Monday, September 8, 2008
Hunger in America!? Absurd!!!
Back in May 2008, I worked at the Loudon Nascar races. I worked in food services and my job was to bring food to the skyboxes where rich people watched the races. My job was to also bring back any uneaten food and throw it away. Throwing food away was the worst part of the job and made me feel like I was sinning against God. Entire turkeys, whole casseroles, and deserted desserts were left unaffected for me to haul back to the dumpster. I never knew that this happened at races, as most of the veteran employees explained to me. And so the source of my frustration is blatant when six to eight dump trucks are filled at the end of the day instead of donating the food to homeless shelters. My guilt is justified. When half a million people in America are considered homeless and 35 million are starving , here I was denying them food! And for all those people who complained that America doesn't do enough to help with world hunger, they're right. But honestly, how can America help with world hunger when we won't even help ourselves? I don't know about the rest of America, but I'm gonna buy a homeless dude a pizza and tell him I'm sorry that I was late.
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4 comments:
I love your final sentence and your title: they each sound like you are actually speaking those--it's where we best hear you voice.
I would like paragraph breaks to be inserted so your post is easier to read.
And your numbers: half a million, 35 million: where do these numbers come from? Is there a link you can take us to if we want to see where and how these numbers are arrived at?
I think you may have the seeds of a great news story here. You might return to the track and interview employees and ALSO management. Find out WHY this is policy? And if they've ever considered making donations to Food Banks? Maybe they have and the food banks have turned the "used" food away? What is the reason for so much waste?
Or perhaps you take this passion and interview people at the local food bank or a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
Love the play on words: "deserted desserts" by the way!
A few more notes coming your way in class tomorrow. Enjoyed the post!
Cheers,
Dana
I love you last sentence too! If it makes you feel any better, wasting food is not allowed in either my house or my boyfriend's. If you don't think you can finish it, don't put it on your plate to begin with.
Hunger in America is a very sad truth and it is dissapointing when you see food wasted like that. when I was a kid my parents used to force me to finish my dinner and told me I was lucky to eat as I did, at that age you don't appreciate things like that. I also like the deserted desert clever.
-Ben
I aggree with you wholeheartedly. I think there are so many things that Americans can do to lessen what they have to help others in need. How much do we waste? So much.
I would encourage you to go to your restaurant and talk to your boss about dropping some of that food off at local shelters. I have a friend that did that last year; he worked at Bugaboo creek in Bedford. Just ask, you will be surprised what they will let you do as long as you are in charge of it.
As for your comments about world-wide hunger; I think it is important for all Americans to broaden their horizons and think of some poeple other than themselves. Weather it is local or world-wide I do not think it matters. People all over the world are being taken advantage of and suffering physically; we need to reach out and help them. Americans have so much, such a "blessed nation" we need to remember that and reach out before we loose it all!
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