food delivery

On Wednesdays we pack a truck and trailer full of food to deliver to a very poor area here called the squatter camp. As we pull up to the community, the children come running and know what’s happening – usually for them we have lollipops, which of course they get more excited about than bags of rice. It was shocking to me the first time we went to the squatter camp; most of the kids don’t have shoes, and many weren’t wearing anything below the waist. I guess it’s a forced solution if you can’t afford diapers (or pants, for that matter). I really enjoy this process and I’m impressed by the organizing of the distribution. Not only do we pack up all of the food (rice, eggs, milk, beans, cabbage, oranges, etc.) into the vehicle to bring it to this area, but we also go and physically get the food if someone is willing to donate it to this cause (grocery stores and local farmers donate). This means that I have also found myself out in a field cutting and collecting cabbages from a farm in the rain... but I enjoy the physical labor knowing that in the end this food will go to someone who can’t afford it on their own.

Quick update on my post about the soup kitchen and lack of gas – for the last week we’ve been cooking the giant pots over a fire. It takes forever and has been quite difficult with the rainy weather, but again, I’m impressed by how hard the women here work to get stuff done and provide for others. We made a fabulous bean soup on Friday and even though I was cold and wet tending to the pot while it cooked, I also think some foods taste a little bit better cooked over a fire. :)