There is more than 133 BILLION pounds of food WASTED each year in this lovely country we call home. That’s 150,000 tons of food. To put it into perspective- that is roughly ONE POUND OF FOOD, PER PERSON, PER DAY. WASTED.
With 3 million households in America being under the Federal poverty line HOW CAN WE BE SO WASTEFUL???
One out of every six people suffers from hunger each day in the United States. It’s not rocket science here. I feed those in need several days a week and I can tell you that THEY ARE NOT PICKY. They are hungry. They are not all homeless. They are not all on drugs. They are not expecting you to help. They are in need. Of hope. Of a meal. Of resources that may help them through their current situation.
THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND HOMELESS CRISIS IN THIS COUNTRY
ARE NOT GOING AWAY PEOPLE!
I used to love Seattle. Loved it!!! Until I became aware of how it’s GENTRIFICATION (for those of you who don’t know what that means- it’s a polite way of saying a city wants to schlepp off the ugliness & reality of its residents to another town because they would rather make it look all warm & fuzzy for the rest of the world) has added to the number of homeless individuals.
They (being the City of Seattle) will spend millions, yes MILLIONS of dollars every single year to clean up and fence off area after area of what was once a homeless encampment. Just so they can do it again a few streets down. Are they even aware of the money they could save if they put up a few shelters? A few garbage dumpsters? A few portable toilets? But by all means, keep building more shiny skyscrapers so your city looks sparkly. We are all aware of how ugly it really is in downtown Seattle.
The ignorance is beyond me. Do we all cringe when we drive past the remnants of a homeless camp? Yes, but if we don’t provide the means for these individuals to dump their trash- Where the hell are they supposed to dispose of it? Eventually, they will have no choice but to pick up and move their belongings a few blocks down.
If they were to stay there, eventually the rats would take over and we’d have an infectious epidemic to deal with too.
Alright, I am done venting. Just wanted to say that I have completed my reports for one city I am seeking a grant from to help feed those in need. Americans are wasting…what was that number??? Oh, right, 133 BILLION POUNDS of food each year. Well, for me to provide a hot meal to one person whom is hungry it will cost me a total of $0.53!!!
THAT’S RIGHT! FIFTY-THREE CENTS. I remember growing up watching those commercials about hunger in Africa. Then this man would tell us “That for as little as twenty cents a day, we could feed a child.” I imagine those commercials still exist today. However, we have a responsibility to feed our neighbors first. You never know what single one moment caused that person in need to get to where they are. It’s not your place to know. All that needs to be known is that THEY NEED A LITTLE HELP RIGHT NOW.
Think that homelessness isn’t in your neighborhood? Think again. Seattle probably just wiped out another community and one is headed to your town next.
FED UP WITH THE WASTE,
Jaimey