How Quickly We Forget

      For 14 years of my life, I was always thinking about the stuff we throw in the trash that is still edible.  Working for Society of St. Andrew I was always on the lookout for produce that would normally be thrown away-- put on the compost heap or thrown in the trash. I found volunteers who would take that food to soup kitchen and shelters.  The food wasn't waste, we just thought of it that way. We weren't going to eat it, so why keep it around?

     Today, we were working in the church veggie garden.  There were turnip and mustard greens still growing.  They hadn't "produce" as well as we might have hoped.  We were there to pull up weeds and mix in new compost -- getting the beds ready for planting in February.

We decided to pull up the greens and share with anyone present who wanted to take them home.  There were no takers... 

When asked what to do with them, I said, "Throw them in the dumpster."

How quickly I had forgotten... 

A young couple there said, "What if we take them to Jimmie Hale Mission?"

I was caught off-guard!  "OF COURSE!"  was my immediate response!

But, that's when all my "old training" kicked in... Jimmie Hale receives already prepared meals for the most part.  Churches bring meals that have been cooked.  I asked if they would be willing to carry them to Firehouse Shelter knowing that in the past, Firehouse readily accepted fresh produce and the cooks there were willing to do the "extra" work.  They were happy to carry the greens there.

So, instead of going into the dumpster, hopefully those greens will be on a plate at the shelter!

How quickly I had forgotten that with the plenty that I experience, what seems like waste is often not!