A Highly Irregular Call To Action

I read about some interesting observations that people from overseas make when they visit the United States. There are obvious things, like amazement at the variety of goods available at our supermarkets, or befuddlement over our general unwillingness to bargain on most prices. There is also a common reaction of disbelief at the sort of poverty that exists here in what is supposed to be the wealthiest nation on Earth. It's supposed to be a place where no one has cause to want, and yet they do in tremendous numbers.

Some words don't seem to mean terribly much to people, and high on the list are ones like "hungry" or "starving". These are things we say if it's been a while since lunch, but I doubt whether very many of us have ever been genuinely hungry. A number of months ago I refrained from eating all day one day in anticipation of visiting an all-you-can-eat restaurant, which is about as long as I've ever gone myself. I'm very privileged, as we mostly are. There's a responsibility to do something when we can.

In Boy Scouts, we occasionally would do something like a canned food drive. I remember having some fun with those. It would work in two stages. First, there was placing bags on doorsteps with a request that they be filled with some non-perishable goods. Then, there was collecting what people gave. One wonders what people thing is going to be done with some of what was donated. There can only be so many cans of pumpkin pie filling that are genuinely useful. Still, I like to think that we did some good with those drives.

I am only intermittently that charitable anymore, which I regret. Often enough I grumble that I ought to be the recipient of some charity, which of course is laughable. Now, with this blog I very seldom am responsive to anything topical, and I don't know that I've ever tried to exact some specific response from readers, but here is a first. Rest assured that tomorrow I will return to overly thought-out ruminations on minutiae.

My dear friends at The Pummelo are mounting a drive to make August the 15th "Feed A Hungry Family Day". Please take a look at their thoughts on the matter, and do give some consideration to making a charitable contribution to the cause. It seems to me that many of the ills that plague us in this world spring from the plight of the multitudes that do not have enough of the essentials in life, so why not try springing for a meal to feed the hungry on the off chance that it might save the world?