The "food police" were on their way! I'd just gotten the telephone call and there was much to do before they arrived.
The refrigerator door flew open and the hunt began. Out went the bearded cucumber, the tired lettuce and the green cheese. Oh! If only there was more time I could cut the fuzz off the cheddar.
But the thirty-something crowd would be here in no time.
Next was the quest to find the teeny-tiny expiration dates on the salad dressings, ice cream toppings and condiments. I'd need my glasses for this task. (Where on earth were they?!!)
I knew-as surely as the fact that a little bread mold has never hurt us yet -- that if I missed one food product "can't-sell-by-this-date," I'd be caught with egg on my face. An old egg, at that.
At least I had an excuse this time. Bill and I had just returned home from our cruise to Alaska.
Nevertheless, I could just imagine the cops saying, "Mom, just look at this mustard. It's OUTDATED!" and the words would be followed by a heavy sigh. (Honestly, I thought 2007 was a very good year.)
I'll admit that the state of the fridge right then would chill anyone's appetite -- even mine. But I remember a time when that wasn't the case.
It was in the very early years of our marriage. Bill was a new schoolteacher on the bottom rung of the salary schedule. Making ends meet wasn't easy.
With one dollar in our pocket until payday, we'd stopped at a roadside fruit and vegetable stand, hoping for better prices. But when we took our produce to the check stand, it weighed in at more money than we'd expected.
"I'll just put this cantaloupe back," I said with a mortified smile. We don't really need it."
The farmer looked me in the eye, and then reached out his weathered hand, "Now, you just keep that cantaloupe. It's a bit overripe. And while you're at it, take some more of this stuff. It's going to rot anyway."
By the time we left, shopping bags were overflowing-and so was my heart with thankfulness. To this day, I've never forgotten the kindness from this wise old man or the way God's love touched me through him.
So nowadays when I think about throwing out food, I recall what it's like to be hungry and on your last dime.
I also remember that helping others in need is never outdated.
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Diana Bastian's family of seven depends on the St. Vincent de Paul Society Food Bank to get through the month.
The 17-year-old Pasco High School senior says her parents, who work seasonally, buy food when they can, but it can be expensive -- especially meat.
Area food banks are having a harder time providing food to an increasing number of families like Bastian's. Many are low on canned food and staples -- donations that seem to dry up after the holidays.
Hunger in Mid-Columbia hitting new highs
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Bags of food may have arrived, but Pasco's Golden Age Food Share still anticipates being swamped with more need than food.
"We can use anything we can get," said Anne Montgomery, the food bank's director and founder.
Golden Age Food Share and other Mid-Columbia food banks are bracing for high demand this holiday season. Already, food banks are seeing more demand for food assistance than last year.
Angel Food Ministries to close
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ATLANTA -- Angel Food Ministries is going out of business after 17 years of providing discounted groceries to needy families across the country, including in the Tri-Cities, citing the economic downtown affecting many customers.
The multi-million dollar food nonprofit said it will cease operations immediately, according to a statement provided to The Associated Press.
Angel Food started in the Tri-Cities in November 2008, and had sites at the Pasco Church of the Nazarene and Kennewick Church of the Nazarene.
Pasco family searching for home for 2 dogs, 1 pregnant, they found Christmas Eve
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Joe and Carmen Rodriguez had just returned home from Christmas Eve church services when they spotted some animals on their front lawn.
They weren't reindeer, but it still was unusual sight -- a tiny terrier and a very pregnant Labrador-mix.
"I'd seen the same two dogs at the school (Rowena Chess Elementary) where I worked a couple weeks ago just wandering around the playground like they were lost, so when they turned up in our yard I knew they had been either lost or abandoned," said the Pasco woman. "As we got out of the car, both of the dogs jumped into the car and laid down."
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To tell you the truth, I'm never been one of those people who makes New Year's resolutions. It's because I'm not sure I could keep them.
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