Blog Action Day: Poverty and Food

A wise man I know once said “People can’t make good decisions on an empty stomach.” Alex runs Operation Dignity, a homeless shelter for veterans, run by veterans. Alex knows what it’s like to not have enough to eat, having been homeless himself in the past. He told me when he heard statistics on how many veterans are homeless, he said “Someone ought to do something about that!” His friend looked over at him and said “Why don’t you?” He started helping other homeless veterans by buying a few sleeping bags and inviting some of them back to his place. Since then, Operation Dignity, Inc. has grown to a full-fledged non-profit 501(c)(3) veteran run, service-enriched provider serving the homeless and displaced populations of Alameda County.

My blog usually focuses on food and it’s no different today. Other than I’m asking you to cook something cheap tonight, or this week, or this month, and donate the money you save to help someone else have enough to eat. I’ll be donating to Operation Dignity and hope any Bay Area locals will do the same. Otherwise, pick a local food pantry or homeless shelter. Or donate to Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest). Or any other charity of your choice. You can also donate thru Blog Action Day so they can track the impact or just email them and let them know as per the instructions on that page.

Here are a few of my favorite cheap recipes to help you save some money in the kitchen:

• Crockpot Pulled Pork
• Beef Hash (leftover beef)
• Beef Stew with Coffee
• Fried Rice (uses up leftovers quite well)
• Calzones
• Pizza Dough
• Granola
• Cornmeal Mush
• Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
• White Chili
• Pork Carnitas
• Chili Verde
• Goldenrod Eggs – Eggs in White Sauce on Toast
• Sweet and Sour Tofu
• Cream of Whatever Soup (Use instead of canned cream soups)
• Middle East Chicken Soup
• Turkey Soup
• Creamy Lentil Soup

And a few of my articles that might help you out as well:

• Cooking with Leftovers
• Using Up Leftovers with Soup
• Planning Ahead and Save Money

I’d love to hear back on how you cut your food bill and what you decided to do with the money. And if you don’t feel like you can help someone else out, use the money you save this week to start building up your own pantry. Here’s a quick start guide to saving money on food to give you some ideas.