Recently, as I was getting into my car outside a bakery where I had eaten my two slices of bread and drank my coffee, a fellow hit me up in the parking lot for food. I don’t give money out but I am willing to help with hunger. Often they will turn down the offer of food because that is not what they really want. This guy did not bat an eye when I offered to buy him something. So I took him in and bought him a power sandwich and a large coffee.
I had no problem with what I did. He was hungry, I am blessed. I did not really have time, but I took it anyway. I got to thinking, after the fact. Why was I buying a sandwich for this guy when I was not willing to spend that much money on myself? This was a question of stewardship, not his need for food. I got to thinking about the things I keep in the car for snacking. I realized I could have fed him with food that was just as nutritious without walking away from my car.
This stimulated another thought. Many of us plan for emergencies by having food on the shelf. We are ready if things go down for a few days or weeks. It is part of who we are. One of the issues we face is rotating. Food and other supplies often come with expiration dates. Whether it is real or just applied because the federal government says to, it is there. It occurred to me that we can kill two birds with one stone. I can take the things getting old on the shelf, still edible but getting close to expiration, keep them in the car and give them out to people in need. This could apply to all kinds of things from canned tuna to water. I could supply their needs, not their wants. It would use items needing to be rotated. It would save money. This is not just a win/win, but a win/win/win.
Would it work or it just one of those stray thoughts that keep popping up?
homo unius libri
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