Food Pantry or Food Banks Feed America's Hungry

Food pantries need our help, more and more people are going hungry. It's too bad when you see all the food that is wasted. Give money, time or food. Parents are losing their jobs and have no other way to feed their children. Unemployment runs out then they are really in big trouble.

Many seniors also need this food. Their small incomes isn't enough to last them through the month and many run out of money by the end of the month.

My Dad was military he received his income once a month. My mom would feed us cornbread and milk by the last day of the month. They would even freeze our milk to make sure there was enough to last through the month, with five kids in the family they had to do something to help food last. There are also military families that need this extra help.

Organize food drives at church, work, club or school.

Volunteer at the food pantry

Purchase food to donate to the pantry pickup, extra food when you do your shopping.

Give money

Use Coupons to help buy food for the Food Pantry

Anything can be given but if you see a food drive going on and bins in your community non-perishable, items should be given.

Pasta

Canned food

Cereals

Peanut butter

Baby food

Tuna

Oatmeal

Dry beans

Cake mixes for children that never get to have a birthday cake.

Rice/rice dinners

Numbers have dramatically increased at our food pantry.

When parents look into the eyes of their children and see hunger, tough times take on a complete new meaning.

Donations are down because everyone is having hard times.

In our community requirements to qualify for food pantry groceries are minimal. A current utility bill and a form stating a family's income is about all that is required to be eligible to use the pantry. This is how they do it here, may be different in other cities.

Families must meet the poverty requirements to qualify for food pantry groceries in a regular food pantry or bank.

The amount of groceries a family receives depends on how many people are in the household. People from every age group and families made up of children, seniors and singles are using the pantry.

In my opinion no one should be turned away but that’s just me. If you go to the pantry, you're hungry no matter your income, you should be able to get food. What if you have no income at all how do you prove that? How do you show a utility bill if you’re living in a car?

There are some communities that have an emergency food pantry, no income requirements needed. Many of the churches here give food and no one is turned away.

Choices of food vary throughout the year. Fresh produce is available in the summer. People can donate vegetables from their garden.

DNR donates venison to the pantry, a commodity people love. Meat has to be x-rayed to make sure it is safe. Many hunters will leave their deer for the pantry.

When people come to get food they're ask to bring a box or basket. Food given away helps families for about 3 days. Families can visit twice a month.

I'm sure all pantries are going through what our pantry is an increase in need and less donations.

I have friends that complain because their grown kids are having hard times and they have to at least feed them dinner. They complain about how their food bill has gone up. I could feed at least two hungry people off the street and it wouldn't make much difference in my food bill so I don't see the complaining at all. It seems everyone can put one extra child up to their table without it making much difference in the money out of their pocket.

Why would you complain about feeding your own family?

Winter months are coming and with gas prices it will be even harder for families to keep ahead.

I put this hub up in 11/17/08 it doesn't get many hits. It may be because it's just not a good hub or it may be because people just don't want to talk about hunger in America.

Our son sees kids come to school with very little lunch. The parents don't buy the lunches because they can't even afford the $1.98 for the lunch. These are parents that are struggling but are not on welfare. He has often bought a lunch for a child when he sees they have nothing much to eat.

Let's all try to help the hungry this Thanksgiving and Christmas especially. If you can please help all year long.

Kids at school do get breakfast for free here. Food pantries help feed these kids at home. I'm sure they get very hungry during week-ends and holidays. What do they do in the summer? Many people here are out of work and now there are rumors that the paper mill which has been here forever will be closing if it's not sold. They may even close it before it's sold. That will be over 400 people out of work. That is a lot for this small town.

My husband worked for the USPO and once a year they would collect food items, customers would put the items in their mailboxes. He said his car would be full when he would get back from his route. It is a volunteer program for carriers. It's another way for the public to give to the hungry and not have to leave the comfort of their home.

With opioid epidemic many children have parents that can’t or just don’t feed them. Many parents are struggling because businesse have layed people off. Children get food in school but not on the weekend.

Rhinelander, Wisconsin has a program that sends backpacks filled with food home with children on Friday.

http://www.wjfw.com/storydetails/20180208170359/program_swaps_books_for_food_in_students_backpacks_for_the_weekend