Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

Today, Carol continues her hot and canned food campaign for the coming winter, the holidays, and beyond. These two inexpensive items can make a massive difference to stressed families struggling to get meals they can’t afford.

I only learned recently that many of these families have no stoves for various reasons; many are crowded into small apartments or former motel rooms with no stoves. These foods can keep their children warm and are simple to cook.

Please help them if you can.

I’ve done my homework. Spaghetti and meatballs can be a healthy dinner for kids—especially in the winter—when prepared with wholesome ingredients and eaten in moderation (lots of calories).

Since many pantry families do not have stoves or working stoves and often control their use of heat, these foods have a special meaning for families and children.

They are warm and filling and easy to cook on hot plates.

When people talk about small portions, this is often a luxury pantry and food-challenged families can afford. Meals have to last, they usually need to be warm and/or filling. No pantry or pantry family can afford to purchase high-end organic food, costing up to five times as much as commercial food.

Please help if you can. Here are Sarah’s choices. She is on a drive to store some canned food for the cold weather.

Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs, 14.5 Oz Cans, Pack of 4, $4.48.

Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli 15 Oz., 4 Pack, $4.48.

You can access the Cambridge Food Pantry Amazon Wish List by clicking on any link here or the “Cambridge Pantry ” green food button at the bottom of every blog page.

The wish list is updated daily, and everything is urgently needed. Please browse it if you can, you can decide what you want to donate, and thanks.

I am always learning something touching and surprising in my work at Cambridge Food  Pantry. Director Safar Harrington is a gifted and knowledgeable teacher.

Today, I was struck by the urgency and necessity of our ‘Heat And Eat’ day, a vital initiative to stock the food pantry before the winter and holidays. I sought Director Safar Harrington’s insights on this, and she shared her reasons.

“Some people don’t have kitchens to cook in, so these are easy and sometimes the only meals to prepare.” It was as simple as that, but I had not considered it.

The housing crisis combines with the hunger crisis: In the fiscal year 2023, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) served an average of 42.1 million people (monthly, or 12.6 percent of U.S. residents.) The food pantries are caught right in the middle. 

This was once a tourist town, but the tourists are gone, and the motels have been converted to state and county apartments. Hardly any of them have stoves; a surprising number of pantry members live there, along with their children.

People who can’t afford apartments with stoves always struggle for “Heat and eat” and space. Quite often, children and adults sleep in the same room.

The foods below are usually warmed on hot plates. Pantry patrons are desperate to get them, especially as cold weather approaches.

Please help if you can. Kids in America don’t need to be cold.

Here are today’s “Heat and Eat.” Foods.

Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs, 14.5 Oz Cans, Pack of 4, $4.48.

Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli 15 Oz., 4 Pack, $4.48.

VintageWall Hanging At The Pantry

You can access the Cambridge Food Pantry Amazon Wish List by clicking on any link here or the “Cambridge Pantry ” green food button at the bottom of every blog page.

The wish list is updated daily, and everything is urgently needed. Please browse if you can.