
This is a classic example of people taking advantage of peoples’ generosity to help themselves at the expense of the people who really do need the food. My guess is that anyone who watches the video will be disgusted, and they should be. But instead of leaving it at that, why not do something positive to help those in need. Here are a few things that you can do:
Donate Food
In my experience working with food banks, it is an exception that abuse like this happens, and not the rule. Most people that use the food banks are extremely thankful and appreciative of the help. Most food banks usually have protocols in place so that the few people who do try to abuse the system aren’t able to do so. With that in mind, donate some food to your local food bank. There is always a great need for it, and unlike the video above, it will go to a family that not only needs it, but greatly appreciates the generosity.
Donate Money
If you have some extra cash this holiday season, consider donating it to your local food bank. When you do this, they are able to get the food that they need most. Often they can get it for a greatly discounted price compared to what you could buy it for at the grocery store. In other words, a dollar given to a food bank will often result in more than a dollar’s worth of food from the local grocery store.
Volunteer
This is an extremely busy time for food banks and they usually can use all the extra help that they can get. Volunteer to help so that the food that is donated really does get to the people who need it most. Part of the issue in the above video was that the church probably didn’t have enough volunteers to help prevent the abuse from happening. This is not to say that there was any fault on the church’s part or that it should have ever happened in the first place. Having more volunteers simply ensures that distribution goes more smoothly.
Help All Year
Consider helping out more than just during the holiday season. There are a lot of things you can do to help any non profit without spending any money, and most are always looking for help in a variety of ways throughout the year. Let the disgust you felt from watching the video motivate you to do more to make sure that help is given to those who really do need it.