feed a friend

[CHITCHAT]

I never would have thought it, but we have a girl in our office who can not feed her kids...she makes more per hr than I do. but her hubby lost his job and she has 3 kids. she is a very nice woman and I want to help. I dont want to hurt her feeling though. How would you go about helping a friend without offending her? Can she go to a food bank? dont you have to be a charity? how can I help?

[Spyder88]

I never would have thought it, but we have a girl in our office who can not feed her kids...she makes more per hr than I do. but her hubby lost his job and she has 3 kids. she is a very nice woman and I want to help. I dont want to hurt her feeling though. How would you go about helping a friend without offending her? Can she go to a food bank? dont you have to be a charity? how can I help?

Simple. You get her a gift certificate from your local food store or Target/Wally World Outlet...wherever food is sold, put it in an envelope and mail it to her anonymously. (It's also an excellent of getting an extra jewel in your heavenly crown when you keep it on the quiet) :thumbsup: She'll look at the world differently, too.

[Jayne]

I never would have thought it, but we have a girl in our office who can not feed her kids...she makes more per hr than I do. but her hubby lost his job and she has 3 kids. she is a very nice woman and I want to help. I dont want to hurt her feeling though. How would you go about helping a friend without offending her? Can she go to a food bank? dont you have to be a charity? how can I help?

Chitchat..you're a DOLL!..

Years ago..when I was OK and my friend and his wife was not...I took them a "package" filled with yeah..OK..what I could afford..but it was package of rice..beans..fruit..and "flowers" (cauliflower and broccoli, etc.) Wrapped up...with a note. (A friend had done that for me when I was in post college..he said he was bringing me "flowers"! LOL).

She can go to a food bank if the "monies" meet their requirements. Maybe just talk to her and go there with her..as support? (Someone had to talk me into it..and it took four feet out the door to get me there!)

You do not need to be a "charity" case to go to a food bank..they look at income, documentation, etc. The levels are a bit "higher" than Food Stamps, so it can help people who are stuck "inbetween"..it's not a lot of food, but it surely does help.

jmo

J

jmo

J

[StickyBeak]

Bless you ChitChat for your thoughts and kindness.

Here in our town they recently established this food network,
might work for your friend. Seems they are all over the country, I see lots of people pulling in and picking up boxes of food.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Hope this helps.

[~layla~]

do whatever you do anon.... you dont want her uncomfortable when she gets past this trying time....
if you have close friends/coworkers... just let them know you are doing this... but tell them you dont feel comfortable naming the recipient.

Im sure your boss would donate, or possibly HR... depending on how large your office is.
If its too small, just do a gift card for as much as you can afford without her knowing...

[juliekan]

I never would have thought it, but we have a girl in our office who can not feed her kids...she makes more per hr than I do. but her hubby lost his job and she has 3 kids. she is a very nice woman and I want to help. I dont want to hurt her feeling though. How would you go about helping a friend without offending her? Can she go to a food bank? dont you have to be a charity? how can I help?

Combine the suggestions here....send her a gift card to a store where she can get the most for her money(if you have it, who does now days??), and/or include info with it on the local food banks and perhaps WIC or food stamps info. Whatever is in your area. Lots of churches have food pantries also.

I agree, I would not want her to know I was doing it....they will feel embarrassed.

what a sweetie you are to care! :wub:

[Noah]

Simple. You get her a gift certificate from your local food store or Target/Wally World Outlet...wherever food is sold, put it in an envelope and mail it to her anonymously.

Yep! When my hubby became disabled we received lots of gift cards in the mail - still don't know who sent a lot of them.

They literally kept us fed until we got our finances figured out.

So now I "play it forward" and help others the same way. It makes me feel good to know that I can help somebody now.

ChitChat - you'll be blessed! :wub:

[warhorse46]

I never would have thought it, but we have a girl in our office who can not feed her kids...she makes more per hr than I do. but her hubby lost his job and she has 3 kids. she is a very nice woman and I want to help. I dont want to hurt her feeling though. How would you go about helping a friend without offending her? Can she go to a food bank? dont you have to be a charity? how can I help?



Order her a box from Angel Food Ministries. We have done that several times for people who are in need. Type in your zip code to find the distribution locations near you.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

[Jayne]

Order her a box from Angel Food Ministries. We have done that several times for people who are in need. Type in your zip code to find the distribution locations near you.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Oh Warhorse..YES. It was you and a few other posters, IIRC, who told me about that. Chitchat..it's a great place..the food is good..you pay online and then it just has to be picked up on the designated date.

IA with the other posters - as anonymous. Not knowing who it came from might alleviate any feeling about "who knows'? yet, delivering this foodstuff you'd have to let her know as the packages contain perishables..maybe you could get a neighbor or someone to deliver it and just say it was from an "angel"? You wouldn't have to tell her it's from you, even though she'd probably figure it out.

I can understand how this woman may feel. With the kindness from "strangers/friends never personally met" quite recently, I was "floored" by the outpouring of graciousness, and I know had I "rejected it", it would have been worse for the person being the "angel". It was not expected but I was so grateful and know I was touched by an angel. I'm sure she will too.

I love reading about all the heartwarming, kind, gracious posters here..kind of makes our "world" a bit Smaller and Closer, I think. Delivering or mailing several "grocery cards" to her would be an anonymous way - as another poster so well stated - to help out with food without her knowing who actually pitched in to the Acme or Vons card. Or secretly sneaking up and leaving a basket of food on her doorstep..with a card with her name on it?

What nice people you all are!

jmo

j

[daniel green]

Simple. You get her a gift certificate from your local food store or Target/Wally World Outlet...wherever food is sold, put it in an envelope and mail it to her anonymously. (It's also an excellent of getting an extra jewel in your heavenly crown when you keep it on the quiet) :thumbsup: She'll look at the world differently, too.

We had a very similar situation with a coworker--the huge cost of child-care for three kids, her car needed repairs and she mentioned that milk at her house was for her kids only. We all went in on a few gift certificates for the holidays--to a grocery store and to Target--and put them on her desk with no note. We know how grateful she was and how relieved (especially to be able to buy her little ones a few things for the holidays), but it was not "in your face." Just to let her know we all care and are there for her.

[daniel green]

So now I "play it forward" and help others the same way. It makes me feel good to know that I can help somebody now.

snipped:

Absolutely! That is the way to go. Pay it forward.

[anthos1]

Absolutely! That is the way to go. Pay it forward.

Absolutely the only way to go! PAY IT FORWARD! What a wonderful world this would be if more people cared about those less fortunate.

I get so much more than I give when I help others. It's almost embarrassing. What's very sad is there are many who haven't a clue what we're talking about here. I feel sorrier for them than I do those who need the help. They are to be truly pitied.

[Rucky*Ron]

Oh Warhorse..YES. It was you and a few other posters, IIRC, who told me about that. Chitchat..it's a great place..the food is good..you pay online and then it just has to be picked up on the designated date.

IA with the other posters - as anonymous. Not knowing who it came from might alleviate any feeling about "who knows'? yet, delivering this foodstuff you'd have to let her know as the packages contain perishables..maybe you could get a neighbor or someone to deliver it and just say it was from an "angel"? You wouldn't have to tell her it's from you, even though she'd probably figure it out.

I can understand how this woman may feel. With the kindness from "strangers/friends never personally met" quite recently, I was "floored" by the outpouring of graciousness, and I know had I "rejected it", it would have been worse for the person being the "angel". It was not expected but I was so grateful and know I was touched by an angel. I'm sure she will too.

I love reading about all the heartwarming, kind, gracious posters here..kind of makes our "world" a bit Smaller and Closer, I think. Delivering or mailing several "grocery cards" to her would be an anonymous way - as another poster so well stated - to help out with food without her knowing who actually pitched in to the Acme or Vons card. Or secretly sneaking up and leaving a basket of food on her doorstep..with a card with her name on it?

What nice people you all are!

jmo

j

I get a receipt.
Buy the box or boxes in her name, print it out and put it on her desk.
Anonymous!

MOO

[CHITCHAT]

Thank you all for the suggestions...I will get her a gift card to the market. and I have a pantry with all kinds of stuff. I hate to see this happen...one of my matras is "there but the grace of God, go I" and It is soooo true. We could all end up there. I have gone thru some awful times when I was younger. and I will never forget the fear of not having food to feed a child.

[BorderCollieMom]

You can also try this place.
http://www.greatfoodforall.com/394328.ihtml

Ive heard good & bad about AFM...alot of folks prefer GFFA.

jmo

[warhorse46]

You can also try this place.
http://www.greatfoodforall.com/394328.ihtml

Ive heard good & bad about AFM...alot of folks prefer GFFA.

jmo

I have never heard of that one but it is good to have more than one choice. They don't have any sites near my area tho.

[KaraokeDiva]

Order her a box from Angel Food Ministries. We have done that several times for people who are in need. Type in your zip code to find the distribution locations near you.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/HA! I was going to suggest Angelfood ministries myself!

Some of it is top quality, some is a bit disappointing but overall it's a value. My church is a distribution center but Mercy House is also a local shelter that distributes them. They don't deliver, you have to pick it up, but once orderedd it is paid for and someone should make use of it.

That is a very good argument to make an unwilling recipient pick up a box paid for by an anonymous donor. It will simply go to waste if you don't use it. (actually it will be given to a local charity) :)

[KaraokeDiva]

I do this with my proud 100 y/o neighbor all the time. Just make something big like chili or enchiladas or spaghetti sauce or something like that. You know the stuff that you can never make in moderation and usually ends up like it could feed an army.
Then just go over there with some Glad bowls that will go in the freezer and say "hey, I made all this extra stuff on accident, can you please take some?" Works for me.

That is also a great idea for a single person or couple. I used to do much the same thing with an elderly neighbor lady. But it's a little harder to sell the accidental extras theory to a family. That's a lot of extras. :)