Food Pantries and Creative Cooking

In my previous post, I gave you, my readers, a snapshot of my very personal life. Please bear in mind, this is private and personal. I am putting myself out here in the blogosphere in the hopes that someone reading this will know that he/she is not alone. Poverty is, oddly, very isolating, yet there are so many of us. Maybe if we talk amongst ourselves and share ideas, we might be able to come up with a solution or become empowered enough to get the attention of our local government officials. My goal, then, is to create awareness of what it is to be part of this strange thing - The Suburban Poor. With this awareness, maybe we can reach out to one another and create a support system that will find solutions - not just for ourselves, but for others.

Our budget is so tight that it almost doesn't even exist. Not terribly long ago, my weekly grocery bill was over $100. I shopped at Shop N Save because I trusted the merchandise, produce, and felt the prices were fair enough. Schnucks is fine for some things, but I had to watch the sales. At that time, I wasn't especially sold on Aldi. I had tried them a long time ago and wasn't impressed. Little did I know how much all that would change.

I was never comfortable going to food pantries. I always, and still do, felt that the pantries were for people who really needed the help. I didn't want to take anything away from someone who was worse off than me. Well, we are now receiving services from our local food pantry. I have since learned that a patron can visit as many food pantries as she wishes. I was going to the Jewish food pantry and now I'm going to the one run by Ritenour. The Jewish food pantry is fantastic, really. I just felt that I was receiving enough from Ritenour and didn't want to deplete their supplies unnecessarily. As I wait for my turn, I'm astounded at how many people are receiving help from these pantries. It boggles my mind. Is this an accurate picture of the state of our country and our economy? Every volunteer I have met has been more than gracious (although, some have been rather annoying, but we won't get into that here).

Shopping the food pantry is a challenge all by itself. Meal planning on on the spot and at the mercy of whatever is available. Jack is diabetic and, yet, we seem to always receive a big bag filled with sweet rolls and potato chips. The patrons are allowed to shop through the pantry goods and each section has a sign of what your allotment is. Volunteers are nearby to help with questions or make suggestions. Okay, here's where an occasional volunteer can get rather annoying. Produce is often times moldy, half rotten or infested with fruit flies. One volunteer tried to convince me that the gray/green limp thing in her hand was yummy broccoli and I should take it. I'm sorry, lady, if it is so yummy, why don't you eat it! Yuck!

I wish there was a way to work out between the grocery stores and food pantries to create a voucher-type system that would allow food pantry recipients to get actual fresh produce. The grocery stores have to write off their produce losses anyway, so wouldn't this reduce that in some way? Please, someone who is an accounting expert please explore this idea. Not food stamps, per se, but a voucher that allows a pantry recipient to select X pounds of fresh produce each month.

As I mentioned, getting food at the pantry is a challenge in the form of meal planning and cooking. Yes, I love taco casserole, but if ground beef isn't available, I guess I won't be eating taco casserole. Same with taco chips, or salsa, or sour cream, or fresh lettuce. See where I'm going with this? One of our trips to the pantry netted us a can of almond pie filling. Now, what in the heck am I supposed to do with this? It's items like this where I rely heavily on my computer to look up recipes that call for this ingredient. Might be a good thing and an introduction to a new dish. If I have all the remaining ingredients.

Guess I'll be visiting the grocery store. The big stores are out of the question now. Just can't do them anymore. Example: fresh eggs last month were $3.00/dozen (Yes, that's $3.00) at Shop N Save, Schnucks and even Walmart. Aldi and Ruler Foods eggs are less than $1.50/dozen. I'm an Aldi convert now. Aldi must have changed their products, because their stuff is really good. Except for their pizza. Their pizza is nasty. Produce selection isn't as all encompassing as I'm used to with Schnucks and Dierbergs, but the prices are reasonable and the quality is good. The highest I have had to pay at either Aldi or Ruler Foods has been $45. Thanks to the food pantry and exploring these two outlets, my grocery bill went down by $50 to $80 per week. I'm thrilled!

Meals are more creative now. I have about three pounds of white rice I have to figure out what to do with. I still haven't figured out what to do with that can of almond pie filling. But those small stale French bread loaves make great French toast in the morning.

A Memorable Memorial Day

Memorial Day is, indeed, a special day set aside to remember those who have sacrificed so much so that we can be free. We honor those with parades, special tributes and ceremonies. Years ago, my young son participated with his Cub Scout troop in placing flags on the solders' graves at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery. This had particular meaning to him because his grandfather (my father) was buried there. We don't know if Jack put a flag on his grandpa's grave or not, but I'm sure my dad would have counted it as so.

This year, my daughter, Sami, participated along with the Ritenour High School Color Guard and Marching Band, in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC. To say this was a once in a lifetime opportunity is an understatement. Each of the kids scraped and sweated to earn every dime to pay for the trip. Some of these kids are seniors and had just celebrated their graduation ceremony last week. This trip also represented Sami's first ever trip out of state. I wanted so badly to come with her, but I couldn't come up with the money to pay for both of us. It was all she could do to earn the money for herself.

Ritenour High School Marching Band was invited to participate in the National Memorial Day Parade by Missouri Representative Lacy Clay. That by itself is pretty impressive. What I found out tonight was that Ritenour beat out about 15 other Missouri schools for this incredible honor. Not only that, Ritenour represented ALL of Missouri - no other Missouri schools were in the parade. Ritenour students showed their state and school pride by putting on an awesome performance for the whole country to see.

I'm so proud of all of them, and especially, of Sami. Great job guys!

Wrapping Up Summer 2010

Wow! This summer has zipped by faster than any I can remember. Maybe because my kids didn't have time to be bored. Maybe because I was so busy I didn't have time to notice any boredom. Whatever. Tomorrow marks the first day of school for Ritenour students and I'm relieved. Now the days will have more structure and less "fly by the seat of my pants" feel to them.

Jack didn't do much this summer. He is now officially accepted at Florissant Valley Community College and will finally begin his degree program in computer engineering. He's taking baby steps to this, but it beats sitting in his room all the time playing video games.

Sami, on the other hand, kept me so busy that I barely had time to see my husband and son. She finished summer school with passing grades and went directly into Color Guard practice. We just found out that Ritenour band and color guard have been invited to march in next year's Memorial Day parade in Washington DC. So now the intense fund raising efforts begin. Sami needs $650 to be able to go and we don't have the money. They have already had two car washes and haven't raised a tremendous amount. They will be having pizza sales later and that promises to be a big draw. In the meantime, Sami is looking for odd jobs to bring in money. She has spent the summer walking a dog for an elderly lady and also helping clean her house.

Girl Scout Gold Award Update

It looks like Sami will be painting a mural on the wall of a building located in downtown Overland to be a scenic backdrop for the newly built Erickson Plaza. Ritenour art students are supposed to help with this project, but Sami needs to submit drawings to the art teacher in charge. She also has to present these ideas to the mayor and Overland Business Association. Pretty intimidating, but I know she can do it. Another girl in her troop will be taking an adjacent wall for her Gold Award project as well. Hopefully, the girls will be in sync with their drawings. The whole project is pretty daunting.

Will post updates as the project comes along.


Summer 2010 - Part 2

Sami made a new friend this summer. Well, actually, they have known each other since Sami started dating Trent. The girl is one of Trent's sisters. Tonya came to St. Louis to visit with her dad and I took the girls out to the Butterfly House and the Magic House. They both had a ball. Any awkward feelings between them (Sami and Trent are no longer dating) vanished when they went into the Magic House. I never saw two girls have more fun. Sami had a few "Lucy" moments (Lucy Ricardo of "I Love Lucy") like crashing into a mirrored wall in a funhouse maze and pressing her face into a peg board only to have her upper torso also press through to the other side.

On the way to the Magic House, I took the girls to Kirkwood Farmer's Market to look at the fresh boys, um, produce. Yea, produce, not boys. Produce.

I'm not sure how long this friendship will last since Tonya lives with her mom in Oregon, but they seem to get along great and Tonya is such a terrific girl. Only time will tell if this friendship is meant to be.

Wave goodbye to Summer 2010 and say hello to a new school year. Hope Sami and Jack make it a good one.

High School, Special Needs Students, and Winning a Game

Recently, media sports departments across St. Louis have been heralding the unbelievable winning shot by a special school district student at a Kirkwood High School basketball game. Now this story grabs my attention on several levels - let me explain.

Kirkwood High School is my alma mater - I'm class of 1980 - so, of course, I'm proud that Kirkwood had a good game. It's great that this young man's shot won the game - no doubt. I think it's wonderful that Kirkwood and the basketball team welcomed and nurtured this young man to realize his dream. This brings tears to my eyes and makes me believe that there are good people out there - especially in my old high school. The news media hasn't really mentioned David Stillman's special needs; there really isn't any reason to. David clearly had all the support and then some to overcome whatever those needs were. His family and teammates are all very proud of him - and they should be.

My son has Aspbergers Syndrome. When he entered Ritenour, he wanted to try out for the swim team. The athletic director encouraged it. I spoke to the swim coach who also encouraged Jack to try out. While Jack is socially awkward out of the water, in the water he is a totally different kid. Or at least he used to be. He tried for a week to pass all the tests for the team and didn't make it. A couple of the boys teased him. The coach pretty much informed me that she didn't have time for him. The other members of the team seemed supportive but nothing much more came of it. Jack never went back. I placed him in classes at a public pool in St. Ann, hoping to improve his strength, stamina and confidence. The instructors there didn't want to waste their time with him either. Jack has never been back to a pool since.

I hope the Stillman family knows just how fortunate they are to have such a supportive environment for David. This young man will always treasure his great accomplishment for the rest of his life. I wish I could say the same for Jack. I don't know why Ritenour would not help him more. Kirkwood is a wealthier school district than Ritenour, but that's no excuse to discourage the efforts of a special needs child. Jack just wanted to be a part of something and was denied the chance. David became a part of Kirkwood history because someone gave him a chance.

Congratulations David on a great game.