Charity Takes Many Forms

Chelsea, MA food distribution (WSJ)

The WSJ reports on a not-illegal possible misuse of a government food program:

[The USDA} began allowing schools to distribute food without verifying that a recipient has a child enrolled in public school or eligible for free or subsidized meals. That means anyone can roll up to a food-distribution site to get a free bag of food.

On Facebook, a mom...recently posted pictures of an elegant cheese board she’d created with items she snagged from the city’s food giveaway. She could afford to buy the cheese, dried and fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grain muffins, breakfast bars, dip, yogurt, crackers and bread, all displayed on a wood platter.

Reactions were glowing. In the comment section, two moms swapped tips on which city food-distribution site had the best products.

In the age of instantaneous over-reaction it's too easy to come down hard on those who are apparently receiving charity but don't need it. The mother in question is performing a public service by taking the time to prepare an attractive, nutritious meal from free ingredients. By teaching others how to do so she could be enhancing many lives at the cost to the government of a bag of groceries. Plus, I like to think that the woman made a donation to the school or local food bank to compensate them for the materials.

Charity takes many forms. When Girl Scouts come by for the annual cookie drive, I sometimes make a cash donation without placing an order. In other instances I will buy the cookies--to be given to someone later who can handle the sugar--to encourage the Girl Scouts to continue the program; learning about the selling process from order-taking to delivery and collection is a useful experience.

Leanne Brown

In the COVID-19 era everyone has been forced to make do with fewer choices. Yet it's possible as we learn skills that our progenitors knew (gardening, cooking, self-care, conversation with family) to lead more fulfilling lives than we had before.

But back to the original story of eating well on a tight budget, food writer Leanne Brown has published a free book of recipes for those on a food-stamp budget.

The give-a-man-fish proverb has been repeated so often that I wince when I hear it. But it's also true.