Monday, November 23, 2020

an observation and a question:

 So the Media is showing tens of thousands of people lining up in their cars to get prepackaged food handouts.  Idling in their cars for HOURS, waiting for the handouts. 


Each person appears to pull up to the staging line, where another person loads the prepackaged box of food into the trunk:


I have noticed that the boxes are pre-printed with slogans like "food Bank" or "Helping Hands" or other slogans. I find it interesting that these boxes are not just repurposed or off the shelf boxes, but are printed especially for this food handout....tens of thousands of boxes. One wonders what the lead time is for a purchase of tens of thousands of custom printed boxes?  


These folks are not sitting in junk cars...they are high end automobiles. One might think that if one has the ability to own such a car, that one might have the means to feed their families without handouts. I mean, these cars cost a lot not only to purchase, but for things like insurance and such...

But there they are, sitting in line, each burning gallons of gasoline, (Probably 5 or more while in line) just to get a $50 box of food.....



(Of course, the question comes up also.....Where is the food coming from? Who is paying, not only for the food, but for the labor to package it (in those custom boxes) and for the labor to set up the distribution point and for the labor to move it to the distribution point and put it into the waiting car?)


 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Saw this story on my local late news last night. I wondered aloud to my wife, "I wonder how many of those cars is just someone there for free stuff, as opposed to real need?" Turns out she was wondering the same thing.

Old NFO said...

All good questions, and there ARE people there for just the free stuff... sigh. Those that don't HAVE cars can't get there, nor the ones that are housebound, that truly NEED the food!

Pete said...

Regarding the questions in the last paragraph--the one in parentheses.

Non-profits, corporate and individual charities and volunteers.

Companies provide the boxes (even the nice printed ones) and food at low or no cost. Financial donations from companies and individuals cover the rest of the supplies' cost as well as any paid positions in the non-profit. Most of the people you see doing the work are volunteers.

Companies get a tax write-off and good PR. Individuals get a tax write-off and that feeling of doing good.

Pete