Final Resort Food Assistance

[rvijay]

Please share any information in regards to sources for Final Resort Food Assistance here. Also articles on the same subject can be shared here. I was hesitant to start this thread for a long time. However, looks like atleast some may benefit from this thread.

A TINY URL to this thread is given below for General Convenience. Whenever there is any discussion related to hunger/poverty/last resort food assistance etc., here or elsewhere, simply use the URL below for some very good Information on the subject:
http://tinyurl.com/4o9m3

A. Please go to for a General Article in this regard from Veg Source:

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qahungry.htm

B. Almost all Sikh Temples (Gurudwaras) Offer Vegetarian food free on one or certain days of the week. Please check your Yellow pages and contact your local Gurudwara to get the full details. They are not present in all communities though.

C. Great Articles here on how to save on Food including getting Free Food.

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/howtosaveonfood/

D. Learn baking it opens a golden door. Learn to Make Chapathi, several recipes on the net. Try and build a pantry/ food reserve for emergencies.

E. Several food banks etc., may be accomadating if special requests are made in advance.

Warm Regards,

Vijay :)

[kristadb]

thanks :)

[rvijay]

Here is another related older post of mine from another board. Glad I could find it. There maybe some overlap between this and my first post, but it has a lot of useful tips that even I refer to when needed.

Best Regards,

Vijay :)

Recently, I was able to live on $10 Canadian for two weeks(around July 2003). If needed and pushed to extremes, I can live on $20 Canadian per month for a few months. However, I am single.

1. Here is how I do it:
In any case here is the most important aspect. it is the Lebanese Pita Bread, for about a dollar we get 6 of it locally. I understand that this is not available in all places, specially at this price.
This is HUGE, a foot long in diameter and can be separated into two equal parts. Learning to make a sandwich with this is a great experience. I make a sandwich with Cabbage, lettuce, rice, you can use any frugal veggies you wish.

Two of this makes me feel like I have eaten a VERY HUGE amount and am a burden on Earth. It is SO HUGE. After two of these, if pricked with a pin, I feel like I will explode like a balloon. A few of my friends have also shared the same feeling. This is due to the gas the Cabbage creates I learned later on.

Recently, when I endedup going out with several of my friends to a restaurant(no service, just order at the counter). They all bought for about $8 or so worth of food. But they all finished before me. I had got my sandwich from home as I am a Vegetarian. They still had to wait for me to finish it. Mine cost a Max. of 25 cents to make it !!!

2. Amy D. is a frugal black belt with a book that is very popular. She says we need to reflect to find what are not essential, for eg., coffee, Tea etc., This helps to reduce the bills.

3. Approach a local Soup Kitchen. In the worst case, if you can eat non-veg for a while and are comfortable with it, go for it. Several people take vegetarianism in steps and in terms of extreme survivalism, this can become debatable.

If this sounds uncomfortable, promise yourself that when you have have a better situation you will donate money in return to the salvation army and also promote vegetarianism on the net.

4. Dumpster Diving
www.dumpsterworld.com
There is so much discussed on this subject here. This is becomming very popular. Near my home, there used to be a bakery. They used to dump a lot of slightly old bread but still edible. All this was wasted. Now, I wish that I had taken them all (even from the dumpster) and fed them to the pigeons.

Some people find a dumpster that is constantly filled with goodies and make a killing out of it they say. Usenet Forum: alt.dumpster

5. Local Restaurants usually throw unsold waste food. It is said that knowing/approaching them closer to this time and requesting may help get some of it.

6. Learn to pick low price leaders/almost old foods from the grocery stores.

7. Being frugal in other areas will help to save for food.

8. Squash Can be really frugal. Cut into two pieces, toss in an oven and bake.

9. Watermelons are frugal in many places and in season now.

10. Cabbage is a very frugal vegetable.

11. Learning a lot of easy recipes with all these frugal veggies greatly helps.

12. Get a waffle maker and learn to make Waffles. Before making them one can add veggies etc., Pick one in a garage sale if you see one.

13. It is A LOT ABOUT the correct kitchen equipment and learning to use it well. Grab the following in the future on sale or at garage sales when possible:
Cast iron skillet, blender, hand held mixer, bread machine.

14. Work towards a long term solutions towards the problem. In the future try to also build a food reserve at home.
15. Visualize
Visualize having a grand meal in a great Restaurant, being treated by a King for eg., and being full.
16. Starvation
Starving ONE DAY a week is very good for the health. Read and learn more on this on the net.
17. Ramen Noodles
Several say these are not healthy. But a packet of Ramen noodles with one well chopped lettuce and a few other veggies like tomatoes etc., can be a great fresh meal for a whole family and healthy too.
18. Herbs
Learn about herbs like parsley etc., and use them They are healthy ad flavor and make one feel full/pleasant etc.,
19. Work for a grocery store or a restaurant atleast say 5 to 20 hours a week. This may make you eligible for further discounts on low price leaders and possibly freebies.
20 Canned Food
Learn about canned food. If dented etc., one can ask for slight price reduction sometimes. In several cases, canned veggies maybe cheaper than local veggies and better too.
21 Ask for discount
If you buy slightly in bulk ask the Manager secretly for a discount.

22. All local Charities/Churches/Police
Contact all local charities and Churches (They might know someone).
My local police help in several local charities and they have knowledge of them. It doesn't hurt to ask, specially in America.

23. Growing your own food in a small garden (this you have already covered).

24. Free Style Cooking
As long as it tastes good, is nutritious, easy to make and frugal, it is a good recipe. Don't hesitate to experiment.

25. Baking
This opens a golden door to a treasure chest of cooking. Learn to bake veggies and bread etc.,

26. Tomato Paste
Great for making Pizza sauce, pasta sauce etc., Iget small cans for 35 cents at my local dollar store. Easy to store but very helpful.

Related Site:
http://www.secondharvest.org/

27. OVEREATING
Several in North America OVEREAT. If you want to stop over eating, start drinking a lot of water, especially just before you eat a meal. Then eat slowly. Chew your food 20 times before you swallow. You will feel full long before you normally would if you were eating fast. And stay away from sugary processed food. Sugar is addictive and makes you want to eat more even if you are full.

28. Dry Beans
These are very frugal. Can be soaked overnight and then cooked easily on a stove.

Best Regards,

Vijay :)

[kpickell]

When in doubt, call a church.

Despite issues some may have, most churches will help or point you in the right direction

[rvijay]

When in doubt, call a church.

Despite issues some may have, most churches will help or point you in the right direction

Thanks for the response. This is included in tip #22 already. The 7th Day Adventists encourage Food Preservation/Storage amongst their members. This I feel is very vital. As far as possible, it helps to be independent and self-sufficient. Moreover, understanding/using local frugal foods helps to stretch the food dollars to the maximum. Asking others for help must be used only as a last resort (This is just my opinion).

Vijay

[organica]

Thank you.
And there's another way too, if you are starving & broke & upset w/ the system: shoplifting.
Anyone who thinks it is ethical for people to be unable to eat because of high food prices & un/underemployment might disagree w/ me, but when I have been strapped & starving I have gone into large grocery stores & walked around the store discreetly eating & drinking things like buns from bins, bulk olives, soy milk, etc.
It could be argued that this is what drives food prices up, but let's be realistic: it's corporate greed driving up the prices.
And I'm not willing to eat moldy/stale food (like the veggies & bread at the food bank I used to work at), so this is one route that works for me on the occasions I really have to use it.

[rvijay]

Thank you.
And there's another way too, if you are starving & broke & upset w/ the system: shoplifting.


I would NEVER recommend shoplifting. Just learning baking, making Chapathi's alone will help you stay way ahead of the game. I recently got 20 lbs bags of Flour for 5 bucks Canadian each. Each bag will last quite a few weeks. This with using/cooking dried beans is excellent and will keep one wayyyy ahead of the game.

Vijay :)

[MikeyVT]

Thank you.
And there's another way too, if you are starving & broke & upset w/ the system: shoplifting.
Anyone who thinks it is ethical for people to be unable to eat because of high food prices & un/underemployment might disagree w/ me, but when I have been strapped & starving I have gone into large grocery stores & walked around the store discreetly eating & drinking things like buns from bins, bulk olives, soy milk, etc.
It could be argued that this is what drives food prices up, but let's be realistic: it's corporate greed driving up the prices.
And I'm not willing to eat moldy/stale food (like the veggies & bread at the food bank I used to work at), so this is one route that works for me on the occasions I really have to use it.

Congradulations...i hope you get caught one day and go to jail

[rvijay]

Thank you.
And there's another way too, if you are starving & broke & upset w/ the system: shoplifting.
Anyone who thinks it is ethical for people to be unable to eat because of high food prices & un/underemployment might disagree w/ me, but when I have been strapped & starving I have gone into large grocery stores & walked around the store discreetly eating & drinking things like buns from bins, bulk olives, soy milk, etc.
It could be argued that this is what drives food prices up, but let's be realistic: it's corporate greed driving up the prices.
And I'm not willing to eat moldy/stale food (like the veggies & bread at the food bank I used to work at), so this is one route that works for me on the occasions I really have to use it.

Try tip #5 instead above. Grocery chains operate on low margins and several smaller ones go broke/shutdown. There are a lots of efforts involved and they provide a valuable basic service.

Shop lifting is a serious crime. I know someone who was prosecuted for taking a small cough relief lozenges and fined $2000. It is a bad record to have and not worth it. Unless it is a free sample, one must not use anything in the store unless it is paid for. No wonder some local dollar stores are having security guards these days.

Several don't like consumerism and high prices. However, there are positive/legal ways to express this.

Vijay

[rvijay]

I had to share this here.

Vijay

CHAPATI

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Oil (or butter)

Instructions:

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add enough water to make a fairly stiff dough. Knead well. Roll out on a floured board into a fairly thick circle. Brush with oil. From the centre of the circle, make a cut to one edge. Roll up dough into a cone, press both ends in, and make a ball again. Repeat that process 2-3 more times. Divide dough into 4 or 5 balls, and roll each out into a thin circle. Heat a frying pan over moderate heat and dry out each chapati in the pan quickly. Brush pan with oil and fry chapati slowly until golden brown on each side. Serve hot or cold with stew or sauce.

Source:
http://www.kenya-mail.com/chapati.html

Another Great Chapathi Recipe Here:
http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Recipes/breads.htm

[organica]

Thanks again Vijay.

[rvijay]

Thanks again Vijay.

You are very welcome. I see that you are from Nova Scotia, Canada, a province hard hit due to the losses from the fishing Industry.

Facing reality, most us will not get our dream jobs/careers but will need to live/survive. It is important to be practical. Differentiating between a hobby/interest and a career greatly helps in this regard.

Talk with your local employment agent. Take French courses and also a course in some trade such as cooking, carpentry, horiculture etc., that is in good demand. With a good trade course, finding gainful employment doesn't seem to be that hard.

I also thank you for your posts here. After reading them, I am making a lot of Chapathi dough and freezing it.

Best Regards,

Vijay :)

[organica]

Vijay: you are very kind-hearted.
RE the other poster in this thread who wants me to go to jail because I am poor: thanks for showing such an understanding of what it's like to be hungry & broke.

[rvijay]

Vijay: you are very kind-hearted.
RE the other poster in this thread who wants me to go to jail because I am poor: thanks for showing such an understanding of what it's like to be hungry & broke.

You are very welcome. Some people may be sarcastic, but deep inside the vast majority are sincere, loving and well meaning.

Hungry and broke can happen any time. A good evidence in this regard are those affected by Forrest Fires in British Columbia and California.

Thanks to you I put my bread machine to work, yesterday. Today, I have Chapathi dough that will last me for almost three weeks stored in my freezer. If I eat in moderation, this will last me a whole month. The cost of this mix ? ONLY THREE CANADIAN DOLLARS. All that is needed to make the Chapathi is the heat and some oil, that is all. (I have to smile now as the cost of subsidized meals in a local soup kitchen is $2 per meal !! With my recipe, even that is too expensive !!!) Admitted I got the flour on sale, otherwise the cost would have been 6 Canadian Dollars. Still not bad at all.

Learning to operate kitchen equipment skilfully/efficiently is a GREAT ADVANTAGE. Also learning to make things from basic ingredients IS VITAL.

Also, I learned how to add more water and thereby avoid using the rolling pin. The dough can be just patted down and then spread out by hand saving a lot of time. I was dragging my feet, however after I saw your posts, I decided to go ahead and try all this out. Now, I am glad I did.

Wishing you lots of peace of mind, contentment, happiness and many memorable moments.

Vijay :)