I am selfish. Really. During my recent cleaning spree I threw out a box of food that I had bought, opened, ate a little of and then let go bad in my pantry. And I felt like an ass throwing it all away. And it's something i have noticed myself having done many times in the past. I realize that when I go to the grocery it is pointless for me to buy half of what I do buy. If I stuck to only ordering from the farm then I wouldn't end up with so much that is wasted on my wants. I would be able to get only what I need and will use completely. I then I realize, like when throwing all of that food away, that I am selfish, like many others. And I take a long hard look at myself.
As I was putting the food into the box I was thinking that I could leave it out by the compactor. People leave all sorts of things out there, from furniture to books, from linens to clothes, from hygiene products to food. Someone else will either come by and get this items or the maintenance guy will eventually throw it into the compactor or have Goodwill come and pick it up (in the case of furniture that is still usable). Foodstuffs, clothes and some hygiene products usually go to the homeless that like to peruse the inside of the compactor at night. The rest tenants run down and grab before anyone else can. But I couldn't leave the food beside the compactor, I had to actually throw it away. Because I had bought it. And used it or not. And it was not fit for consumption anymore. And that makes me an ass. It makes me the kind of person that takes advantage of what they have and can have. And not everyone has that advantage.
Heifer International is out to put a stop to widespread hunger. The idea is a simple "pay it forward" approach. Food isn't just given out. We all know the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." That's how Heifer Int'l works. Here's a timeline:
You donate a heifer for $500 to a family and/or community somewhere in the world that is in need.
The family and?or community is taught to care for the cow and how to produce milk, help with calving, etc.
The family and/or community then has fresh milk daily and is able to sell the milk to earn extra money for schools, clinics, medicines, homes, clothing, more farm animals, act.
As the cow gives birth, those calves are then passed onto other families/and/or communities where they are need and the process starts over again.
There are many different donations that can be made: water buffalo, sheep, chicks, geese, rabbits, honey bees, fish, not to mention trees and plants to help keep the soil stable and there land healthy.
And in case you were wondering, yes, they do help in the United States. It is not just Third World countries that benefit from the donations. You could be helping out right in your own backyard.
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