Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

The Cambridge Food Pantry
12 December

Cambridge Pantry Today: Coffee And Chilli And A Fascinating New Wish List – Tortilla Soup! Canned Beans! New Soups! Come Take A Look.

by Jon Katz

This is big news for our great little Army: Sarah has revamped the wish list in her search for new, healthy, and interesting foods for the pantry family. This is another significant step towards listening to the needs of Pantry patrons and providing new and, as often as possible, healthier options. Sarah is working hard to make the Cambridge Food Pantry one of the best in the nation. Thanks to your help, she’s getting there.

Check out the new list; it’s a big step forward. (Above is a photo of the new headquarters of the Backpack program, Cambridge Central School.

First things first (They need everything on the list), but today, she is asking for help getting coffee, chili, and Tortillas.

Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Chili Mac, 16.3 oz Can (Case of 8)$13.73.

Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Chicken Tortilla With White Meat Chicken, 16.1 oz Can (Pack of 8), $16.35.

Seattle’s Best Coffee, Post Alley  Blend Dark Roast Ground Coffee, 12 Ounce Bags (Pack of 3, 16.47.)

In addition, the new list has Hormel Chili With Beans, Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Maruchan, Ramen Beef Instant, Ready Eatmeals,  Canned Beans, Glicks Pearl Barley Beans, Perfect for Soups, Stews, Coolant Chills, $12.99, DelMonte Pineapple Chunks, $15.36.

 

We are grateful for any help you can provide. These items are currently available at discounted rates on the Amazon Wish List Program.

Today’s photos are of the new Backpack program at Cambridge Central School, which helps the children of Pantry families get enough food through the weekend when the schools are closed. The program has just received temporary funding from Stewart’s, a community-minded chain store.

The program is currently funded. Thanks to the Army of Good, we have survived a difficult time.

We are grateful for any help you can provide. These items are currently available at discounted rates on the Amazon Wish List Program.

You can access the Wish List any time, day or night, and browse and choose your items. You can also access the wish list by clicking the green button at the bottom of every blog post.

These items are currently discounted on the Amazon Wish List Program. You can also access the wish list by clicking the green button at the bottom of every blog post.

 

 

The cereal you sent to the Back Pack program when the Pantry ran out of it and its funding was cut. Thanks, you saved the day. The program has been funded again.

The new items are significant, and it is another way to listen to the pantry members and offer them a variety of new feeds to try, as healthy as possible. Please take a look; it’s now an even more enjoyable place to browse, and Sarah says the pantry eagerly needs each of them.

You can access the Wish List any time, day or night, and browse and choose your items. You can also access the wish list by clicking the green button at the bottom of every blog post.

These items are currently discounted on the Amazon Wish List Program. You can also access the wish list by clicking the green button at the bottom of every blog post.

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Doing Good Today
12 December

Something New: Portraits Of People At The Cambridge Food Pantry Who Make Me Glad To Be A Human, Starting With Ken

by Jon Katz

People sometimes ask me why I enjoy taking photos of the Cambridge Food Pantry. My answer is straightforward: When I meet people like Ben, who do so much good quietly and without reward while there is so much cruelty, anger, and hostility in the outside world, they lift my spirits and remind me of the good and decency of so many people in our country and the world.

As I said, I only take portraits of people I admire. Their portraits always turn out well and keep me hopeful. These people are worth supporting—they are selfless and help people with nowhere else to turn.

Thanks so much for supporting their work.

So, I’ve decided to take simple portraits of the uplifting people at the Cambridge Food Pantry, who make me suitable for being human and remind me of what most people are like.

Volunteering at the pantry is not about raising money or licking envelopes.

It is challenging and often frustrating to do hard physical work, which requires volunteers to be committed to people of all ages. Everyone is equal, and they share an unfailing commitment. I have tremendous respect for Sarah Harrington, the Pantry’s Executive Director.

Her pantry is full of good-hearted men,  people of the community,  good-hearted people. She and the volunteers work harder and are more determined than any volunteers I’ve seen. Politics and judgment mean nothing there.

Ken and another volunteer (I’ll get to him later) drive the pantry truck to Albany every week. They load the food into boxes, returns to Cambridge, and then unloads again. The boxes are heavy, and it’s grueling work. Ben also makes dinners for the pantry events and for the volunteers when hungry and tired several times a week.

I’m just taking photos of these people who make me glad—nothing elaborate or too invasive. Ben never boats or seeks attention; he is simply a human being who helps a food pantry work. We talked for the first time the other day, and I explained to him the value of photos. They bring the pantry to life for people sick of being hassled for money.

I am happy to have met Ken and taken his photo. I plan to take many others; these people help people with nowhere else to go. Ben and the Cambridge Food Pantry volunteer make me proud to be human. It’s a privilege to take these photos. I hope they mean the same thing to you as they mean to me.

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Georgia O'Keeffe
11 December

Flower Art (Literally). A Rainy Afternoon Inside With My New Carra Lili. I Loved It. You Are Invited To This Show – It’s Free

by Jon Katz

The Calla flower became even more alluring after Sigmund Freud interpreted its form as having “masculine” and “feminine” features. This lit up artists all over the globe. Always a brilliant marketer, Georgia O’Keeffe turned to the “sexual” Calla to make her famous. She painted the Calla for most of the rest of her life.
O’Keeffe’s earliest calla lily paintings date to 1923 and generally represent a single bloom against a dark, monochromatic background. As O’Keeffe remarked on the subject: “People think I must have a passion for the calla lily because I have used it so much in my work. . . . As a matter of fact, I haven’t at all. I started to paint it out of curiosity because I wanted to find out why some people hated it so much, and others loved it.”   She said she never felt the sexual atmosphere that surrounded the Calla, but the Calla was very good to her.

 

 

I am one of those people who fell in love with the Calla when I got serious about flower photos a few years ago. I never quite got the sexual features of the Calla Freud talked about, but there is something exotic and unique about their form and grace. They touch me in a way no other flower or plant does, and today, a new one I bought online arrived, and I spent most of the afternoon with it. I hope you value this flower as much as I do. All of these photos are from the new Calla. You will be seeing it regularly here if it matters.

____________________________

 

The Amaryllis Maria bought me is opening up.
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Zip
11 December

Zip Gets A New Sleeping Box, Right On The Porch

by Jon Katz

Zip’s favorite daytime sleeping place was the wicker chair on the back porch. It started to fall apart, and I was retired to the bonfire pile, waiting for the winter solstice. Maria moved his wooden box – he often slept there and piled blankets and towels into it. Zip has more sleeping spots than a hotel in Times Square, but this is where it hangs out at midday and early afternoon. He also loves to nap in the barn,  the Pole Barn with the sheep, and the woodshed.

Zip has a lot of presence for a Barn Cat; he has lit up the farm.

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The Cambridge Food Pantry
11 December

Italian Day: Help Sought From Sarah, Cambridge Food Pantry: Pasta Sides Alfredo Fettuccine, 6 Count, $7.38, Side Dish Cheddar Broccoli, Pack of 12, $15.30

by Jon Katz

Cheddar Broccoli Fusilli and Side Dish Alfredo Fettuccini are among the most popular Italian dishes among the Cambridge Family families. The children love them also. Please help to brighten the family’s morale during the holidays.

My friend Kyle above, a Pantry volunteer, is also brightening their morale by dressing up as Santa’s Helper for the families coming in today to get some food. These two issues are gone from the pantry shelves.  He makes a great elf. We hope to get these favorites back.

Knorr Pasta Sides For Delicious, Cheddar Broccoli Fusilli (Pack of 12) $15.30.

Knorr Pasta Side Dish 6 Count For Delicious Quick Pasta Side Dishes Alfredo Fettuccine No Artificial Flavors Or Preservatives, $7.68.

 

We are grateful for any help you can provide. These items are currently available at discounted rates on the Amazon Wish List Program.

You can access the Wish List any time, day or night, and browse and choose your items. You can also access the wish list by clicking the green button at the bottom of every blog post.

These items are currently discounted on the Amazon Wish List Program. You can also access the wish list by clicking the green button at the bottom of every blog post.

Support My Blog Support the Army of Good Cambridge Food Pantry
Read or Post a Comment
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