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| Have You Ever Gone Hungry?; Local News Sparks Thoughts | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 14 2011, 05:09 AM (713 Views) | |
| DairyQueen2049 | Sep 14 2011, 05:09 AM Post #1 |
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DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
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Our local news challenged some folks of noteriety to try to subsist on what a person who gets assistance for living gets. Most of these folks admitted to buying a cup or 2 of $4 coffee a day. Eating out at least 5x a week, NOT at McD's or Wendy's, and thinking nothing of purchasing steaks at the grocery. I can remember very well with my siblings and later during college (which I was paying for out of pocket) when dinner was ramen noodles, or butter on toasted bread. In college I picked up and recycled pop cans for food money. I remember budgeting $10 a week for food (yes, this was 15 yrs ago) for me. And yes, it was more important to me to feed my horse then me back then. I'd put aside board money, then budget for food, gas, etc. (While in college I farm sat so that was my 'rent') Have you ever gone hungry? Does it make you appreciate your life now? I had forgotten what it was like to go hungry - this was a timely reminder for me. |
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| FlashGordon | Sep 14 2011, 05:35 AM Post #2 |
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You're BANNED!
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A friend of my moms used to run an educational after school program for kids in the projects. It was really grass roots, just her and another teacher working out of an apartment in the housing complex. One Thanksgiving when I was in high school, my brother and I went down there to help cook a turkey dinner for the kids. There were maybe 10 children, all elementary school aged. I will never forget how those kids ate! And they were obsessed with BUTTER! They were literally piling it on everything, it was a total novelty. My mom's friend told us a lot of them don't get regular meals, and they don't get "extras" like butter.... hence the craze..... It is hard to imagine that there are kids out there who go hungry on a daily basis. Here in NY there are subsidized breakfast and lunch programs in schools, thank goodness. But it is a long time from lunch till breakfast the next morning, if they are not getting regular meals at home. I'm thankful my kids go to bed with full bellies at the end of the day. |
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| DairyQueen2049 | Sep 14 2011, 06:17 AM Post #3 |
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DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
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Remember the scene in "To Kill a Mockingbird" when Scout's classmate puts syrup all over his meal? "Scout watches Walter as he liberally pours thick syrup all over his meal. Appalled and disgusted, she hurts his feelings: "He's gone and drown-ded his dinner in syrup and then he's pourin' it all over." In the kitchen, the black housekeeper Calpurnia (Estelle Evans) gives Scout a lesson about manners and tolerance: That boy is your company. And if he wants to eat up that tablecloth, you let him, you hear? And if you can't act fit to eat like folks, you can just set here and eat in the kitchen. Scout is sent back to the table with a smack on her rear." There are hungry kids in every city of every state of the US right now. We and our kids ARE lucky |
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| Won for Me | Sep 14 2011, 07:25 AM Post #4 |
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Is the meadow on fire?
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My mother was always the one who could make meals out of nothing and make them go far. We never had seconds, but we never went to bed hungry. She always cut coupons and saved Green Stamps. My BF went hungry. There was not enough to eat at his house and after his grandparents died, meals became fewer and more far between. He truly knows what it is like not to have enough to eat. My dad also knew hunger and couldn't always go to school because he didn't have two shoes to wear. I remember the day I realized my parents were not rich. We got hand me downs from others in our barn for our riding clothes. We were always excited to get those hand me downs. I remember getting street clothes from my parents friends kids as well. Recently, BF oldest son started High School in a very rural, poor area where he lives. The first day of school the teacher asks the kids to pull out their Smart Phones and search for something. Son was the "ONLY ONE" without a smart phone (though he has a cell phone) and cried for days when he got home. I looked at BF and said I remember that day when I realized my parents were not rich. It is part of growing up. He made a comment about his kids never being hungry like he was. I don't think his kids realize how tough BF's upbringing was...Smart phone at 14? Be glad you have 3 meals a day. |
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| jillincolorado | Sep 14 2011, 08:04 AM Post #5 |
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You're BANNED!
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Oddly I was just thinking TODAY about the differences in my life compared to wee squid-o's. She LOVES for me to prepare her lunch and HATES to buy school lunches. We keep some money in her account just in case, but she rarely uses it. We never had money for lunch when I was growing up and my mom either couldn't or wouldn't make it for me. We've never discussed it, so I assume we just didn't have the money. I think it bothered me less that I was hungry at school, but more that people were looking at me and wondering why. I know dinners were tight. I think that's why until this DAY I stock up. Nothing makes me feel better than food in the pantry and providing meals for my family. No one goes hungry at my house. Wee squid-o told me this summer that she missed "MMs" thile she was away in Texas. I asked her what that was and she said, "Mompshio meals" (that's her name for me).
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| DairyQueen2049 | Sep 14 2011, 12:48 PM Post #6 |
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DRAGON BREATH. DRAGGIN' BUTT
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Oh my, J - I am a stocker upper too. Toilet paper is the thing (besides being a hay horder). I have t.p. stashed all over the place - bathrooms (not just in the tp stash area, but other areas too), but also a roll in the car, multiple in the horse trailer, and some next to the paper towel spares in the pantry. Hubby thinks I am NUTS but he never went without food or paper products.... My mom, too, could make dinner out of so little. I remember her going to the garden getting tomatoes and peppers, making plain rice, add it to the cut open veggies (stuffed maters/peppers). I never knew you could add meat for years. We used to get odd cuts of meat - tounge, liver, tail for stew, neck for stew etc. And you darn well better believe we ate it. |
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| LostFarmer | Sep 14 2011, 02:54 PM Post #7 |
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Magical Leopluridon
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Growing up I never knew hunger. We had the farm so we always had milk, eggs, potatoes, and burger. So no I don't know what is means to be hungry. Poor I understand. So poor we didn't go places because the gas was too expensive. We had lunches from home always simple and from what we had. |
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| Reynard Ridge | Sep 15 2011, 06:35 AM Post #8 |
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Drivin' The Short Bus
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Great topic. I had an interesting conversation with someone yesterday where I proposed that every single American spend one year working rural China, for the simple reason that I think many westerners completely lack perspective. They have no idea how incredibly blessed their lives are. None. And no, I have never known hunger, nor has my husband nor my children. I do have perspective, though. I wake up every day incredibly grateful the life I have, I make every effort to not complain about nonsense, and the key goal for the remainder of my life is to work on giving back. <-- I don't know exactly what that means yet, but I'm hoping I have another 40 years to flesh it out. I'd like the kids to be off at university before my husband and I head off to Botswana. |
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| Kassandra | Sep 15 2011, 07:05 AM Post #9 |
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Is the meadow on fire?
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Well don't need to go to China, I can go about a mile down the road and see many people sleeping on sidewalks and lines around the block at the food pantry. One just needs to open their eyes. |
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| Reynard Ridge | Sep 15 2011, 08:54 AM Post #10 |
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Drivin' The Short Bus
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I think there is a difference between seeing a few people on the fringes of society vs understanding that hundreds of millions of people around the world live in a completely different universe from the average westerner. I think internalizing that the standard of living in the western world is an incredible gift is not something that occurs to most people. There is an awful lot of complaining that goes on because washing machines break down, kitchens are too small, cars are too old, gas is too expensive, ones favorite coffee is not available at Trader Joe's. White whining is endemic in western society. I genuinely believe the vast majority of people have no perspective on how the non-western world operates. And if they put their feet in a different world for a bit, it might add some much needed perspective to a world where people are in general well fed, well clothed, and have clean water to drink. |
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| Trialbyfire | Sep 15 2011, 09:02 AM Post #11 |
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You're BANNED!
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When we were in Russia about 8 years ago, we figured it wouldn't be too different as we were staying in Moscow. But we traveled about 2 hours north of Moscow to meet our kids and spent a lot of time in a small town there, and it was unbelievable. It was like going back in time 100 years. Dirt sidewalks, tiny wooden houses or more wealthy families lived in small apartment complexes that I would have considered essentially unliveable. The staff for the agency we worked with -- the professionals -- wore the exact same clothes every single day. And they had good jobs!! There were NO overweight people to be seen anywhere in that country. Not one. We noticed, and then tried to find one...ok there was one person that I can remember. But basically none if you looked around. And this was a mere 2 hours from one of the biggest capital cities in the world. I can only imagine what life in central Russia would be like??
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| Deleted User | Sep 15 2011, 09:06 AM Post #12 |
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Deleted User
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You know, this is interesting. I never wanted for anything growing up, because my father went through years, as one of six, where they would live on food stamps, and other years where they would buy a new car. My grandpa was in sales and not good with his money. My dad, on the other hand, never buys anything he can't afford, never has and never will. Because of that, he retired at 59, built their dream home, and he and my mom live in SC now. Less than 1/2 mile outside the gates of their community, there are trailers and unimaginable poverty. One of the first things my father did when they move was get involved in the local goodwill-type organization down there and was elected President of their Board, chief fundraiser, and has raised enough money to get them a much larger facility to serve the over 22,000 people they help every year. He also helps with financial and other counseling that they provide. He is truly an example, I think, of opening your eyes seeing a need and giving back. He's busier now than he ever was as a CEO, but he is so happy doing it. |
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| Deleted User | Sep 15 2011, 09:08 AM Post #13 |
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Deleted User
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Its funny you mention Russia. Well, not funny exactly. One of the scariest things I remember as a ten year old girl was coming home from school and finding out that my father had been kidnapped and held for 18 hours while on a business trip in Moscow. He never went back. But yes, he saw things he never, ever imagined he would see. |
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| Neighland | Sep 15 2011, 09:14 AM Post #14 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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I agree totally agree RR, we as a country are very fortunate compared to most others around the world, and I don't think the majority of Americans can comprehend how bad it can really get! Even the poorest of poor in the US is soooo much better than other areas of the world. I have many connections in China and less fortunate countries, and I feel very lucky to have the life I have, on top of everything as well their work ethic makes me work ten times harder!! |
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| jillincolorado | Sep 15 2011, 11:57 AM Post #15 |
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You're BANNED!
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Well said, RR. Very true. |
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Wee squid-o told me this summer that she missed "MMs" thile she was away in Texas. I asked her what that was and she said, "Mompshio meals" (that's her name for me).
7:47 AM Jul 11