The challenges associated with the Hunger Challenge include more than acquiring food with a limited amount of money. They also include adjusting one’s behavior and thought processes. That lesson was brought home to me when I was on my way to work and suddenly realized that I had forgotten my lunch. My first reaction was to forget it and just buy something, but there wasn’t money available for that so I turned around and went home to get it. Ironically, that almost made me late for a meeting related to the United Way – the very organization that helps to support agencies that address hunger and nutrition issues.
Gary Dollar, the president and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis is also taking part in the Hunger Challenge. He observed this morning how we usually “have the privilege of not having to think about food.” But that changes when your resources are limited. Now it feels like food is all we think about. My wife Susan and I have also become much more conscious of the need to ration our food to make sure that the groceries we bought will last us through the week. That means skipping snacks and being very thoughtful about how much we use for meals. In my first entry, I mentioned that we still had $6 left from the money available to us at the beginning of the challenge. Looking ahead, we’re thinking about buying another loaf of bread and maybe some Tuna helper.
For me and many others, meals have become an integral part of our work. We hold meetings over lunch and dinner. But when food isn’t as available, you come to realize that you are perhaps taking it for granted, particularly when others eat their meals while you sit and watch.
I’ve heard that desperate people will sometimes eat things with absolutely no nutritional value – even mud – just to take away for a little while the pain that comes with extreme hunger. While we’re not facing anything nearly as extreme, we have found ourselves this week finishing food that we really don’t like, and drinking a lot of water just to stay as full as we can and keep the hunger pangs away.
Our experiences so far underscore for us the important role that Food Outreach and other agencies play by helping so many people and families understand the importance of nutrition and making it possible for them not just to avoid hunger, but to eat in a way that preserves and protects their health.
Gary Dollar, the president and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis is also taking part in the Hunger Challenge. He observed this morning how we usually “have the privilege of not having to think about food.” But that changes when your resources are limited. Now it feels like food is all we think about. My wife Susan and I have also become much more conscious of the need to ration our food to make sure that the groceries we bought will last us through the week. That means skipping snacks and being very thoughtful about how much we use for meals. In my first entry, I mentioned that we still had $6 left from the money available to us at the beginning of the challenge. Looking ahead, we’re thinking about buying another loaf of bread and maybe some Tuna helper.
For me and many others, meals have become an integral part of our work. We hold meetings over lunch and dinner. But when food isn’t as available, you come to realize that you are perhaps taking it for granted, particularly when others eat their meals while you sit and watch.
I’ve heard that desperate people will sometimes eat things with absolutely no nutritional value – even mud – just to take away for a little while the pain that comes with extreme hunger. While we’re not facing anything nearly as extreme, we have found ourselves this week finishing food that we really don’t like, and drinking a lot of water just to stay as full as we can and keep the hunger pangs away.
Our experiences so far underscore for us the important role that Food Outreach and other agencies play by helping so many people and families understand the importance of nutrition and making it possible for them not just to avoid hunger, but to eat in a way that preserves and protects their health.
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