Going to FOOD BANKS!! When and Why I Started!
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You don’t always hear the best of people when they think you “steal” from a community resource. I’m here to tell you it’s OK to go …
RESOURCES IF YOU NEED THEM!!
a) http://www.FoodPantries.org
b) Txt 1-800-548-6479 with your zip code for free food locations
c) http://www.FreeFood.org (enter your location)
d) https://freedge.org/locations/
e) Call 211, in many states they can help you find shelter, food, and clothing,
f) http://www.FindHelp.org
g) Check with your local churches and schools. Many of them know about food resources.
h) If you have a school-aged child in need of breakfast and lunch this summer, simply text βFOODβ to 304304, and receive a message back with a location closest to where they can get free meals
I will be honest…I have experienced the people who waste thier money away and glean from the food banks. Just being honest. I come from the good old fashion work and work harder for your food. My dad worked two jobs and after a while my mom worked. So this is what I now. They worked opposite shifts with the six of us at home. How come my parents' figured it out to work and work harder for thier food but now a days it is almost inviting people to food banks. It makes for a softer mushy less work enviroment. The Gov LOVES people being dependent so they can control more and more. There defiantly are times of need but please address why it has to be a life style of continued free food. It should be once in a while. My hubby said if we couldn't afford our 9 kids he would work a second part time job for food before going to a food bank. As it were he made a sufficient modest wage and all went well. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts.
I live in a tiny town in the tiny state of Vermont. I had never been to a food bank before the pandemic but I started getting a box weekly a few years ago for a short time. I felt guilty so I started volunteering there and have ever since. I don't feel guilty now bringing home food because I help out a lot. I'm happy to hear you will be volunteering too. It feels good to help others. We don't have the kind of food you have, but it gives people the basics, which is important.π Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.π
In Texas you can dial 211 and they will send you a list of local foodbanks in your area, along with any places that can assist with utility/rent bills. There's a website for Texas as well. Since the emergency covid food stamp funds were removed my benefits went from over $200 a month to $23 a month and that's no joke. That hit me hard. I am unable to be able to stand in food lines or mobile pantries and I was surprised to find that if you are unable to get out to food banks there's a service that drop off food at your door. I am so grateful for this service. Also- some people trying to use ethics as a ground to complain should stop being hypocrites and realize the food is essentially trash if no one uses it. And we're eating the dusty old food they forgot was in their own cabinet.
My husband and I have seen this coming for a very long time. We are a two income family that was never able to save a penny. We made enough just to pay bills. Its been rough. Our pantry was not – we never had any extra food in the house. No treats, no restaurants, no vacations etc. I took on an extra job over the week-ends. We both worked insane hours only to survive. I started a huge garden and canned. I learned to buy specials or reduced items. That's how we lived. Services were not available in our area.
I just worry about the situation out there. When the food banks begin to dry up what is going to happen to people that need the help. Take my word for it. Just think forward – think about what you would do if services are not available or if food banks are being reduced due to shortages. Trust me I'm not judging anyone. Just do what you have to do. Blessing to all.
Foodbanks in australia you have to pay a portion of the cost price of what it costs in supermarkets, and there getting more and more expensive. Also the area im in they dont have any cold or frozen items.
G'day Carolina!
The food bank works a little differently here in the land down under. Very few places have a free food resource unless you meet a criteria of earning, and some have restrictions as to how many times a year you can go. I have one locally that you have to pay a membership fee to the oeganisation to access assistance.
The most common one i see- is a cross between your recovery stores and a food bank, where people can go in, pay an amount and recieve a selection of groceries.
The cost is normally fairly low (the dearest ive seen is $60) but you dont choose your contents.
My daughter and i went to quite a number of these establishments when she was younger- and she has great memories of unpacking the mystery boxes of groceries. I think the strangest thing i remember recieving was a 5kg (11 pound) tub of greek yoghurt!
Even though we are mostly over that uneasy time of our lives, andy husband and i are in full time work, sometimes when the going gets tough we will still go. Theres no shame in feeding your family.
Thanks for being amazing!
Thank you for sharing your story. If you know thereβs food being thrown away, why not go the last day and get whatβs left? Itβs better than seeing it destroyed. Again, thank you, sweet lady.
I also really enjoy your recipes because I am not good at changing things up. And I hate for anything to get wasted! And I want to learn to can so bad but I am scared!! Lol!!
I just love your channel so much! It's so nice to see everyone has hard times. None of us are immune. Even though we are fine right now, I absolutely would go to the food bank if I needed it. That's what it's for. If you can save money by getting food you can use that money to help with another bill like the electric bill!
Sweetheart I am disable and 72 I draw 23 dollars a month and I have to go to food banks since I lost my husband of 45 years I couldn't make it without their help
Congrat on volunteering.I think you will feel so blessed doing that.
I remember the first time we went to a foodbank we got Big Foot soup by Liptons,canned beans,a box of kraft dinner and licorice candies.And a box of stale opened crackers…We were grateful for anything and my husband and I still chuckle about the Big Foot noodle soup.ππ
I really appreciate you talking about the stigma of food banks.We went when my boys were little very occasionally and I felt so ashamed..But I swelled my pride and even got some diapers etc.. (This was years ago.I know they give a lot more fruit and veggies now.)
I love watching your meals that you make from the food bank.
I would love to hear about how you and husband met.What an adventure to move somewhere without knowing a soul.Way to go!!
I think your cook experience makes your channel so great because you know a lot of cooking techniques.
Thank you for your great channel.ππ¨π¦
God bless you for your encouragement!
I understand having to use food banks, but I think you rely on them instead of using them to get out of the "rut." Shouldn't you be trying to get out of having to rely on them to provide for your family?
Iβm reading the comments and I see a lot of people commenting about the wonderful food banks that they have in their area well in my area I think there a hidden gem or something Iβve actually never seen one. I moved to this town just over a year ago and I have yet to see a food bank. I donβt know of any churches that have them nobody advertises them. I do know one that is for veterans only but thatβs it. Itβs really sad. Thereβs so many poor people here.
I remember after my son was born I could no longer work my husband was in college and we needed help.
As you said I swallowed my pride went to get food stamps they made me feel more worthless then I already felt. Do yo have a car? Sell it,it was broken and had money to fix. Then sell it. Do you have a house phone? Than get rid of it and save that money,this would leave me as a new mother without reaching out for help.
I did however get rid of the broke down car which cost me $40.00 to have then get. They told me however that my child could have formula but as his parents we were out of luck. First and last time going for food stamps.
After my second child I was introduced to food bank what a difference, they were a life saver. Bless food banks.
Mama Bear you will get your Homestead because God will provide
I have never used a food bank. My parents never used a food bank, but they put out a huge garden every year and mom would can, freeze and preserve all summer. She bartered homemade noodles for eggs, etc. Probably hundreds of quarts every year. Daddy always bought sides or whole beef and they would cut and package. Dad also would buy carts of dented cans and we kids got pretty good at figuring out what was in them. We only ate out a few times a year. Not much in the way of snacks or treats, but we never went hungry. Some nights it was fried squirrel or lake fish or rabbits, but we had our fill. Daddy worked hard to keep his family fed.
Now…I donate to food banks and homeless missions for meals. There are not the opportunities to hunt, forage, and even fish like when I grew up. More people live in urban areas than not. I donate so that others less fortunate than I , don't go hungry. It's a crime that children especially go hungry in the most developed country in the world. I DONATE SO OTHERS CAN THRIVE. No judgements here!!!
Mama Bear hotdog casserole is really good. Potatoes, hotdogs, chesse and i add vegetables
I don't remember going to food banks growing up, but I do remember getting commodity cheese and periodically getting food stamps. (Anyone remember when the food stamps were paper coupons you had to tear out in front of the cashier?) I swear I don't understand why people try to shame others who need a little help with food… what's the big deal? I don't recall any stories about people being shamed for going to the grocery market, what's the difference, the building? Besides that, who's business is it anyway? I can assure you the sacrifices you and Husband are making so your kids can have their Mom at home caring, cooking, guiding, teaching and raising them… are well worth it! So many kids are being raised by the system and that is sad.
Our food bank is a hit/miss deal. Sometimes we will get food that we can eat and more so we share with the neighbors, other times it will be trash bags filled with moldy bread… Living on a fixed social security income is getting more challenging every day.
Iβve volunteered at food banks. The state Iβm from have a great state wide food warehouse that supplements what they receive in local donations. They want people to use their resources. In 2020 Mackenzie Scott gave our state food bank 9 million dollars. They have been doing a good service with that money.
I go to 2 food banks a month we need it Iβm not ashamed
This is a really good video of you speaking from your heart and telling your story! You are reaching and encouraging so many people. Iβm very proud of you, Lina! Iβm so happy you have decided to volunteer at the food pantry where you can do so much to help others figure out what to do with what they get! You have a generous heart!
YES Pleeeezzzzzzz, a video of how you met β€οΈππβ€οΈππππππ!! When you have time ππππ.
Hi..Hi..Hi Carolina π₯°! I just started to watch your video. YES, of course; we would like to hear why you moved to Montana βΊοΈβΊοΈ! Back to your video.
P.S. I LuvLuvLuv your top!! Is that a Calla Lilly beside you?
80's kid here, grew up on welfare. There's no shame when there is a need. My mom did her best.
Hello Carolina it is so true about the inflation and the food budget not stetching as far. My kids are always wanting premade frozen microwave things and I tell them look we have an $750 food budget and i have to make that stretch when you are feeding teenagers that eat 12 times a day or so it seems they eat so much we stock up on some of the cheaper lunch items like mac n cheese, cup o noodles and sandwich stuff but i will be glad when they head back to school and get free breakfast and lunch then i can start stocking the house back up. Hope you have a great week.
My very small hometown has a food bank and they really take care of our community. They have a thrift store and a restaurant that are run by volunteers and any profits go back into the food bank. They do a community food drive twice a year. They will post on FB if they are in desperate need of a specific item or type of item and the community takes care of it for them.
Before Covid I was a couponer and you could get so much stuff for free or very cheap. I donated all of my excess personal care, cleaning and laundry care items. I was happy to be able to help them in the way that I could even though I was lucky and never needed to use the food bank.
My first time was February 2023, I only went for 3 months. Would like to go again, but the lines are really long, n sometimes itβs not worth it but the first time I went, they prayed for me n I cried π’
Thank you
I love that you are so passionate about things that are important to you. You have inspired so many of us!! Thank you for sharing your life experiences and lessons.
We got the old school government cheese. Lol.
I started food banking about 2 years ago, but got discouraged with the rotten and inedible food I received.
Iβm so happy I returned and tried again for folks. Found some amazing resources and friends along the way. β€
Some food banks give out the most random, useless things. I went to one that gave me a zip lock bag of sugar packets, and already rotten vegetables and molding bread. What are people supposed to do with that? That was a long time ago, I do see that food banks are giving out decent things now most of the time. I think a lot of it has to do with grocery stores donating to food banks. Also, itβs perfectly ok to travel around to local places to different food banks in your area.
Love your channel, thank you for such great content and sharing your skills! β€
I'd love to hear the story about why you and your family moved to Montana!! I live in Eastern NC, and am finding myself needing some help with groceries as the economy is pinching my budget pretty hard. How can I find my local food bank?
Funny you mention 10 pound logs of hamburger. I just canned 20 pounds of cooked ground beef. 26 pints!!
Owning your home isn't all sunshine and roses … Believe me sometimes I wish I was renting when big appliances break like your fridge, stove, or water heater … Just recently I had to replace all the electrical on my pole to my house and cost me over $6000 … I've owned my home for almost 11 years and it's a constant fix and repair and when you don't have alot of money it's not easy to come up with it to fix things … I'm not trying to discourage anyone from owning but if your happy in your current rental and like you are allowed to have animals and a garden maybe take a long look before buying because it would be nice to not be responsible when all those things go wrong and are big ticket expenses … And I don't have a mortgage … My house is paid off and it's still hard to try to save any money.
I go to the food pantry. (2) actually. One is a drive up, by appointment only and they give good stuff. For the month. The other one I use you can go 3x per month and thatβs where I get veggies and eggs and milk. Not only does it feed me, my boyfriend, our kids but it also feeds both of our parents. I started stocking up two years ago bc prices were skyrocketing. Ssdi pays barely enough to live. The people that go to the food bank 3x a month are mostly senior citizens and ppl on ssdi. They are wonderful. This week I ended up with chicken gizzards. (Our dogs will live dehydrated gizzards in their food) and I know our cats would enjoy it too. β€ we cant be picky. I have received a 6# prime rib, 10 lb hams, chicken breasts that are 1.5# each. Our homes are stocked and itβs a blessing.
Hi family! You are awesome!