Between the fridge freezer in the upstairs kitchen, and what was in the basement freezer and the deep freeze, I haven't bought hardly any groceries (except absolute essentials) for over 2 months.
In the deep freeze, alone, there was a turkey, a whole chicken, about 8 pounds of cut up chicken, 2 beef roasts, 4 pork roasts, pork chops, a bag of tuna steaks, a bag of salmon steaks, an unknown number of freezer bags full of roasted green chilies (I still have plenty), no telling how many bags of cranberries (still have plenty of those), several containers of homeade apple butter, several containers of frozen vegetables, pizza crusts, pie crusts, etc...the list could still go on for a while.
Either way....It's good to shop when you know the grocery stores will have plenty of good meats in the 'Use or freeze' section and at a good price. Catch them at the right time and stock up. Worried about freezer burn? Here's the solution: Wrap each item in the following....plastic wrap, newspaper or butcher paper, aluminum foil, then label it. If you don't have labels, put each one in a ziplock freezer bag (which can be reused) and an ink pen or sharpie can be used to write on them. I have done it for years, and it works well.
Despite the hardships I will soon be facing, I know very well just how lucky I am to have had this much stuff lying around in the freezers waiting to be used. There are children going hungry as I type this and as you read this. I'm not sure what happened to us as a people, but we simply don't care about others the way we used to and it saddens me.
With what all I had available and what all I made with it, I could've easily opened a 'soup kitchen' of sorts, received a tax I.D. number, and moved ahead with it. But, luckily, that's already being taken care of in the city where I reside.
The main 'soup kitchen' in this city (Knoxville, Tennessee) is called "The Love Kitchen". The owners/operators are twin sisters, Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner. Both are 82 years old. Both have recently been hospitalized for Pneumonia, and one is now back in the hospital. I wont get myself started on Staph Infections again, but let's acknowledge how real the problem is. Done. Now, moving forward...
These 2 sisters began this operation in 1984, and when not fighting off pneumonia and staph infections, are working that kitchen just about every single day. It takes a loving heart to reach out to the hungry as these ladies have done for almost 30 years.
I don't like Oprah Winfrey, but I do think that it was a good thing for them to be featured on her program, as well as a recent one, Secret Millionare. When you reach out to people with your heart and soul, you'll be noticed and fate will thank you for it. This doesn't require any type of political association, nor does it require having a bleeding heart. It only requires having a heart that cares about the welfare of others.
It's easy enough for me to conclude that these sisters had it extremely rough during the great depression, so they know how it feels to wake up hungry as well as go to bed with that same gnawing at the stomach. These ladies deserve all the support they can get, but I hope all who read this will consider the same in your own cities. Whether or not you see them, there are people in your area who are going hungry. The United States is the richest country on earth, despite the current political climate, and child hunger here is inexcuseable. It should not be allowed or tolerated. It's true that charity begins at home. As soon as charity is secured at home, please reach out to others when you can. I'm barely able to do so, but me chosing to eat on the cheap for so long has allowed me to give at least a little to a set of 82 year old twins who have been going out of their way to fight hunger where it resides. If I can do it, so can you. Please, consider it. That hungry one could be you, or your child, or relatives which you care about, but would never tell of their troubles. But if you knew, would you try and stop it? Think about that, and please visit the website at the link provided, below. These ladies have never asked for attention, but they certainly deserve recognition.
Imagine how well these ladies manage to cook on the cheap. Eating on the cheap is not such a bad thing, when you consider how far it can be spread and who all it ultimately helps.
Their spiritual beliefs are their business, alone. I don't really care, as long as they (as well as so many others) continue to show the world how much can be done with so little, and with huge hearts.
http://www.thelovekitchen.org/index.php
No comments:
Post a Comment