Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

The volunteers must think I’m mad at times, rushing over to take photos of the packages and items sent by the Army Of Good, all items the Pantry or their patrons could not afford to get.

The boxes and packages from Amazon have been arriving daily, transforming the food pantry’s shelves. I take these photos because I believe the people who send this food have a right to see what their money looks like and what they bought. I love photography because it is trusting, and it can’t lie.

(Photo above, what came in today.)

(This is the first wave of oatmeal and cereal arriving to fill the children’s back backs. Carol says this is a fraction of what is on the way.)

The Army of Good is in love with good, and nowhere is the good they do more needed than the food pantry.  We are transforming the very idea of idea. Come and see what we have done in the past day or do; the actual boxes for the pantry and the backpack kids will be coming tomorrow.

Messages

(Utensil boxes have many helpful tools for people who have had to leave their houses and sleep in small spaces, often with no stoves.)

Thanks for sending items for Sarah’s groundbreaking new Kitchen Shelf. We can improve health, delight children, increase pride,  and lift spirits and morale. We are. She works hard to understand what the food-deprived people want and need, not just what the food centers decide to give them. This has been important and has given these families a tremendous morale boost.

Sarah says she can’t keep the kitchen utensils on the shelves, as everyone wants them. Thanks again, AOG.

And please don’t forget Sarah’s request this morning for men’s and women’s deodorant. It’s about a lot more than smell:

Lady Speed Stick Invisible Dry Antiperspirant Deodorant, Shower Fresh, 2.3 oz, 4 Pack, $6.48.

Speed Stick Men’s Deodorant, Regular, 3 Ounce, 4 Pack, $6.78.

(New backpack supplies are pouring into the food pantry. Thank you (I find myself saying that 50 times a week. I really can’t say it enough)

Here are some messages. On the Amazon checkout page, you can message the pantry, Sarah, and its volunteers. This means a lot to the workers. Terry, above all, works like a fiend, as do all the volunteers. She puts the things you send up on the shelves. Your messages are coming in fast and mean a great deal to the volunteers (and to Sarah, who keeps telling me how kind and good you are). True enough.

Please don’t forget Sarah’s request for men’s and women’s deodorant this morning. It’s about a lot more than smell:

Lady Speed Stick Invisible Dry Antiperspirant Deodorant, Shower Fresh, 2.3 oz, 4 Pack, $6.48.

Speed Stick Men’s Deodorant, Regular, 3 Ounce, 4 Pack, $6.78.

Thanks for the messages.

Toiletries are difficult for Cambridge Pantry to get. Many people don’t understand that the pantries and the people who need them rarely get to choose what they are getting to eat.

“Toiletries are difficult to obtain when ordering from the Regional Food Bank,” says Sarah. “Sometimes, they will order shampoo, but that is about it. These options sent by the Army of Good help our folks, and we appreciate them. They send thanks all the time.”

Thanks for your support. We hope to get these people the things the pantry can’t afford, and the food banks won’t send. It’s a mission.

Sarah’s choices for today, THANKS!

Lady Speed Stick Invisible Dry Antiperspirant Deodorant, Shower Fresh, 2.3 oz, 4 Pack, $6.48.

Speed Stick Men’s Deodorant, Regular, 3 Ounce, 4 Pack, $6.78.

______

Barbara, Volunteer

P.S. It’s not on Sarah’s list today, but a little bird told me the pantry is out of Size 5 diapers, 23 count,  and needs some help. The pantry is out of them:

Huggies Size 5 Diapers, 17 count Skin Essentials Baby Diapers, $13.79.

Huggies Size 3 Diapers, Skin Essentials Diapers, 23 Count.

The Cambridge Food Pantry and the Army Of Good seemed to have fallen in love. Some people need help, and people who give help, and when they find one another, the world becomes a brighter and lighter place. Both are sacred in their way, and it is the pleasure of a lifetime to be in the middle and watch this reminder of how good human beings can be. “More nice notes from nice people,” says Sarah, “there is a lot of good in the world.”

Once again, I was happily shocked to see the messages of support and thanks pouring in from the Army of Good to the Cambridge Food Pantry. Two opposite ends of the world come together, holding hands for those with nowhere else to go. Yes, people are friendly and good, given the chance. I couldn’t resist posting some of the messages coming into the food pantry from the Amazon checkout pages.

True, Sarah, and you are a part of that good. Look what good you have done. And you, Army of Good, thank you for keeping the light shining in a sometimes dark world. Jon.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”