yesterday
morning a friend told me how she’d been helping out at a food bank, then
another spent yesterday afternoon helping at a soup kitchen and it really got
me thinking. At this time of year most
of us (actually if you have a weight issue, it’s any time of year!) spend time
thinking “What can I eat next”, and yet there are so many out there thinking “When
will I eat next”. I’m not talking about
the starving that the Band Aid Christmas song “Feed the World” helped; I’m
talking about the 13 million people in this country that live below the poverty
line in 2012! A quarter of a million
hungry Britons will have used emergency food banks by the end of this
year! These stats are staggering; apparently
the reasons for having to resort to free food include delays in the processing
of benefit claims, low pay and debt.
This is
nothing new, as I was telling my mom about it she started to get teary eyed as
she told me the Salvation Army had once done similar for her, they’d turned up
on her doorstep with a food parcel when we were kids, she was flabbergasted and
grateful beyond belief. When she asked
them how they knew, they simply replied, “we just do”, so someone had obviously
told them she was struggling. This was a
time when my father (who’s now dead) was in prison (oh yeah we all have a story
to tell!) and when she told him what had happened, his response was “shame
there wasn’t a bottle of scotch in there for me!” (kind of explains why we don’t
really miss him much doesn’t it that statement!)
We
shared a few tears yesterday, recalling our past, they are memories I’ve chosen
to forget (it’s a knack I have, bad memories have their uses). It shows that everyone has different reasons
for needing help, its way too easy for people to think “get a job” or “I’m
alright Jack!” There are a good many
people out there right now needing help who never thought they would,
redundancy in a time of recession can turn your world upside time, then there
are oaps and the homeless, if you have a roof over your head, and food in your
belly then you are blessed.
There are
charities like Food Banks or the Salvation Army that do food parcels for people
in need so I’ve decided I’m going to start collecting to help out. Therefore if you have any of the list (it’s
long life stuff that’ll keep) that follows to spare, please bring it to your
meeting this week and we’ll start to make a difference, let’s all “DONATE &
LOSE WEIGHT!” We can also collect up
all the unused chocolates and food after Christmas that you have left over so
that we can get back on track straight away.
If of course you’re not one of my
members you can find local charities online to donate too, there’s always the
Salvation Army, Trussell Trust Food Banks, YMCA’s, and homeless shelters, they’ll
be somewhere, you may even just know a family who could do with some support,
why not make them a gift basket up.
Here’s
the list;
The general shopping list is:
- Milk
(UHT or powder, pref. semi-skimmed)
- Cereal
(preferably non-sugared)
- Tinned
Soup
- Fruit
Juice (carton long life)
- Fruit
Squash
- Pasta
/ Cooking Sauces
- Baked
Beans / Spaghetti
- Rice/Sponge
Pudding (tin)
- Tomatoes
(Tinned)
- Pasta/Rice/Cous
Cous (500g / 1kg)
- Tinned
Veg (carrots, sweetcorn, peas, mixed)
- Tea
Bags (40’s/80’s), Coffee (small)
- Potato
(Instant Mash or tinned)
- Tinned
Meat/Fish (corned beef, ham, minced beef, spam / tuna etc)
- Tinned
Ready meals (Curry, macaroni cheese, chilli, beans & sausages,
cauliflower cheese)
- Tinned
Fruit (in juice preferably)
- Sugar
(500g / 1kg)
- Biscuits,
Crackers, Crispbreads
- ‘Healthy
Snacks’ (Raisins, Apricots etc)
a ‘Homeless Pack’ includes some of the items:
- Can
opener
- Wash
bag
- Bowl
- Mug
- Set
of cutlery
- Soap,
shower gel, bath creme
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Anti-bac
hand gel
- Toothbrush
toothpaste
- Flannel
/ sponge
- Tissues
(handy handbag packs)
- Nappies
(all sizes)
- Baby
wipes
- Sanitary
towels (not tampons)
- Toilet
roll
- Shaving
gel / cream (not razors)
I know
a lot of folks are wary of giving to charity because they say they don’t know
where the money is going, but if you give food then you kinda do!
Have a
great week everyone, and be aware that you have a choice to eat more or less,
some don’t.
Lot’s
of love this festive season. xx
My little boy eats better than some people in this country! That's never right...
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