My neighbor has worked at a homeless/transition shelter for years

[Mind_your_head]

This shelter offers a breakfast and a dinner meal to all comers, as well as overnight shelter to those who need it temporarily.

She was telling me today that just lately there have been some elderly people starting to come in to take breakfast and dinner. She said that she has NEVER seen that at this shelter before. Most of them were 'decently' dressed/groomed. She was speculating that perhaps the rising costs of food, gas, and some falling into the 'donut hole' of medicare for their medicines at this point in the year might be what is prompting it. They can't afford their food and their medicines (or maybe not even their medicines?)

[cliffordu]

1. Or their investments were sucked up by the cheezebags who we just bailed out.

[Mind_your_head]

2. Yep - that probably plays into it as well. n/t

[cliffordu]

4. It's really funny in a macabre kind of way - My great uncle was wiped out

by the S&L scandal during the Reagan administration.....

It looks like my brother will be completly fucked by the time this thing is over..

I say we eat the speculators.

[Peregrine Took]

3. The soup kitchen at my church in Chicago has had their numbers almost

doubled in the last few weeks from 200 to 400 and they have had to eliminate "second helpings" and cut way back on the "brown bag" lunches for the next day.

[ColbertWatcher]

6. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7818415&mesg_id=7818415

[Mind_your_head]

8. Thanks CW for the reminder

(for those who don't want to click the link) it basically says:

"Please remember your local food bank when you go grocery shopping this weekend!"

---------

That's why I bought 50 cans of Progresso soup for $0.99/can when it was on a super-sale a few weeks ago to donate. After that I saw/purchased many cans of store-brand canned veggies on sale for $0.47/can to donate as well.

I'm not wealthy, so I try to keep my eye on those 'loss leaders' and donate what I can ~ at least I am "wealthy enough" (so far) to be able to travel around the area and pick up good bargains when I see them.....300 tea bags for $2.50 - $2.99, refried beans, tuna, fruit/veggies, sugar, salt, etc. There will be a lot of good bargains coming up for the "holidays", please remember to buy some additional for the food banks and shelters and donate.

For all of you Costco members out there, perhaps talk with a local shelter or PADS and ask what kind of bulk items they would like/need, so that when you see a good bargain on something you can grab it for them.

Also, think of all our animal friends. Humane Societies/shelters need food/litter/various supplies as well!

[ColbertWatcher]

10. You're welcome! n/t

[dana_b]

11. yes! do a few cans aweek, if possible

for our work Christmas party this year, I suggested that we forego the gifts to each other and instead do a food drive. My co-workers like the idea so we're doing that.

[Mind_your_head]

12. Thanks for suggesting such a generous thing! It's a GREAT idea!

Thank you for doing that! :-)

[dana_b]

13. no problem.

I hope others can do the same.

[On the Road]

5. I Know Two or Three Working Class People

who in the last few months were discussing the possibility of having to go to a shelter due to losing jobs and the difficulty of finding work.

I think inflation is really taking a toll on people with fixed incomes. I turn away lots of tenants because they simply don't earn enough to afford even a room for rent.

[Wheezy]

7. shelters are full

In the Phoenix area a couple weeks ago, it took us days to find a place that would take a homeless person who came to our church asking for help (my hubby's a pastor). Most of the shelters have waiting lists now. I am afraid this is just the beginning.

[Mind_your_head]

9. One very IMPORTANT thing I learned in the past few weeks.....

I was talking with one of the older "butchers" (who SADLY admits that they aren't required to do the same kind of SKILLED work at the big chains like they USED to do, but I digress...) at my local chain market.....

He told me that EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK they toss out 1-2 shopping carts full of meat that is past it's expiration date for the next day - THAT'S JUST AT ONE STORE! I asked him why that food couldn't be given away a little earlier to the people who need it? Why the waste? He said that "back in the old days", that meat would be marked down to almost cost in the later hours of the afternoon/evening ~ and it would all be GONE. People would take it home and freeze it and use it at some later time. He said that NOW, companies can write off all of that LOSS and it's more profitable for the store to do that. If the store gave it away to the homeless/needy while it was still 'viable', the store wouldn't get the "loss" write-off.....which is very valuable to the store/chain's bottom line.

I'm mentioning this in the hope that, if our new administration doesn't know about this little bit of WASTEFULNESS (which is HUGE wastefulness if it happens at every store, every night, all over the country) - this bit of info/perspective might figure into how to change laws/write-offs/credits so that our country can stop this very, very wasteful practice.....and help some folks who need it along the way too.

on edit adding: You know, DONATING the food to someplace that would ACTUALLY USE IT, would get the same tax advantage as 'throwing it in the garbage"/wasting it would!

[illuminaughty]

14. I was talking about this the other day

All the bullshit bureaucracy that makes restaurants and grocery stores do the most wasteful things.
We could find armies of people this way.

What about all these buildings that sit empty as a tax write off. There are some here in town that have been empty for 15 years. Two entire shopping malls...empty, but not torn down. And people will have to spend the winter sleeping outdoors? Hideous.

Mom is 86 and we've been talking a lot about the Depression Era lately. I think I'm going to start recording her words. That generation is leaving us quickly and we have a whole lot to learn from them.