Can you relate to this phrase often told to a child 40 years ago at a dinner table? “You better clean your plate because there are starving children in Africa!” When I was young, my parents used to tell all 9 of us that phrase. It never made sense to me that cleaning my plate could impact whether other children were hungry. And, of course, if cleaning my plate results in me overeating, it will not benefit anyone and could harm me.
Today, there are still hungry children. At least 1 in 6 children in the U. S. face food insecurity. Cleaning my plate still will not help those hungry children. On the other hand, if I reduce my food spending, I could donate money to one of the many organizations devoted to feeding the hungry.
Did you know the average American family throws away about $2,000 of food annually? In a society that feels the slowing down of the economy, it might feel like you have to pull back on your donations to non-profit organizations. However, if the average family could reduce waste and spend less, they could help feed hungry people.
Consider challenging your family with these ideas for reducing waste and spending less on food expenditures:
(1) eating smaller portions,
(2) saving leftovers for second meals,
(3) eliminating/reducing food waste by taking a bit more care in planning meals and using fresh food before the expiration date,
(4) allowing your children to participate in meal planning, shopping, and making to reduce the burden for you.
These simple steps can help reduce food spending enough to make a difference in the lives of hungry Americans and others worldwide.
Here are some other motivational thoughts on helping you to reduce your spending on food and save to make donations:
For only $38 per month, you can sponsor a child through Feed the Children. Reducing your food waste by 23% would provide enough extra money to support a child.
If you reduce your food waste by 30%, you will save $50 per month. A $50 donation to No Kid Hungry will provide up to 500 meals.
A reduction of 15% would allow you to provide a gallon of milk for 15 families through Food for Others. For another 15% reduction, you could provide 20 families with a dozen eggs.
Volunteer at a local food bank when you turn in your donation. Your motivation increases when you see the impact it makes on the families in your community.
Jesus encouraged us all to feed the hungry. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'” Matthew 25:31-36
If we all take steps to reduce our food wastes and expenditures, we can change make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and fulfill Jesus’s command to feed the hungry.
My book “Honoring God with Your Money” can provide you with many other ideas to reduce your expenses and manage your money. For other ideas on managing your money, please sign up for my quarterly newsletter: https://susaneball.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c4402ad22eed92a13b211a5ed&id=db5b79b8b5
Susan's Reflections 