I am wondering if all areas of the county are seeing what’s going on here. A large truck parks in a place and puts out a huge piece of plywood that says free food. Only the “poor” are eligible to get it. It’s been going on for a couple months like clockwork. They’re selling what they get or taking some of it and then throwing the rest in a ditch down the road. It’s a’kin to the free cheese but bigger. Cottage cheese, sour cream, garlic, potatoes, cabbage, apples, beef stew ready to heat and eat, Starbucks coffee pods.

When they show the cars lined up for free food, it always amuses me the number of Mercedes, Cadillacs, and other high end vehicles that are in line.

I like to think its because they are in debt so deep for those fancy cars and houses keeping up the image of the American dream and they get tired of eating spam.

When I was in middle and high school there was a ritzy sub division just north of my hometown. It was the place to live if you wanted to be known as someone in the in crowd. Funny thing was there were houses up there that cost $300,000+ (a ton of money back then) and had a couple luxury cars in the garage but had zero furniture, no drapes, no decorations, nothing but empty rooms. The people who bought them and their high end cars spent everything they had to look rich, but in reality they were in debt way more than they could afford and were living on the edge, all just to appear to be something they weren't. Pretty darn sad really.

Our Sheriff’s Office is right across the street from the food bank located in the Courthouse. Some of the people that take all the free stuff are just budgeting their drinking/drug money for the nights and weekends ahead. We had one guy that offered a “handout services tour” to newcomers for a piece of the action of course. LOL

they did it here several times last fall anyone gets it semi load of food you get 3 lbs potatoes... 5 lbs of chicken patties... some canned goods ,,, id say ebough food to feed 2 ppl for a week.. i cant figgure it out they are grooming us for socialism ... im sure gov is paying for it ... called feed sd .org. but ya cant get to the root of who is promoting it..there are ads on tv there doing iit again soon..

Sounds like pre- baiting to me.

I worked at a free food bank, it was once a month. I seen some real nice car and trucks. Then I got thinking, maybe both husband and wife was working and got nice things, then he or she got sick, or lost there jobs. I was glad the food bank could help them. Our Jr. woman's club pays $500.00 a month to have the food delivered.

Yea I thought of that too. I had a job eliminated by new management and took a $30,000 dollar pay cut per year. It stung but I budgeted well enough that food banks weren't required. Of course the amount of high end autos lined up for 'free' food seems to suggest that there's more to it that just lost jobs.
BTW, it's good of you to work at the food bank Getting There.

If somebody with a nice car gets "free" groceries does that mean somebody with a not nice car does not? If anybody that wants "free" groceries is getting "free" groceries who cares if they have a nice car or not?

I think "free" food is supposed to be for the needy. I know of a grandmother, mom, and daughter combination that "play" about five food banks. Around Thanksgiving each household has 5 turkeys a piece with all the fixins included. Three generations of welfare recipients without a desire to get a job and buy their own food.
As for the nice cars, maybe they can afford a high payment because it seems they do not have to have a budget for food.

I work at a food bank, I unload all the trucks and store all the cases, but I’ve also helped a few days with distribution. Most of the people coming are older, most I’d say are on SSI or SSDI. A few younger people, but for the most part, they appear to be wore out folks with limited resources. A few show up that have drinking problems, I’m sure there’s probably a drug addict in the mix. Food is distributed once a month, and you must be preregistered and meet income guidelines to receive food. Everyone helping there are volunteers, and funding come from donations and state grants.

Since last spring, the Federal government has put in place a bimonthly food giveaway at several different locations in the township. There is no income limits on those receiving food. You don’t give your name, show any ID, you don’t even need to live in the township, you simply drive up and people put the boxes in your vehicle. This is what many people are seeing on the news...long lines of traffic waiting for free food. I can say from my first hand knowledge that many in line are not hungry or needy, as being reported by the media. And yes, most of the vehicles lined are are far nicer than what I drive. I’ve seen BMWs, Escalades, and $60,000 pickups in the lines. People are going simply because it’s free. They go every two weeks, and the number of folks coming to the monthly food bank is dropping, as the feds are giving up better food. These giveaways are being paid through monies from the first COVID relief bill, and I’m told some of the distribution staffing are being paid by the government.

I think these bimonthly giveaways should have run their course by now, if they were even necessary in the first place. I know all school lunches at the local school districts are now free, to every kid, regardless of income. More fed money. All these freebies from the feds has gotta end sometime.

If the food items are nearing the "best by" date, it could be given away and taken as a tax credit by a big box store. However, I was called to a Walmart distribution center once and hauled a 30 cubic yard box of caramel apples to the landfill for some reason..........ordered too many or whatever. Other drivers have done the same with produce that hadn't got moved in time.

When I was remodeling Kroger stores they would throw away large amounts of produce per day. I asked ,at several different stores, if I could take this produce to help 'build' my garden. Was told that they would but couldn't because it violated some .gov regulation.

the few times I worked the food bank , the hardest thing to see is people with zero cooking skills they can take X amount of boxed foods , but they could take all the pintos and potatoes they wanted . there were often big pieces of meat near expiration , no one seemed to want any on it. sometimes whole turkeys frozen

ham an pintos will feed you a long time , a 10 pound ham frozen , so you cut it up and re-freeze in smaller chunks well they just didn't know how.

you would think we have the ability to educate so well , just not sure people want to take the time to be educated.

many times the nicer cars are the ones built better and so you can drive them longer when they are already depreciated they are the better used market. of course probably many other reasons.

The desire for people to pass out donated food and Pat themselves on the back is far greater than the need.

I've never seen anyone in America that looks like they are starving

There’s a weekly harvesters food pantry truck in the next town over. What always amazes me is the Amish will pay for a ride to town to get in line. It should be available to anyone but for a community that suppose to be self sufficient and avoids the “English ways”, kind of a double standard to me.

B

I got canned pie filling for bear bait once, the gal at food pantry said the shelf could not hold anymore. People that came in would take a frozen pie or day old but did not want to make one.

Seen similar with EBT program you could sell a truck load of rocket pops (flavored water) pizzas, chicken wings but never anything that required a dish and scooping. Unwrap eat and toss a stick was the in thing!