The Value of 5 Pallets of Cheese Puffs
Posted by Cate Puzo on Thursday, September 17, 2009
Every Thursday I walk to my local pantry and take my post in the warehouse where I give families their weekly basket of, well, it’s supposed to be bread & veggies, fruit, dairy and staples. But mostly it’s snacks and sweets. Lately, it’s been cheese puffs.
Last Thursday, for example, five pallets of spicy cheese puffs blocked the area where I greet the families with their filled baskets. By the time we closed, they were nearly gone. They filled the baskets when little else was available: The bread arrived 30 minutes late and ran out 30 minutes before closing, and the day’s fruit lasted just 90 minutes. Everything else was an Iron Chef contestant’s worst nightmare.
A few minutes before closing, a grandma with granddaughter arrived. She took the meager offering and asked, “Are there any vegetables today? Just some onions maybe?”
“No,” I said, embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. This is all we have left.” She lingered, then thanked me and left with her basket. It held 5 quarts of aseptically-packaged 2% milk, more than others had earlier in the day. They could last months and unless the family was lactose-intolerant, could serve multiple purposes.
As for the 12 bags of spicy cheese puffs, maybe her granddaughter could trade them for something healthier— if her friends have something healthier to trade. Unlikely, but not impossible. One thing I’ve learned from pantry families is that everything has a value if you’re resourceful enough. Even five pallets of cheese puffs.
September 17, 2009 | | Tags: food banks, volunteering
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