Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
- Feb 6, 2023

The Food Bank

My sole source of income is my monthly United States Social Security Administration Retirement Benefit, which is less than half of the poverty level. And because I live on savings, which are scant for now and insufficient for the long-term, I do not qualify for any government assistance other than the city food bank. Each month I make an appointment to walk through the small city food bank and I am grateful for it. I remember to say thank you. I follow their instructions. I take one of this, two of that, and the other is reserved for illegal immigrants who require halal food and I am not allowed their lamb no matter how much I would like some.

It is slim pickings at the food bank, including:

very nice dried goods (rice, beans, and noodles),

very expensive, unhealthy, processed frozen food (expired) which I prefer not eat but have always wondered about,

foil packages of strange processed foods that I would never eat,

frozen beef, pork, and chicken with torn packages, missing labels, expired labels but probably still safe to eat-have had food poisoning twice,

tubers, and fresh fruits that are just on the verge of spoiling or sometimes they have fallen off the rot cliff,

dented cans of food which have an inherent risk of botulism,

off-brand processed drinks in containers too heavy for me to pour from, even if I wanted to drink them, which I do not.

But I am grateful. I pick through at the food bank and taste test at home for spoilage to prepare very good meals. This saves me about two or three hundred dollars a month in food costs. Conservatively, in the past six months the food bank has saved me about a thousand dollars in food costs. As I said, I am grateful.

Nutella From Food Bank Expired About Two Years Ago.

by Annmarie Throckmorton 2023