This is a review of the weekly food bank, housed in Metropolitan Community Church.
The food bank here is mass chaos! Went here with a friend within the past two weeks, let's say, and what a charade! Upon entering, there were a handful of people outside smoking. Just gross! You just obtained food, for crying out loud! I highly disliked walking through the people standing outside the door smoking, simply to enter into the place. Not a good first impression, whatsoever. I was coughing after inhalation of the cigarette smoke.
The inside is so-so. There is food to be served, but no tables for someone to sit and eat. I would never take prepared food from a church, anyhow. In theory it is a nice gesture.
Eating, to me, is always a sit down and relax kind of thing. The people eating seemed to be more shoving the food into their mouths, as opposed to actually eating.
Tea and coffee for folks, which is nice. But, again the space is so crammed.
The bathroom has a sharps container, which is, well a thing of this particular city. I had never seen a sharps container until coming to this city. Let's just say it *may* speak to a larger issue?
In this food bank, there is a little place with chairs for one to sit. The chairs are set up like a DMV or DHS office, however, and a lot of people just blah blah blah trying to socialize. Don't really want to socialize - would rather simply obtain food.
And food? Well there is some here, but equally some junk like American hot flame Cheetos? Strange.
Once I was here, and this food bank was literally giving out a "Dairy Queen Cake Center." I mean really? Just mass waste. It's not their fault, but I'd throw away all the cake centers, as opposed to giving them to the public.
There's produce and dried food such as black beans or red beans for dried and carrots and potatoes for produce. But the catch is, get this, one cannot even touch or select his own food. I was completely insulted when I shopped for my friend and was essentially 'scolded' for reaching to the shelf to try to make a selection of milk. I had to point like a little kid asking his mom for a box of cereal off the third shelf at the grocers. This was dehumanizing. For this very reason alone, I will never go back, even for my friend. Incredibly rude and disrespectful and had to point the entire time at what I desired to select.
My friend has dietary concerns, and this is not a place that is very supportive of such, nor is it of any product label reading. Get in or get out - and don't come back if you don't want to point at the food.
A simple solution would be to have someone simply use some hand sanitizer prior to going around the area with a cart. (the place is set up basically like a little 'store' where you can go in and make picks of items. The staff and/or volunteers MUST go with you to observe that you do not 'steal' items off their precious shelves. Give me a break. Who would do that? No normal person would do that, and anyone who would, is likely on some sort of illicit substance - chronically so.
Here's an example, the food is divided into sections based on type. There is a 'limit' of items per section. Fair enough. Why not let people go through, and read the number, and follow suit? Why babysit?
I felt extremely berated as I argued with a staff/volunteer at Metropolitan Community Church regarding the 'why' of being treated like such a child. It was DEAD AIR. "Well it's just our policy." So,basically policy first, humanity second. I was, essentially, cornered into a place of feeling undignified and rightfully so. Yet, was, essentially, looked at as if I should be a 'grateful beggar' to have the food available.
That's Christian narcissism! Wont' be back and trying to help my friend find a new place to go get food. I feel bad for the people who put up with this bull shit of being talked at like a child and asked to point, and then are asked to feel grateful trading soul for policy.
Literal soul suckers here.
Um, yeah. read more
