2006 Leftovers

I spent my New Years Eve alone with a lovely bottle of French wine and possibly the best pizza I have ever created. A perfect balance, (don’t believe the commercials, perfect pizza isn’t about the quantity of the toppings, it’s about the balance) of maple smoked bacon, Italian sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, kalamata olives, red and green peppers, jalapenos and 5 different cheeses. I bring this up, because I fell asleep without wrapping up the half that was leftover. No big deal, just toss the leftovers. It’s time for the post-holiday diet anyway, right? I did, of course throw it out.

I didn’t take the time or effort to calculate the calorie content I threw into the waste bin, but it was significant. Healthy, protein packed, and if a little heavy on saturated fat, still full of vegetables, meats and nutrients. Enough food to sustain a person for a day at least, thrown away because I was too lazy to wrap it up. I’m not saying my half a pizza could have saved a hungry child; even had it been wrapped up, it would have probably made its way to the trash a day or two later. The point is, what an abundance we of even modest means enjoy in this country.

This post was going to be about my New Years resolutions, but truthfully, I don’t really make them and of course, never keep the ones I do make. I decided to make a wish list of resolutions for America in 2007. It isn’t hard to come up with such a list, universal health care, peace, a real energy policy, Christians who actually follow the teachings of Jesus, etc… I could go on and on. Then I saw the pizza, and thought of how truly obscene it is that in the richest country in the world, parents, many of them with two incomes, have to choose between rent and food, or medicine and food. I don’t care if the parents are shiftless, lazy, drug-addicted, or pick whatever wing nut catchphrase is supposed to justify their poverty; this is America, the richest country in the world. No child should ever be hungry in such a wealthy country. A child cannot pick their parents, a child cannot choose to be born into wealth or power, and a child can’t help whatever situation causes the hunger.

So, instead of a list of resolutions, I have a plea. Make 2007 a year to feed a child. I’m sure many of you do already. To you I say, thank you and let’s do more. Find your local food bank and pay them a visit. Hunger is an every day event, it is not relegated to the week the Boy Scouts have a food drive, or major holidays. Talk to the workers at your food bank. Ask them what the needs are, what time of the month the demand is highest. Even a modest commitment can make a difference. Talk to your friends; encourage them to make a commitment. We can’t bring peace to Iraq by ourselves, but we can each feed a child. So as you throw out the remains of last night’s cheese balls, or spinach dip, or whatever party fare you had, take time to think of those who began 2007 with empty bellies.