feedin the homeless/hungry/poverty stricken

[Guest guest]

ok..you asked..

 

 

http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qahungry.htm

 

Feeding the Hungry

 

 

Are there any charities that provide vegan food for the hungry? Is it unethical

to refuse to financially support a group that feeds hungry people meat? I really

struggle with this.

 

 

 

Occasionally, dilemmas arise where vegans must make an ethical choice that

stretches the limits of their ethics. Fortunately, these occurrences are rare,

and, due to the far-reaching efforts of some highly-dedicated people, hunger

relief is one area where compromise is unnecessary. It's true that many

charitable hunger relief organizations (such as CARE and the Food and

Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) support animal husbandry

projects in areas where traditional customs include this practice. However,

there are two remarkable organizations that provide vegetarian and vegan hunger

relief throughout the world.

 

VEGFAM, founded in 1963, provides short-term emergency assistance and also

supports finding long-term solutions to extinguishing hunger including using

highly innovative and ecologically sound methods. You can write to them at The

Sanctuary, nr Lydford, Okehampton, Devon EX20 4AL, England, or telephone them at

(011) 44-182-282-0203. The American Vegan Society (AVS) has agreed to take

donations in U.S. currency and make them available to VEGFAM in British

currency. Donations must be specified General or Projects Only, and checks

should be made payable to American Vegan Society, but noted " for VEGFAM. " Write

to AVS at P.O. Box 369, Malaga, NJ 08328-0908, or call them at 856-694-2887.

 

The largest global vegetarian/vegan food relief program is the Hare Krishna Food

For Life (FFL). Their mission is to distribute vegetarian and vegan meals to the

disadvantaged and victims of disaster (natural or manmade), wherever there is a

need in the world. They also provide counseling, health education, and

sustainable agriculture and living skills training to those in need. Food For

Life established Feed the World Week (October 15-21), which coincides with

Vegetarian Awareness Month (October) established by the North American

Vegetarian Society. Feed the World Week has been observed in many countries

including Australia, Croatia, Finland, Germany, India, South America, Taipei,

and the United States. For more information on Food for Life or Feed the World

Week, write to Food for Life Global, PO Box 59037, Potomac, MD 20859.

 

If you want to participate in other forms of direct action to extricate hunger,

there are many ways you can help right where you live. Most urban food banks

warehouse and broker food destined for soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Due

to limited refrigeration and storage facilities, they tend to receive an

abundance of nonperishable items including plenty of canned goods and refined

carbohydrate products. Day-old cakes, breads, pastries, and other baked goods

are frequently supplied by bakeries. Restaurants may donate leftovers and

grocery stores may contribute cartons of dented canned goods, produce on its way

out, and other items that are not saleable. This leaves food banks and soup

kitchens clamoring for provisions that are considered more nourishing by

conventional standards, such as meat and dairy products. Government surplus

foods replete with animal fat, such as butter and cheese, are highly desired and

welcome.

 

The prevailing public attitude is that any surplus food should be suitable for

the hungry and that poor people should accept what is given freely without

question. Sadly, the majority of poorer people are also among the least healthy

and the least educated, and they have little access to information that would

present an alternative perspective about animal-based foods.

 

Vegan staples such as fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes (peas, beans, and

lentils), and whole grains, are among the most nourishing and least expensive

foods available, but they are rarely on the menu at establishments that assist

the hungry. Some activist groups volunteer a few times a year to prepare and

serve vegan meals at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Although their motives

are pure, the approach is problematic. Generally, there is no education provided

to the managers of these programs, leaving the staff as clueless as ever about

the benefits of plant-based eating. As a result, these events do little to

encourage the ongoing implementation of vegetarian meals. In addition, one-time

programs place people who are desperate in the degrading position of being a

" captive audience. " They are not making a conscious decision to be vegetarian or

even to consume a vegetarian meal. They have no choice. Their needs are urgent

and their options are negligible. What purpose does this serve? The activists

may feel charitable about their efforts, but in the long run these experiences

are more self-serving than constructive.

 

There are several very productive ways you can help hungry people right in your

own area. You can:

 

purchase and donate vegan food to a food bank or give it directly to a kitchen

or shelter;

solicit vegan food donations from supermarkets, food cooperatives, and natural

food stores;

ask local farmers to plant a row of crops to donate, then arrange for pickup and

delivery;

organize volunteers to glean fields after the harvest;

go to farm markets and ask for donations of fresh produce that isn't sold by

closing;

become involved in your local Food Not Bombs group, a grass-roots network of

volunteers that provides free, hot vegan meals as well as social and political

support to low-income people in communities throughout North America and Europe;

donate to Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) , which is building a global

network of local partners working toward environmental, economic, and social

sustainability. SHI facilitates long-term collaboration among trained local

staff, farmers, and communities to implement sustainable land-use practices that

alleviate poverty by restoring ecological stability;

present vegetarian education programs at your local food bank;

conduct vegan cooking classes at the food bank or in conjunction with a soup

kitchen or shelter;

or offer free vegan cooking classes to interested residents at a homeless

shelter or a minimally priced program in a low-income neighborhood. If you like,

this could include involving the students in recipe preparation and then sharing

a jointly-made meal following the class.

Keep in mind that it is pointless to arrange for donations of produce or unusual

foods if no one has any idea what to do with them or if they are merely viewed

as a way to stretch the animal based items a little bit more. Grass-roots

education is essential if any alternative program is going to be effective. Many

people don't know much about vegetarianism and are fearful about it or simply

disinterested. They may not be aware of how it might benefit them, or they may

be turned off by foods that are unfamiliar or seem weird. It is important to

understand and respect people's cultural and ethnic differences, too, and

realize that food has an emotional hold over all of us, including those of us

who don't have much.

 

If you decide to implement educational programs, do allow people to decline your

programs with dignity. No one should be made to feel guilty or ignorant because

they aren't interested in vegetarianism. Those who choose to participate will

have a genuine curiosity and hence there is a greater chance they will effect a

lasting change.

 

Hunger relief is a complex issue with manifold causes and solutions. There are a

variety of avenues for vegans to help those who are less advantaged, both

directly and indirectly. However you choose to contribute, your generosity and

compassion will make a difference in the life of someone in need.

[Guest guest]

, fraggle <EBbrewpunx@e...> wrote:

> ok..you asked..

>

 

 

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

 

Vijay