Filed under: donations, food, homeless, hunger, Lent, poverty | Tags: donate, easter, feeding, food, hockey, homeless, Lent, trader joes
As Easter approaches, the project draws to a close. I apologize for my absence, but other parts of my life needed my attention. I wasn’t completely separated from the project, but my memory of exactly what I’ve done isn’t perfect.
Last week, I went to a show at The Pageant. I guess I’ll have to go further back, though. Last month I celebrated my one year anniversary with my boyfriend. As he knows the project well, he didn’t want us to eat a bunch of food and put me far behind in feeding others. To help, he bought a box of granola bars, and before we went to dinner, we drove around downtown trying to find people to feed. We didn’t come across anyone! There were people who weren’t terribly in need, but it would have been difficult to stop the car and chase them down. Everyone appeared to be on the move to a Blues game.
So, back to last week. There is almost always someone in need of some help along The Loop. On the way in, there was a woman who said she’d lost her job and had to feed her daughter. I remembered the granola bars still in my purse and gave her one. Then, on the way back out, there was a homeless man on the stairs requesting food. I gave him one as well. It was so easy. Just to be prepared that someone might be hungry.
There are a few other things I need to get rid of before the project is over. I was given a new set of knives, so I have a box of lightly used knives to give away. I still have some cat food too and a jar of sauce that someone gave me without realizing it wasn’t vegan.
That reminds me, I went to Trader Joe’s a week or two ago. I don’t know why I go there. There is practically nothing vegan there despite their trendiness. I bought a container of dark chocolate covered raisins. First of all, there’s no need for dairy in dark chocolate. Second, I really did try to read the ingredients, but I was on the phone at the same time and missed the milkfat. When I got back to work, I (ever the cautious one) re-read the ingredients and noticed my mistake. Rather than go all the way back to the store, I offered them to my coworkers. They seemed very grateful.
I have some canned goods I’ve collected that I must find a home for soon. I’m not sure where I’ll take them yet, but I know they’ll be welcome wherever they go.
You will hear from me again before Easter. I promise.
Filed under: food, hunger, poverty | Tags: brazil, farming, food, government, hunger, politics, poverty
I bet you think I’m making it up. That there’s a catch.
Nope.
The fourth largest city in Brazil, with a population of over 2.5 million, has ended hunger for its citizens. This is a city that went from having 20% of their children hungry, to essentially wiping out the problem. Infant mortality rates are down. Malnutrition is down. People are being fed.
How come they can get it right, but the rest of the world just doesn’t get it?
Politics. Government. Greed.
There is food in the world. Enough food. Our cities, states, and governments just have to look beyond the interest of money-hungry mega-farms. All we have to do is utilize our vast resources to produce food, took out some of the middle-men, and offered good, cheap food to those in need.
And the food in Brazil? It’s healthy, fresh, GOOD food.
And how much is it actually costing the city? About 2% of their budget.
Here’s what Frances Moore Lappe, auther of Diet for a Small Planet, writes:
Belo, a city of 2.5 million people, once had 11 percent of its population living in absolute poverty, and almost 20 percent of its children going hungry. Then in 1993, a newly elected administration declared food a right of citizenship. The officials said, in effect: If you are too poor to buy food in the market—you are no less a citizen. I am still accountable to you.
. . .
The city already involved regular citizens directly in allocating municipal resources—the “participatory budgeting” that started in the 1970s and has since spread across Brazil. During the first six years of Belo’s food-as-a-right policy, perhaps in response to the new emphasis on food security, the number of citizens engaging in the city’s participatory budgeting process doubled to more than 31,000.
The city agency developed dozens of innovations to assure everyone the right to food, especially by weaving together the interests of farmers and consumers. It offered local family farmers dozens of choice spots of public space on which to sell to urban consumers, essentially redistributing retailer mark-ups on produce—which often reached 100 percent—to consumers and the farmers. Farmers’ profits grew, since there was no wholesaler taking a cut. And poor people got access to fresh, healthy food.
. . .
In addition to the farmer-run stands, the city makes good food available by offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to bid on the right to use well-trafficked plots of city land for “ABC” markets, from the Portuguese acronym for “food at low prices.” Today there are 34 such markets where the city determines a set price—about two-thirds of the market price—of about twenty healthy items, mostly from in-state farmers and chosen by store-owners. Everything else they can sell at the market price.
“For ABC sellers with the best spots, there’s another obligation attached to being able to use the city land,” a former manager within this city agency, Adriana Aranha, explained. “Every weekend they have to drive produce-laden trucks to the poor neighborhoods outside of the city center, so everyone can get good produce.”
Another product of food-as-a-right thinking is three large, airy “People’s Restaurants” (Restaurante Popular), plus a few smaller venues, that daily serve 12,000 or more people using mostly locally grown food for the equivalent of less than 50 cents a meal. . .
No one has to prove they’re poor to eat in a People’s Restaurant, although about 85 percent of the diners are. The mixed clientele erases stigma and allows “food with dignity,” say those involved.
Belo’s food security initiatives also include extensive community and school gardens as well as nutrition classes. Plus, money the federal government contributes toward school lunches, once spent on processed, corporate food, now buys whole food mostly from local growers.
. . .
For instance, the city, in partnership with a local university, is working to “keep the market honest in part simply by providing information,” Adriana told us. They survey the price of 45 basic foods and household items at dozens of supermarkets, then post the results at bus stops, online, on television and radio, and in newspapers so people know where the cheapest prices are.
The shift in frame to food as a right also led the Belo hunger-fighters to look for novel solutions. In one successful experiment, egg shells, manioc leaves, and other material normally thrown away were ground and mixed into flour for school kids’ daily bread. This enriched food also goes to nursery school children, who receive three meals a day courtesy of the city.
The result of these and other related innovations?
In just a decade Belo Horizonte cut its infant death rate—widely used as evidence of hunger—by more than half, and today these initiatives benefit almost 40 percent of the city’s 2.5 million population. One six-month period in 1999 saw infant malnutrition in a sample group reduced by 50 percent. And between 1993 and 2002 Belo Horizonte was the only locality in which consumption of fruits and vegetables went up.
The cost of these efforts?
Around $10 million annually, or less than 2 percent of the city budget. That’s about a penny a day per Belo resident.
. . .
“I knew we had so much hunger in the world,” Adriana said. “But what is so upsetting, what I didn’t know when I started this, is it’s so easy. It’s so easy to end it.”
Adriana’s words have stayed with me. They will forever. They hold perhaps Belo’s greatest lesson: that it is easy to end hunger if we are willing to break free of limiting frames and to see with new eyes—if we trust our hard-wired fellow feeling and act, no longer as mere voters or protesters, for or against government, but as problem-solving partners with government accountable to us.
*Edited for length. You can find the whole article here.
**I’d like to thank Dino on the Vegan Freak Forums and author of the Alternative Vegan cookbook for bringing this to my attention.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beatle bob, dancing, feeding, langhorne slim, music, soul
I know I’ve been very clear that this project is about food. Filling bellies. Ending hunger.
I just wanted to take a quick break and talk a little bit about feeding the soul.
Music feeds my soul.
I have been so worn down and exhausted. As I mentioned previously, I have a lot on my plate right now, but I’m doing my best to just chug on through it. Yesterday, I woke up at 5:15 am after about 3.5 hours of sleep, got ready and went to work, left work at 4 pm and went straight to school for a 2 hour test, and stopped in Dupo to pick up my produce order, getting home around 9 pm. I could have just collapsed then, but I knew I would be kicking myself if I didn’t go see Langhorne Slim at Off Broadway.
It was worth it. I’m tired and my homework still isn’t quite done but I needed it. Right away once I got there I just felt electricity run through my body. He is absolutely my favorite live performer.
When the band came back for the encore, Beatle Bob came with them. That’s what really made me think about this. Dancing feeds Beatle Bob’s soul. Oh, and for those of you outside the St. Louis area, Beatle Bob is a legend around here. If Beatle Bob dances at your show, you really can’t ask for more.
I may be tired tomorrow. I might even fall asleep in class. Totally worth it.
So… what feeds your soul?
Filed under: donation, food, homeless, hunger, poverty, volunteer | Tags: cooking, cupcake, dessert, dinner, donate, food, homeless, serve, vegan, volunteer
Life has been busy lately! Between homework and housework and the project, it’s been difficult to find time to blog, but here I am! Unfortunately, this will have to be brief again.
I don’t remember what day it was last week, but after work, I gathered up all of the items I had intended to give to the needy family and took them to Our Ladys Inn. I think in all, I had 2 loaves of bread, a baguette, oranges, grapefruit, and bananas. They were happy to accept the donation, but I couldn’t get them to keep the grocery bag. I really was fine with them having it. It was just another of the thousands Mitch brings and leaves at my apartment 
I was happy to get it to someone before it was all bad. I’m realizing that there really is no excuse to let fresh food like that go bad in your own home. There is almost certainly someplace within 10 minutes that will gladly put it to use.
Friday was dessert day at work. We used to celebrate birthdays monthly, sometimes with cake, sometimes with pretzels, whatever. With cutbacks, though, we hadn’t celebrated yet this year. They decided to have people sign up to bring in desserts. I made cupcakes!
I used the basic vanilla cupcake recipe with strawberry extract and lemony buttercream frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I was determined to not screw them up, so of course I left the first batch in for about three minutes too long. They were still yummy, but kind of stuck to the wrappers. Minor obstacle.
Today, I decided to check out Local Harvest for lunch. It’s a cute little cafe not far from my apartment that offers food from mostly local sources. They also have a nice little grocery store across the street. It was pretty good. I’d like to see more vegan options. They have a lot of eggy dishes, and they could easily scramble up some tofu for us.
I also did a little volunteering. I went to Centennary Church in downtown St. Louis to help with their Cares program meal. They provide meals for needy, usually homeless people. I hadn’t been downtown in awhile, but it was a little disconcerting. There were homeless people all over. I don’t remember seeing it before. Was it just because I wasn’t looking?
There were a couple of other groups volunteering with me. One came from LaCrosse, WI on a mission trip. Apparently, Centennary offers boarding and meals for groups on mission trips in St. Louis. It’s kind of funny because I’ve always gone on mission trips to other places, Mexico and Philadelphia. It’s strange to think of people coming here to help us.
I got signed in and got assigned a task. Here’s where it gets a little yucky. I didn’t deal directly with any of the people. Instead, a few other girls and I got the fabulous job of sorting good eggs from the cracked ones in dozens of containers. These weren’t minor cracks. These were “wear plastic gloves and an apron while holding the container over a trash can” cracks. I’m sure I could have requested a different job that didn’t conflict with my personal choices, but I just wanted to do what they needed. I wasn’t going to eat the eggs, and they were already there. Why not salvage the good ones so they don’t all have to be thrown away? After everyone left, I also mopped about half the dining room floor before it was time to go. You don’t have to be on the front lines dishing out the food to feed people. There are positions all over, hidden in the background, that have to be done too.
After that, I went home and got to spend the evening with Mitch. I made a corn, potato, and chipotle pepper (among other veggies) stew. We try to have dinner together every Sunday. It was nice to cook for him; I don’t get to do it often. I also had leftover muffins and a cupcake for him.
Well, that’s where I am now. Time to get the dog and go to bed! Lots more to do tomorrow! You may not hear from me for a few days again. 
Filed under: food, homeless, Lent, poverty | Tags: baking, breakfast, food, giving, homeless, muffins, need, soldier, tv, vegan
It’s been a few days. Sorry.
I have a question for you. You know the people standing at intersections with signs? I’ve mentioned them before. Do you ever see them and think, “He doesn’t look that bad off.”
I did today, but only for a second. Then I felt bad. There has to be some reason this person is standing there, begging for anything they can get. I actually saw two people doing it today. I didn’t give them anything, but it was only because I couldn’t reach them. I wish I could have.
That being said, I haven’t been able to feed anyone for the past couple of days. I worked on fixing that tonight. Tomorrow we’re having a breakfast party at work for someone’s birthday. I made the Apple Pie-Crumb Cake Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance.
I didn't burn them!
Those should feed at least a dozen people and should catch me up for now. I need to find one or two things to do before the next work party Friday. I think I’m going to adopt a soldier soon.
Oh, and does What Would You Do? make anyone else cry?
Filed under: supporters
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Filed under: Consuming, food, hunger, Ideas, Lent, shopping | Tags: bread, eating, focus, food, God, hunger, senior citizens, snacking
A combination of emotional eating and over-reliance on a big feeding opportunity has caused me to lose focus for the past couple of days. I need to get back on track, especially because with the bridal shower I’m attending tomorrow, I don’t have any big volunteer gigs for about a week. I’m hungry, now, but if I eat now, I might not get to eat later. I’m really asking God for strength here.
I did have a couple of opportunities to feed others that I forgot to mention in the past day or two. One morning before work, I was in line at the grocery store in front of an elderly woman with a lot of things in her cart. I only had two things, and the person ahead of me was going to take a few minutes. I helped the woman place her items on the conveyor. That’s not something I would normally do. I’m not really the type to talk to the people in line around me at the grocery store. Also, I’m usually just sort of stuck in my own head I think, unaware of what’s going on around me. Anyway, I think it’s definitely something for which you should watch for an opportunity.
Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so there was no way I was staying in at lunch. I heated up some leftover pizza and made my way to the park. I still had some old bread I needed to unload (and I STILL have more). I walked off the path by the lake a little and tore it up for the birds (or whoever gets to it first).
Then, yesterday afternoon I decided I wanted a snack (like I said, I was eating too much). I went down to the snack machine and karma got ahold of me. I hit the wrong buttons and wound up with pretzels instead of plain potato chips. I don’t like pretzels. At first, I couldn’t find anyone else that liked them either, but Liz said she would take them home to her kids.
People are getting suspicious of me. It’s kind of funny. Someone else brought in popcorn at work, and Stephanie came over and asked warily, “Are you feeding us again?”
I also got my first food donation. I offered to “file for food,” so Brenda brought in a bag of groceries. She has A LOT of filing. I’m happy to do it, though. I appreciate the donation.
I’m going to put more effort into this this weekend. I need to brainstorm more ideas too. I really want this project to help as many people as possible…
Filed under: donation, food, hunger, Lent, poverty | Tags: baking, bread, craigslist, donation, food, nutrition, pizza
Yesterday was the day of my first surprise. I was really excited to do something nice for my coworkers, so when I found Kelly’s ad on CraigsList, I knew I’d found something great in more ways than one.
You see, for every two loaves of bread Kelly sells, she bakes and donates one to the Hillsboro Food Pantry. And this isn’t just any assorted mix of baked goods. Everyone RAVED about ALL of it! I ordered the cinnamon swirl bread, a dozen vanilla cookies with chocolate chips and craisins, and a dozen double chocolate chocolate cookies and told everyone to go at it! The girls around me went on and on about how amazing the cookies were, and I got lots of good feedback on the bread too. Kelly also said she would be willing to make vegan goodies too; she would just have to find a recipe. This wasn’t for me, though, but I might have to put her to the test on that soon. Everything was so good, when we have our dessert party next week, at least a couple of people are going in on an order together.
I did get something for myself though. Kelly also makes pizza! I ordered mine cheesless (of course) with spinach and onion. It’s only $5 plus $.50 for each topping! What a steal!
Crispiness was my bad
If you live in the St. Louis area, I HIGHLY recommend getting in touch with Kelly!
I don’t want this post to just sound like an advertisement. It felt really good to be able to provide something for my coworkers. It was also good to know that people who are really in need are getting something out of it too.
On a related note, I think I mentioned in a previous post that someone contacted me and said she was a mother of four in need of some groceries because her husband had been laid off. I said I could, of course help, but initially she wanted meat. I’m sorry, but my ethics won’t allow me to do that. I offered to gather some other things and get back to her when I had it together. I came back with a list including bread (courtesy of Kelly), fruit, and vegetables. She rejected a lot of it. Okay… Well, I still made the effort, asking how I could get what she wanted to her. It turns out, she lives at least half an hour away. Ouch. She said she understood if I couldn’t make it. Originally, I still wanted to try. I feel just awful saying I could offer something and then not coming through on it. Mitch made me realize, though, that if she could afford to be picky, she can’t be in that much need. He’s right. I still feel bad. I don’t want this to sound like I’m bashing her at all. I’m just conflicted. What would you do?
Filed under: co-op, Consuming, food | Tags: birds, bread, co-op, food, lunch, produce, school, snacking
Before I get into anything else, I’m all giddy because I got my produce from the co-op today. For $25, I got all this, and I’ll get another load in two weeks…
You can tell I didn't go to art school.
That’s:
5 bananas
2 tomatoes
1lb red grapes
1 zucchini squash
7 green onions
2 honeydew melons
4 potatoes
1 head of lettuce
3 grapefruit
6 oranges
2 lemons
2 onions
1 green pepper
7 apples (eating one now, couldn’t help it)
12 mushrooms
15 brussel sprouts (my favorite!)
and some snap peas
I once again had to reassure Angi that I will find a good home for ALL of it (even the gross mushrooms). Supporting local business. That definitely counts!
I fell to the power of snacks for the past two days. I had the feeds to make up for it, but I need to practice more self-control. No snacks tomorrow. Oh, and I do have plans for tomorrow…
I bought a bird feeder. I wasn’t going to bring it up because I did something not so bright. I bought one of those cheap cage feeders that you just stick a block of food in. Well, how was I supposed to know what suet is. Why on earth would birds want to eat that?? Who decided that was a good idea? Well, I put the stuff out, but as soon as it’s gone, the feeder is going on Freecycle. I’ll get a new one that holds SEEDS.
I had more French onion soup for lunch today (only one serving left). I bought French bread for it before I made it, but that’s pretty much dead now. I fed it to some geese on my way between my car and class.
Speaking of class, sorry this is brief, but I have to get to my homework. Keep feeding! (Is that lame to say?)
Filed under: donation, food, homeless, hunger, Lent, nonprofit, poverty, shelter, volunteer | Tags: children, church, cooking, dinner, feed, food, homeless, Lent, nonprofit, serve, shelter, women
I haven’t been so great about getting to church since I moved into my own apartment. I decided today, though, that with it being Lent and me talking to God more with this project and all, I should get my butt to church. I wake up by 8 naturally anyway now. (I think that means I’m a grown up.)
So, I got ready, fed the dogs, had a bowl of applesauce and went on my way, still somehow running late despite ample time. I am my father’s daughter.
On the way, at the intersection of Grand & Gravois, there was a man with a sign saying he needed food (and other things, but I didn’t have time to read it). I got this idea from First Baptist Church in St. Charles when I was still church-shopping. I wasn’t crazy about anything else, but I thought this idea was genius. I keep bags of food in my car for just these situations. I just us a gallon zip lock bag, and inside my bags, there is a granola bar, a box of raisins, a bottle of Koolaid, and a note of encouragement. I also put those two applesauce Go Go Squeeze things in two of the bags. I held the bag out of my window for the man, and he came and got it, said “God bless you,” and moved to the sidewalk. He just needed some food, and people just ignore these guys and assume they’re just begging for money. They’re hungry!
I made my way to Third Baptist Church on Grand, not too late. It was a good service. I realized once I saw that they were serving the Lord’s Supper that it must have been a month since I’d gone to church. Bad me. The sermon was about Jesus descending into “hell” and what that may actually mean (the difference between sheol, hades, and gehenna). I noticed in their bulletin that they’re having a meeting on the 15th about restarting their food pantry. That’s definitely going into my calendar.
I made unrolled cabbage rolls (which is really more like a stew), yet again from Vegan Vittles. It’s a good cookbook. Go intern at Farm Sanctuary. They’ll give it to you free.
My afternoon zipped by, and before I knew it, it was time to head to Our Lady’s Inn to serve dinner. This is a great nonprofit in south city St. Louis. It was a convent that they have converted into a shelter for homeless young women who are pregnant or have young children. Right now, they’re housing about 25 women and children, but they have room for around 30 if necessary.
When I got there, I filled out the volunteer application, gave the staff member the cooking utensils I’d purchased, and took a tour. The rooms are small, especially considering most of the women have to share it with at least one small child, if not two or three, but it’s a roof, and a bed. There are also a couple of lounges with TVs, a children’s play room, and a small playground. There are bathrooms with showers and bathtubs, a dining hall where meals are provided, and a laundry room stocked with detergent for them to use. Everyone must sign in and out and are supposed to tell the staff where they are going. Most of the women go to classes or have some kind of job. There is a room where visitors can come for an hour at a time. They also have nurses and counselors on staff for the women. It’s completely nonprofit, too, run on donations and a few grants.
When I got there, many of the women were just coming back from however they’d spent their Sunday. There were adorable babies and little kids everywhere! When it came time for dinner, I donned my stylish hairnet and plastic gloves. They had roast beef, cabbage with turkey, cauliflower, macaroni salad, and rolls. One of the ladies must say grace before they get their food. They get their kids’ food first then come back for their own. The kids are required to be served one of everything on the menu (making them eat it all is another thing). I served the cauliflower and macaroni. All of the women were nice and polite, but also noticeably tired. Afterward, I wanted to sit with them and talk, but I couldn’t quite break out of my shell that much. I sat at the first table with one of the staff members. Eventually, though, one of the mothers’ kids came in a little late, and I got to sit across from two very cute kids.
The women clean up after the meal themselves. They’re all assigned chores. Some put out the dishes before the meal, and others put the food away. They wipe down the tables and go off their separate ways. I would say I fed about 20 people there. It was a nice experience, and I hope to go back.
Mitch came over tonight (finally!). I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t hungry. I had all this good food in my refrigerator. I guess I couldn’t be too mad though. He did bring me roses and a cookie from Chicago Diner. I will admit, I snuck a bite of it after he left. Don’t worry, I’m counting it.
