Yesterday, as the temperatures soared into the 60's here in the Nation's Capitol, we took to the open road - life partner, dog, and I. As we headed north along I-270 to the Maryland countryside, we noticed the electronic road signs noting the change to Daylight Savings Time reminding everyone to check the batteries in their smoke alarms.
This morning, I read a lovely diary by a Kossack named Laurustina about finding a couple of cans of generic government beef and pork on a top shelf in a kitchen cupboard, a reminder of a time when she and her two sons needed help from a food bank.
Several Kossacks questioned her for demeaning the generic government food, and I took a middle ground, praising her for her good heart and wondering why she held on to the cans if she didn't need them and others were hungry.
How, on earth, does this all tie together????
Well, it's spring cleaning time, and that's time to clean out the kitchen pantry and kitchen shelves, too.
I live a few blocks from the White House, and I see hungry people and homeless people every day. I'm active in helping a homeless outreach program at a local church that provides counseling, job placement, housing assistance, and hot meals. I am not a member of that church, but I rejoiced with them when we recently we able to add a Saturday "dinner at breakfast" meal to our already thrice-weekly feeding program. We call it dinner at breakfast because it's a well-rounded meal and not just eggs and stuff.
"Charlie's Place," the outreach program, was able to add the extra day because we held a series of house parties and even a blessing of the animals to raise funds. One thing I have learned is that little acts of kindness can make a big difference in the lives of people who need and appreciate a little help.
When you do your spring cleaning, please go through your pantry and your kitchen shelves. Check the canned and bottled foods for their expiration date. Anything that's still good and has been there six months or more should be a candidate for the local food bank. If you haven't used it by now, chances are you don't really want it or need it. Someone else is hungry, and there's a hungry family out there that would appreciate that can that's been gathering dust for months.
Every spring and fall, when we check our smoke alarm batteries, we should also remember to check for unused or unneeded food and take it to the food bank. A hungry family will be grateful, and your reward will be a clear conscience and the warm feeling that comes from helping others.
Thanks.