Saturday notes on hunger

Its Saturday. I finally got to watch the special on childhood hunger that was on the food channel. I think that it is well and good to donate to food banks etc. A group I belong to has adopted a school ( via a church program) to make sure kids have breakfast and lunch the two days that they don't go to school.

That being said, there are a lot of people that are getting food stamps. Just getting food stamps is not enough. food stamps are bare bones money. Most of the information out there in TV land has unrealistic budget meals in the scope of a thrifty budget via the USDA. All the organic push is a joke on that budget unless you are fortunate to grow/ produce your own. That's not all bad ! In my opinion, we need to teach people on food stamps how to shop to maximize their SNAP. And, if you have never cooked from scratch, they need to learn how. They don't teach home ec in schools anymore. It went by the wayside along with cursive writing.

There are books and television shows on PBS that show you how to cook from scratch. A few basics are enough to get you by, but you do have to learn them.

There is, however, no lessons on how to shop. The native Americans have an expression, I will paraphrase because I don't think I have ever heard it for real. " Give a person a fish, he eats for a day; teach a person to fish, he eats for his life!

Giving people care packages is the right thing to do. No one should go hungry in this country. We help all kinds of other countries and charity begins at home. But, we can't give people food forever, people need the skills to shop wisely and cook what they buy that is in their budget perimeters. We have all had to do this, some more affluent than others.

This is why I started this blog. I am glad that other people are enjoying it as well,and taking from it what they can use in their lifestyles. I am not a nutritionist, nor have I had any form of home economics training with the exception of some cooking and sewing classes. I have just been in a position of being part of the working poor and having to make it. I read everything I could get my hands on for years. I still read everything that I see that can help me. Even the budget cooking shows on TV, while unrealistic for a low income budget, can teach you some things. many times you can make the meal for your budget if you have shopped wisely.

My plan has worked for years. It is sustainable and doable for most people. I just have to reach the people that need it.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane