End to the month…not the thinking

In some ways, I feel like the Hunger Challenge has taken up this entire month. I began the month thinking about issues of hunger in this community, and then I heard about the challenge, thought long and mightily about it, accomplished it, then wrote about it for almost two weeks.

I’ll admit…I’m feeling wearied by it all. I’ve spent much of this month grappling with issues of hunger in a way and at a level I never have before. I don’t feel like I’m any closer to good answers than I was when I started, but that’s not a bad thing—it means I’m going to keep searching, keep acting, keep mulling while I do what other small actions I can.

This was a contrived experiment. I used cooking equipment and utensils that most people on food stamps couldn’t afford. I didn’t take anything free I could get my hands on, which is not how I would behave if I was in a real-life poverty situation. If that was the case? I’d have not only drunk the coffee and tea at work, I’d have probably been lining my purse with teabags for the nights and mornings and home. I would have carried water into the A’s game AND taken the free Designated Driver soda.

I also wouldn’t have been able to shop at the Berkeley Bowl, would probably not have been able to drive there in my fairly well-maintained Toyota Camry, and would not have used an iPhone, for God’s sakes, to calculate my purchases. At no point during the week did I ever—EVER—feel like I was physically in danger or under duress. I never had to decide whether to make oatmeal for my kid or myself. Everyone in my daily life knew I was doing this challenge and supported me every step of the way. I maintain no pretense that this was anything more than a chosen experiment. This was, in no way, real.

That is not the case for millions of Americans.

So it’s for those people that I’m going to keep thinking about this. Talking about this. Keeping it in mind when I shop. And if even one of you who is reading this post or any of the posts from this week softens their heart on this issue a little bit, I think I’ve probably done my job.

As of tonight, Tyson Foods needs fewer than 200 comments to max out on their promised protein donation to the six Bay Area food banks. Please go comment, if you haven’t, because this morning, while I was at the gym, I watched a news story about how one of the local Salvation Army food banks is closing after tomorrow unless they get more donations. Their pantry is bare, and people in the El Sobrante area will go hungry because of it.

If you live in San Francisco, donate to the San Francisco Food Bank. Or if you live elsewhere in the Bay Area or in the US, donate to your local food bank. Call them up and ask them what they need right now. They’ll tell you, and you can either donate cash or donate food.

I’d also like to give a final shoutout to the other bloggers who participated in the Hunger Challenge alongside me:

• Cooking With Amy
• Blog Appetit
• Vanessa Barrington
• Been There Ate That
• Petit Appetit (Update will appear in their newsletter)

I’m proud to be among them, and glad to have such a fabulous list of bloggers in solidarity with me.

I had a plan to post my shopping list, menus for the week and a couple of recipes tonight, but forces have conspired, and that’s not going to happen for another few days. Keep an eye out, though, for something within the next week. I want to make sure the resources are available for those who might be interested in using them.