Nelee
Posts: 205
Joined: 11/15/2012
Status: offline
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 Ya'll are so nice, I can't even.
quote:
ORIGINAL: QueenRah
I volunteer at a friend's church pantry and we get folks in, all the time, who don't know how to get what they need. I do what I can to help them navigate their options. We have found that our Department of Social Services case workers are either too woefully underinformed, overwhelmed or uninspired to help their charges find the help they need.
May I suggest that you contact any and all local church offices and ask if they provide food assistance or a voucher for you to purchase your own groceries? If you have limited telephone funds/minutes, contact the Alabama Food Bank nearest you, to find partner agencies which will assist you. You can search online. I just did and found food banks for different sections of Alabama, listed under "Alabama Food Bank."
Also, contact your student life office (or, whatever your school calls it) and see if they can help you secure some adequate nourishment.
The suggestion that you offer to volunteer, in exchange for a meal or two, is a sound one.
Best luck!
QR
ETA: If you have any family relations, with whom you have contact, perhaps you could ask them to send you a grocery store gift card? Not sure how small your current town is. But, all the grocery stores and - *blech!* Wal-mart - accept gift cards. Even $20-25 would get you some cheap basics, right?
If you need help with a cheap, but healthy grocery list, you're welcome to cmail me, on the other side.
Thank you so much! I actually live in Montevallo, and all the local places are all taken. I've been thinking about churches, but I come from a family that is poor, but very stubborn. When my mother was unemployed and we were below the poverty line she STILL would not apply for welfare or unemployment because she's very proud, so that's kind of how I've gotten about accepting handouts from people. I'll take the occasional meal if I absolutely need it, but I would feel incredibly rude asking an organization for food. It's very dumb, I know. It's just what I've been taught growing up, to not accept anything from someone I should be able to provide myself.
I'm pretty fearful of churches. I don't go to any down here, so I feel it would be incredibly rude to ask something like that when I don't even attend :( And I work on Sundays, so that wouldn't be possible. Not to mention the pride, thing. Too many of my friends go to the local churches and having them know I have to accept handouts would be mortifying. But at this point, I'm probably going to have to.
quote:
ORIGINAL: VideoAdminAlpha
Darlin, your profile says just ask, in Alabama. I am in Dothan, Cmail me where you are please, let me see if I can get you some help.
You are too nice! Unfortunately, I'm a good bit away from Dothan, hehe. But thank you so much, you're very sweet!
quote:
ORIGINAL: QueenRah
Nelee, I have one more suggestion, for a stop-gap, meal-by-meal fix: Go to one or another of those restaurants close to closing time. Ask to speak with the manager. Ask the manager if he/she can help you with a meal.
Ooh! I never thought of that!! Thank you so much!
quote:
ORIGINAL: littlewonder
Churches. When I was growing up my family was extremely poor. We could barely afford to feed our large family. Thankfully the churches knew about us and would give us food and we would go there and get food when we needed it.
There are also soup kitchens and such. They are not only for the poor. There are usually a lot of senior citizens, vets and runaways and such that eat there as well. They do not ask if you are homeless. You just go and they will feed you. There are usually non-profit organizations that collect food and will distribute it to those who are in need. You may want to look into those. Also since you are in college, talk to a college counselor. That's what they are there for. They can steer you in the right direction or even the college itself has something to help you. I can't imagine a college allowing its students to starve.
When I was in college in a small town and attending college, they had a cafeteria. Many times what you paid was dependent on how much money you made in the year. But you could also eat for free and put it on a "tab" if you didn't have money for a ticket that day. Does your school have something like this? Check it out.
As others have mentioned, you may get lucky in going to businesses at the end of their day. Some places would rather give it to someone who could use the food instead of throwing it in the garbage.
There is also a group called Freegans. This may turn a lot of people off, but what they do is dumpster dive for food. They feel that we as people waste way too much food that could go to feed someone else but instead we just toss it. So they find the food and either use it themselves or donate it to those they feel are in need of it. Not sure if they have a group in your area but it's something to check out.
Our meal plan is one price, but there are different types (more/less meals, less/more extra points for non-cafe food), and I opted out of getting one because it's above what I'm able to afford. They don't have a tab system, either.
And I'm definitely going to talk to a counselor now. I was avoiding it, because I was like, "Oh, I'll just get stamps and I'll be alright, and I won't need to!" But, now... I probably should. I'm just incredibly nervous about it. I'd rather not reveal that I'm this bad off. Pride thing.
And there probably is! My university is really eco-friendly. We have a community garden, too, but I'm a bit too busy to go out and grow things out there (I grow my own herbs out of my dorm window, but that's about it). I'll ask one of the environmental club members if we have a group like that nearby. Thank you so much :) Yeah, we used to dumpster dive a little bit when my mother was unemployed, but she made sure to let us know that it was NOT okay to do on a regular basis, or tell people about, and that it was a DIRE SITUATION thing.
quote:
ORIGINAL: Duskypearls
Sometimes places that serve breakfast sandwiches (burritos, etc.), after a certain time of day if they are not sold, will give them away. Ask every place.
Sometimes one can sneak a bagel or danish from motels that offer continental breakfast to guests if you can sneak in.
Some churches also give gas vouchers as well as food bags.
Offer to barter work for food w/people in your area, or even businesses.
Offer to do research work, car washing, house or yard cleaning, etc. for teachers in return for food or money.
If you know someone who buys lunch/dinner at your school, ask if they can get enough to bring some out to you.
Like another said, dumpster diving is worth considering.
Try Salvation Army.
Like another said, be honest and tell food places you are starving, and ask if they have any food they would normally throw away.
See if any hospitals in your area have restaurants, and try seeing if they'll give you a plate of free/leftover food they might have.
I once was so poor and hungry I swiped some salmon and potatoes off a display plate a hospital had in their restaurant showing what food choices they offerred.
Check hospitals for visiting hours during lunch/dinner to swipe leftover food off trays once patients are finished, when they are stacked up out in the hall.
If you have some money, buy a whole chicken or big piece of meat. Save the package & receipt. Cook and eat some, and return the rest for refund saying it had a very taste.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is really really good advice. And the last thing my mom would do all the time, so I definitely know (and do) that one, when I can. Same with the hotels, but my uni doesn't have a hotel near us. I only did that when I lived in Birmingham. But this is very good advice, thank you!
Yeah, I need to get in touch with churches in my area. I've been avoiding it, since I don't want to seem like a moocher who's only asking for a handout and not willing to at least stay, but I might just have to swallow my pride on this one and hope they understand.
Edit: forgot to mention with the "asking the family thing"--I don't want my immediate family to know how bad off I am. They just think I'm making a lot of money from my jobs so I can send money home to pay for rent and pay tuition and food. I can't tell them about this because if I do, they'll stop taking the money I'm sending (prideful), and my mom is already financially stressed as it is :( And I have other family members that live here, but my family is very prideful and secretive about our state of well being. I'd rather not contact them, because it would look badly on my parents, as if they cannot provide for their children. Our family dynamic is very odd.
You guys have been beyond kind about this entire thing, and I'm so so so grateful!! Everyone here is so incredibly nice Thank you guys so much!
But you can talk about your days, too! I don't want this thread to be all about me. Have your days been going alright?
< Message edited by Nelee -- 11/15/2012 11:21:14 PM >
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