We did something vaguely similar in Fellow Laborers. We had a co-op that we called Manna.Of course, it was very small scale and only for our group of 50. Participation was mandatory. I think it cost something like $6/week back in the mid '70's.
There was a menu for the week that detailed specific meals for each day. The menu included all the necessary recipes and instruction for those meals. Most of the logistics (shopping, sorting, pick-up, etc.) was handled on the same night every week, though some items, like mill ground products, required addition attention. We also grew, canned and stored lots of our own vegetables. Despite some of the crazy things we did In F.L., this is one thing that actually had a good level of success.(IMO) It took some real mental discipline, though, because every meal was predetermined and portion controlled. If you like being able to exercise spontanaety, it's not for you. I ate a lot of things I never want to eat again and sometimes the portions were dreadfully inadequate.
But, all in all, it always had nutritional value.
If I were retired, I might consider volunteering my time to one of the church distribution points for Angel Food Ministries.
Waysider I think you'd find that this program is a lot more flexible than what you participated in in FLO. It's amazing to me that the Manna program wasn't extended to part of your immediate community. Seems to me that charity is where twi missed it -BIG time.
There are pre-prepared meals, but that is not a majority of the program. Meats are vacuum-sealed in individual portions.
I'm considering handing these flyers out to a few of my elderly neighbors and picking the food up for them. I don't have the time to volunteer at a location, but I could always use a Saturday morning to pick up food.
True Shellon. They have no limits on who buys or how much you buy. The only requirements are that you first purchase at least one "Basic" or "Senior" package and that you meet the deadline. (And you don't have to be a senior to get the senior package.)
I purchased several packages. My daughter was amazed with how much we got for the money spent.
Here is a link for anyone wanting to start up a distribution center with a group they are involved with.
I'm going to contact some schools to see if some students would be willing to volunteer their time as community service. They could either help at a distribution center or volunteer to pick up food for someone who can't do it for themselves.
Dooj, I have a funny about this... I had clicked on your link yesterday and was going to see if there was one in my area but my doorbell rang as I was waiting on the page to load, so I left it.
Gramma Mary, my beloved 85 year old neighbor, had come by for a visit and while we were talking she started telling me about these food packages she and her sister get at one of the local churches and how much food is in them. This week, though, they got a huge bag of some chicken parts that she was not familiar with. We determined that they were chitterlings and she did not know how to fix them. I told her we'd just look up some recipes.
We walked into my office and there on my computer was your links and Mary exclaimed that Angel Food Ministries is who they purchase their packages from! :)
After getting her a couple of recipes for fixin' her chitlin's I had a chuckle to myself because those are the nastiest smelling things in the world and I know to stay away from her house for the next week because I can NOT stand the smell. I would, however, love to be a fly on the wall when SHE discovers for the first time how awful the smell is.... and to see Granpa Bert's reaction.... I'm betting he will not even taste them!
There is a retired couple in our church who have a huge garden and bring in lots of produce every Sunday morning for those who want it to take home with them. Huge, beautiful bunches of delicious Swiss chard awaited us the last Sunday. Darn it, though, I forgot to get my share.
If the economy continues to suck, I want to build up the extra-lousy soil on our little piece of heaven and start feeding people, canning and freezing etc. Waysider is right, there was a lot of benefit to "Manna" except of course for the Swiss chard and the flax seeds they put in the familia.
Mr. Garden was a house leader, and happily stored the familia, collected cash from his roommates, and went out and bought stuff like bacon, sausage, eggs, syrup and pancake mix. The rest of us just ate as directed and lined up for our turn in the bathroom (think Kashi Go-Lean Crunch on steroids).
We picked up our first order yesterday. It does seem like a lot of food for your money, but I have to say, overall I am disappointed. First, because a number of their products contain trans fat, which is even worse for you than saturated fats. I wrote them about this and suggested they either not purchase products with trans fats or at least post on the menu which items contain them, so we can make a more informed decision.
Also, after looking at the December menu, I realized if I shop sales I can get the same meat products for less money locally. It is just a matter of planning meals. We have saved tremendously by planning healthy meals with more beans and vegetables and by making soups, chili, stews, etc.
Beyond that, we typically do not purchase many processed foods and they seem to sell quite a few of them.
It may be a great deal for some people. I have to put our health above the small potential savings and will pass in the future.
(sigh)...it would be nice if economic eating and healthy eating went together.
Yes, I know it can...but I guess we are talking about these things going together for people who not aonly do not have a lot of resources to pay, but also reasources to search and dig and all that.
As fast food joints, bargain menus usually mean, well, you know...
I have been in mourning many years over Wendy's getting rid of their salad bars.
I tried it too Abi and am not overly impressed. We did September and Octobers just to try two differant orders, specifically the senior box cuz of the ease for me to take to work for my lunch since they're pre-made and ready, fast to toss in micro in teachers lounge.
(sigh)...it would be nice if economic eating and healthy eating went together.
Yes, I know it can...but I guess we are talking about these things going together for people who not aonly do not have a lot of resources to pay, but also reasources to search and dig and all that.
As fast food joints, bargain menus usually mean, well, you know...
I have been in mourning many years over Wendy's getting rid of their salad bars.
It is possible to eat healthy on a small budget. It does take being educated regarding what is and is not healthy though. And it takes time to prepare the meals. Sushi cooks most of the meals during the week. On the weekends, I prepare "bulk" meals. Giant pots of soup, chili, etc.
For the price of one whole chicken, some fresh veggies, and a grain I can feed our family of 4 homemade (much healither than canned stuff) chicken soup for 3 - 4 dinners and a couple of lunchs AND make a chicken couscous casserol for another 1 - 2 dinners. Some beans, cheese and corn tortillas (all relatively cheap) can make a couple more meals. I can get all of that for less than $30.
Bean soup, also very cheap and healthy.
The stuff from Angel Food just isn't designed to stretch like that. Plus, its a lot of processed stuff and a lot of beef. We don't normally eat beef more than once a week.
Food Share is a program through Catholic Charities in many areas of the country--you can probably google and find your area.
The heartland share program here is a pretty good program, I volunteer to stuff boxes sometimes. They ask that you volunteer for 2 hours per month per share on that program and the $16.00, somewhere of your choice it could be helping a neighbor or working at a charity I like that part as it gets people to help others while they are being helped.
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waysider
Thanks, Dooj
It sounds very interesting.
We did something vaguely similar in Fellow Laborers. We had a co-op that we called Manna.Of course, it was very small scale and only for our group of 50. Participation was mandatory. I think it cost something like $6/week back in the mid '70's.
There was a menu for the week that detailed specific meals for each day. The menu included all the necessary recipes and instruction for those meals. Most of the logistics (shopping, sorting, pick-up, etc.) was handled on the same night every week, though some items, like mill ground products, required addition attention. We also grew, canned and stored lots of our own vegetables. Despite some of the crazy things we did In F.L., this is one thing that actually had a good level of success.(IMO) It took some real mental discipline, though, because every meal was predetermined and portion controlled. If you like being able to exercise spontanaety, it's not for you. I ate a lot of things I never want to eat again and sometimes the portions were dreadfully inadequate.
But, all in all, it always had nutritional value.
If I were retired, I might consider volunteering my time to one of the church distribution points for Angel Food Ministries.
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doojable
Waysider I think you'd find that this program is a lot more flexible than what you participated in in FLO. It's amazing to me that the Manna program wasn't extended to part of your immediate community. Seems to me that charity is where twi missed it -BIG time.
There are pre-prepared meals, but that is not a majority of the program. Meats are vacuum-sealed in individual portions.
I'm considering handing these flyers out to a few of my elderly neighbors and picking the food up for them. I don't have the time to volunteer at a location, but I could always use a Saturday morning to pick up food.
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Shellon
And the cool part is it's not just for the elderly.
Anyone can be served by this program.
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doojable
True Shellon. They have no limits on who buys or how much you buy. The only requirements are that you first purchase at least one "Basic" or "Senior" package and that you meet the deadline. (And you don't have to be a senior to get the senior package.)
I purchased several packages. My daughter was amazed with how much we got for the money spent.
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RumRunner
Apparently have not reached any place close to where I live.
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doojable
Here is a link for anyone wanting to start up a distribution center with a group they are involved with.
I'm going to contact some schools to see if some students would be willing to volunteer their time as community service. They could either help at a distribution center or volunteer to pick up food for someone who can't do it for themselves.
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doojable
Bump - just in case there are some that will be helped with this info.
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Belle
Dooj, I have a funny about this... I had clicked on your link yesterday and was going to see if there was one in my area but my doorbell rang as I was waiting on the page to load, so I left it.
Gramma Mary, my beloved 85 year old neighbor, had come by for a visit and while we were talking she started telling me about these food packages she and her sister get at one of the local churches and how much food is in them. This week, though, they got a huge bag of some chicken parts that she was not familiar with. We determined that they were chitterlings and she did not know how to fix them. I told her we'd just look up some recipes.
We walked into my office and there on my computer was your links and Mary exclaimed that Angel Food Ministries is who they purchase their packages from! :)
After getting her a couple of recipes for fixin' her chitlin's I had a chuckle to myself because those are the nastiest smelling things in the world and I know to stay away from her house for the next week because I can NOT stand the smell. I would, however, love to be a fly on the wall when SHE discovers for the first time how awful the smell is.... and to see Granpa Bert's reaction....
I'm betting he will not even taste them!
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waysider
Ummmm----- Chitlins don't come from chickens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitterlings
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doojable
I'm not convinced they're chitterlings...
but lets see how she likes them.
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Watered Garden
There is a retired couple in our church who have a huge garden and bring in lots of produce every Sunday morning for those who want it to take home with them. Huge, beautiful bunches of delicious Swiss chard awaited us the last Sunday. Darn it, though, I forgot to get my share.
If the economy continues to suck, I want to build up the extra-lousy soil on our little piece of heaven and start feeding people, canning and freezing etc. Waysider is right, there was a lot of benefit to "Manna" except of course for the Swiss chard and the flax seeds they put in the familia.
Mr. Garden was a house leader, and happily stored the familia, collected cash from his roommates, and went out and bought stuff like bacon, sausage, eggs, syrup and pancake mix. The rest of us just ate as directed and lined up for our turn in the bathroom (think Kashi Go-Lean Crunch on steroids).
WG
Only slightly
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Abigail
We picked up our first order yesterday. It does seem like a lot of food for your money, but I have to say, overall I am disappointed. First, because a number of their products contain trans fat, which is even worse for you than saturated fats. I wrote them about this and suggested they either not purchase products with trans fats or at least post on the menu which items contain them, so we can make a more informed decision.
Also, after looking at the December menu, I realized if I shop sales I can get the same meat products for less money locally. It is just a matter of planning meals. We have saved tremendously by planning healthy meals with more beans and vegetables and by making soups, chili, stews, etc.
Beyond that, we typically do not purchase many processed foods and they seem to sell quite a few of them.
It may be a great deal for some people. I have to put our health above the small potential savings and will pass in the future.
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Lifted Up
(sigh)...it would be nice if economic eating and healthy eating went together.
Yes, I know it can...but I guess we are talking about these things going together for people who not aonly do not have a lot of resources to pay, but also reasources to search and dig and all that.
As fast food joints, bargain menus usually mean, well, you know...
I have been in mourning many years over Wendy's getting rid of their salad bars.
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Shellon
I tried it too Abi and am not overly impressed. We did September and Octobers just to try two differant orders, specifically the senior box cuz of the ease for me to take to work for my lunch since they're pre-made and ready, fast to toss in micro in teachers lounge.
They are......ok.
I'm glad I tried, so I know it's not for us.
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Abigail
It is possible to eat healthy on a small budget. It does take being educated regarding what is and is not healthy though. And it takes time to prepare the meals. Sushi cooks most of the meals during the week. On the weekends, I prepare "bulk" meals. Giant pots of soup, chili, etc.
For the price of one whole chicken, some fresh veggies, and a grain I can feed our family of 4 homemade (much healither than canned stuff) chicken soup for 3 - 4 dinners and a couple of lunchs AND make a chicken couscous casserol for another 1 - 2 dinners. Some beans, cheese and corn tortillas (all relatively cheap) can make a couple more meals. I can get all of that for less than $30.
Bean soup, also very cheap and healthy.
The stuff from Angel Food just isn't designed to stretch like that. Plus, its a lot of processed stuff and a lot of beef. We don't normally eat beef more than once a week.
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Bramble
Here's a similar co-op for the Rock Mtn States ~~ http://www.sharecolorado.com/
Kansas~~ http://www.heartlandshare.com/
California~~ http://www.goldensharefoods.com/
Food Share is a program through Catholic Charities in many areas of the country--you can probably google and find your area.
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WhiteDove
The heartland share program here is a pretty good program, I volunteer to stuff boxes sometimes. They ask that you volunteer for 2 hours per month per share on that program and the $16.00, somewhere of your choice it could be helping a neighbor or working at a charity I like that part as it gets people to help others while they are being helped.
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