Yes, it has been over a year since I have written. For the past several years everything has been political, and that is not the type of blog I wished to have. I would start to write and then it would turn into a political rant that I really wanted to keep to myself.
I am back, at least at this moment, we will see about any future moments.
I live in the 18th richest county in the country, according to the American Community Survey of 2016, put out by the US Census Bureau,. I have trouble connecting that to my personal experience.
Since April, I have participated in food distributions through the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maryland. Last week we fed 576 people. I talk to the people to whom we are giving food. Many have severe health issues requiring several surgeries, some have cancer, some were laid off due to Covid-19, some work jobs that just don't pay enough to pay the rent, and have the luxury of eating too. Many of them are seniors who were working in the service industry, who had their hours cut and cannot pay the bills. They are well past the normal retirement age. Some are social workers picking up food for their clients, special needs adults. Some are middle class families, who found themselves unemployed suddenly, with no hope of employment until the pandemic has passed. They have consumed their emergency funds and now are reaching a point of desperation. They did all of the things they were supposed to, and now find themselves waiting in line for 2.5 hours for $48 worth of groceries.
The older women seem the saddest. They seem tired. I see older woman in the line, when I ask her how she is doing oftentimes there is a pause, a catch in their throat, before they answer. They almost always say they are fine, but I know that they are not fine. One, outlined her cut in work hours, rent overdue, her car needed $1500 worth of repairs and that she needs it to get to work. It all came out in a rush, in a smothered sob.
These same folks will in conversation mention that if they have extra carrots from the pantry they will share them with a needy neighbor, so that they don't go hungry. These are the people who have virtually nothing, and they are sharing their food.
Cars in the line often have adults from several families in them. Each one represents a separate household with babies and seniors included. They share a ride because poverty does not allow car payments, insurance and gas money. We have had two cars break down in the line. We have rushed people through the line because their engine was running on just the vapors in the tank.
Many of the volunteers helping us go home with bags of food. They want to help others, and also are uncomfortable taking charity, they have pride and a work ethic. They come regularly, they work hard. One is 92 years old. One was laid off six weeks ago and has three kids. They want to be part of the solution, and they are hungry. They are giving what they can to others.
These are people living in the 18th richest county in the United States. Within a few of miles of this food line there are houses with three garage stalls, filled with Mercedes. The county does not have many of the services for the underserved populations (I have always hated that term, if you scan it quickly it can mis-read as un-deserved), because we are rich. If your neighbors have garages filled with leather seated luxury cars, it doesn't fill your belly. It makes it feel more empty. The people donating cash and food aren't driving up in fancy cars, most give regularly. Some stop and tell us that they are donating because they went through periods of hunger as a child, and they didn't want others to have to go through that.
The food programs are all supposed to be supplemental, but what if the people have nothing? The feeding of the hungry is left up to churches and non-profit organizations. The need has outstripped the resources of both of these groups. Many of the grants from the Cares Act were funneled into corporations that money could have fed all of these hungry people. The poor, working class and the middle class are feeding the hungry, if they can. If they care.
We are going to have to scale back the food distribution because the funding is not available and the donations just cannot keep up with the need. We are cutting back to once a month, I try to tell each family in the car line the date of the next distribution as part of my conversation, some looked as if I had punched them in the gut when I gave them a date that was a month away. Some questioned why, and then responded that they were glad we had been able to do it for eight months, because it helped them survive. Others gripped the steering wheel and sighed, "A month. Oh."
There needs to be a state level and a federal level response to hunger in America. We are a rich country, where many go hungry. We have seven food pantries in the 18th richest county. Something is wrong.
We need to fix it.
