While many think they “starve” during diets, thousands actually need help to combat starvation
How many of us have ever been on a diet? We start off the first day with a light breakfast. (So far, so good. We knew we could do this.) About mid-morning we get the urge for a snack. (We pass on this. We’ve got will power.) It’s getting to 11:30. We begin to wonder, “Isn’t it about time for lunch?”
It’s noon and thankfully, it’s finally time for our meal. We eat one carb item, one protein item, one fruit, and one snack and are ready to celebrate the fact that we’re on our way to red carpet model-size clothes.
By 2 p.m. the urge to snack hits us again. We’ve been doing so well, that we convince ourselves that we can enjoy a small snack, perhaps a bag of baked potato chips or half a candy bar. By 4:30 p.m. we can’t wait for supper. Hunger has set in. Some physical and some psychological. We’re certain our bodies are approaching starvation mode and decide that come 5 o’clock sharp, we’re going to have to eat a full supper. After all, dieting is a marathon and not a sprint.
Everyone knows marathoners like to “carbohydrate load” before a race, often eating lots of pasta. We’ll do just that and tomorrow we’ll begin our diet in earnest, again. Think about the many times during the day when we thought we were hungry. Being away from food for just a short period of time brought on some desire to eat. While the sensation of hunger did exist to some degree, multiply the feeling a hundredfold to know the true meaning of hunger. It’s a feeling that if you haven’t experienced it, you probably can’t imagine it.
According to the Hunger in America report, we find that “Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 member food banks that serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. As the largest domestic hunger-relief charity in the United States, the Feeding America network of food banks provides food assistance to an estimated 46.5 million Americans in need each year, including 12 million children and 7 million seniors.” This amounts to one in seven people in the United States.
Feeding America helps 46,000 agencies to operate 58,000 programs with 67 percent of the programs providing groceries and 33 percent serving meals. Sixty-two percent of the organizations are faith-based, while 51 percent rely entirely on volunteers.
Nearly 2 million volunteers contribute more than 8.4 million hours per month.
While this sounds like a lot of statistics, it goes to the heart of the matter as to how serious the hunger problem is in America. These are the people who truly go to bed hungry without dieting.
Most local churches will accept our food donations even if they don’t have their own distribution system. Some will pass these on to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, a member of the Feeding America network, which can be reached at (504) 734-1322. This organization provides food to 474 partners and programs across 23 parishes in South Louisiana, including St. Charles Parish, distributing over 20 million meals per year to people struggling with hunger.
If we find it inconvenient or difficult to transport food to the food bank, we can donate to the cause. According to their website, a $1 donation will provide three meals to South Louisiana families in need this holiday season.
If we’re inclined to donate the precious gift of our time, food bank volunteers sort and pack food, prepare hot meals for children and seniors, provide enrollment support for public assistance programs, and teach nutrition assistance classes. Volunteers of all ages have something to contribute.
Our greatest reward will come on judgment day, when “the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food…’” (Mt 25:34,35)
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