Have you ever wondered what people get from a food bank? If you're down on your luck, not getting food stamps (or welfare), find yourself with no job, and the pantry is empty, a food bank is a safety rope for your family. This is what is considered a months food for two adults. When I called the food bank, I was told at first, that they were not out of food. Upon emailing this photo, and listing what was included, I was told they had run out of food. Which is true? I waited over an hour for someone else to go in for help without success. I'll be trying again today to talk to people receiving help. God Bless everyone that helps out people in need. BTW, from what I've researched, there are two "soup kitchens" serving Jackson County, MS. Both serve only lunch, and only one is open on the weekend. 

  I started this quest when I saw this old man begging on HWY 90 at HWY 63(in Mississippi). He has a cane and sign, and of course, looked down on his luck.

  After telling my christian neighbor about him, I was told that he was a con man and crackhead who does this between Grand Bay, AL and here. I have known crackheads, and he didn't look to me as one, but I decided to find out for myself. I saw him on his bike one day leaving from begging and sure enough saw him (and took a picture) of him buying crack a couple blocks away. 

   

After being pissed off, I decided this couldn't be indicative of all the homeless people (btw he's not even homeless) and started looking for homeless or otherwise people down on their luck. I found eight homeless people living in the woods behind several businesses here (Pascagoula). Really just a small stand of trees very close to a Walmart serving as protective shelter for this band of souls. Over the last month I've found none of these people to be criminals or alcoholics, just people looking for work, but otherwise no place to go.     

  I've learned a lot from talking to them. None would go beg on the street due to pride. All told me they banded together for safety from the ones on crack (mainly). And surprisingly, each in his own way, proclaimed it could be worse. One has been here for two years, picking up work as he can, stuck in a place he can't step up from. Yesterday someone gave him a bike so he can now expand his life by "20 miles". He and I, signed up for a free training class about 12 miles from here, starting at the end of this month...pipe fitting. Hopefully we'll be accepted into the class, and I get my bike fixed so we can ride together.

  I know all of my friends here are good people, but relay this in the hope that one day when something terrible has happened and you wonder if you'll be able to go on, you'll remember to smile and know that life will get better.
love you all!
   ps, going with my friend to have lunch in a few minutes, at Our Daily Bread. I'll let you know how good it was...

  Later that very day...

  To be honest, I started off thinking about how people could get by on just one meal a day.  So, I started off with my opinion already biased.
  Amazing!  You wouldn't believe how much food or how kind everyone was.  They serve lunch weekdays and Saturday from 11:30am til 12:30pm.  I expected people to be lined up down the street waiting to be served.  Upon entering I noted that it smelled really good, benches were filled with people eating already.  There wasn't anyone talking and I take this was because it was good food.  We were asked to please sign in and told where to start in line.  And then it began to get confusing.  I really was ready for a typical lunch, maybe something along the line of Sheriff Joe's jail food...a baloney sandwich and water.  What happened was the largest food tray I'd ever saw, began to have every compartment filled with wonderful items.  It was one turkey (leg and thigh), dressing, red beans with sausage, chicken and gravy, sausage patties, white beans, stew, a potato fry, mustard greens, blueberry pie, 2 large buttered breads(or corn bread etc), creamed corn, and iced tea.  There were five different types of pie to choose from.  I ate it all to be sure they knew I enjoyed it.  I was asked if I wanted seconds...and told again if I wanted anything else.  On the way out we were told to grab a bag or two and fill them with donated bottled water and loaves of bread.

  I'm sure that not all Soup Kitchens are like what we experienced today. But to be sure, I can see us surviving on one meal a day from this one.  All the workers in this kitchen work there from the TANF program, Monday through Saturday.  Sunday I was told several churches feed everyone.  I heard that it's a really big crowd on Sunday.  I'll be there to find out.

God Bless all the people that help support these programs.  They truly make a difference.