WHAT IS THE LINE FOR?

WHAT IS THE LINE FOR?


For the past nine months, since the gasoline prices in California and rest of the country moved to the “Outer Limits,” I have been car pooling. It has been great, not only saving on gasoline, but also making the long drive enjoyable.

On our daily return trips home, We noticed a house on Carmenita Road where people gathered outside in line daily. We couldn’t figure out why. Each day we tried to guess what it was? We finally solved the mystery. We determined that it was a neighborhood food bank. WOW!

The next day I decided to organize a food collection at our company to make donations to the food bank. We were already donating to the food bank at a church for several weeks, so we knew firsthand how they worked. As soon as the grocery store ads arrive in the mail, we started checking for great bargains, plus clipping coupons constantly for the donation. It was suggested I should first check to see if they would accept donations from us, when they were open, and what items were preferred.

The next day, I drove to the Food Bank and asked for the person in charge. I introduced myself and presented my offer of our company donations. Needless to say, they were delighted. The gentleman I spoke to told me how they get what they can from stores (produce and baked items), but they still do not have enough. He also explained that everything from private sources had to be packaged or in cans.

I am so proud of our employees at AFE and Coastal for making this a successful project. We have placed a big box in the front office where everyone brings in cans and non-perishable packaged food. Every Thursday, we drop it off. When we started, we filled up the back seat of a car. For the past two weeks, we had to use our pick-up to make the delivery. We contacted this large company across the street, and they are now collecting items also on a weekly basis also.

It is so heart warming to know that we can do something that might seem small to us, but is so big to someone else. In this day and age, living in this country that feeds the world, there is no reason why anyone here should go hungry. These are hard times for all of us. But I believe it will be only for a short while, and we will come out gloriously as we always do. We will not have the soup kitchens of the 1930’s Depression Era, but we still have hidden hunger with families and children. If you can help these faceless hungry people, you will experience a feeling that is grater than anything you have ever known.

So if you would like to investigate your local community and see if there is a food bank that would accept food, and you would like to have a weekly or monthly food collection for it at your location, this is the time that it is needed the most and would make the most impact. In this great country of ours, there is no reason why even one person should go hungry. And remember, HUNGER HURTS.