Food feeds both our physical and emotional bodies and souls. I have been inspired this week by a good friend. She and her family have eaten for a week on twenty six dollars each. This is the amount that most people living on welfare have left over for food after paying rent and utilities. I have followed the food journey of my friend and her family closely. I have been inspired and challenged by their personal involvement in the lives of many in creative ways over the years, and this week was no exception. The whole point is to advocate for those trying to survive on welfare.
For the people joining in the welfare food challenge and even those of us following along with them, it certainly was an eye opening week. Food impacts all levels of our being and lack of it can be crippling to people already marginalized. My friends are people of thought and many personal strengths. They found the week hard. Eating was no longer enjoyable. They felt stuffed with carbohydrates and fats. More time was spent focussed on food. Even their relationships shifted as they tried to support their children and one another.
All the children who have joined our family as older children have issues with food. Each child had experiences of being hungry. Food was full of sugar, carbohydrates and fat for them as they were growing up. McDonald's is their comfort food of choice. One daughter has started blogging and I have noticed how central food is in her heart writing and experience. When she first came to live with us she would only eat bread and milk and Chicken McNuggets. We had to enlist her cooperation to add food gradually to her repertoire after a few months. Each new food item was written on the big family calendar to introduce weeks in advance. She still has a limited range of foods that she can eat. Another of our children stuffs food into her mouth without thinking or stopping to breathe. She is completely unaware of quantity or taste. She remembers being hungry all the time as a child. For another child who went through a couple of adoption disruptions some of her central memories are around being forced to eat new foods that she did not like. Being made to eat a tuna sandwich was a central deal breaker with one family.
Food has been a symbol of empty bloating and soul less carbohydrates for our children. We have had to go slowly as we have tried to bring healthy sustenance to the food our children eat. We have started by involving them in the preparation and even the planning and buying of healthy soul full food. We have baked and prepared hearty foods together, working side by side. We still indulge in the deep rooted comfort foods at McDonald's every so often, but the children are beginning to love the fresh grainy breads and potato vegetable soups that are prepared together with produce from the garden and love in relationship of working together. It does take time and money to be creative and soul full in our eating. Eating is a way that we can enjoy receiving nourishment for the health and well being of our bodies and spirits. It is an ordinary part of our lives that with a little creativity can bring great life richness.
As a family we are trying to be aware of sustainable eating with health and in relationship. With our friend's welfare food challenge in mind we want to share with others too. We have helped make sandwiches each week for soup kitchens and we do want to care for those all around us struggling to make ends meet who have limited food choices. We want to advocate for those for whom life seems to bring little nourishment or sustenance both in food and relationship.
Food is both an ordinary and also a deeply profound part of our lives as human beings. I want to be creatively proactive in bringing the nourishment and sustenance of heart and soul food full of colour, texture and variety into the lives of my family and friends.
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