I'd characterize our food banks to look similar. If i saw nice cars there and people that owned or were paying on them, at the food bank, i'd probably take a dim view until i actually thought about how a newly unemployed family might look. I wouldn't expect them to sell their nice vehicle that they may need to get employment, for a lose, just because i looked sideways at them at the food bank.
I’ll tell you, my wife getting me to volunteer at the food bank was good for me. We haven’t been able to do it for quite a while now, due to them cancelling night hours because of the pandemic. She’d done it a few times through her employer and found the two of us could just go in evenings and pack lunches for kids. So one evening a week, we’d go in and pack bagged lunches. They had enough for two meals, and were distributed to the kids on Friday for the weekends. Two cereal bowls, two soups, two snacks and two drinks. Assembly line. Walk and pick. Tie and box. Between the two of us, we could do about 400 bags in two hours, so about 800 meals. They needed 2000 bags per week.
On occasion, we’d work the food pantry. The people had to have a ticket that was arranged through some social agency. Single or family. Then they’d line up and 6-8 people at a time could come into the grocery store-like area with a cart and pick out so many of each item. Meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, canned goods, etc. It was enough for each person to eat for a month. All donated goods. Some days we’d be the restockers and keep the shelves full all night. Some days, I’d be the boxer at the checkout, then help them carry the boxes to the cars.
Most of those people looked desperate. Their cars were crap (like my beater car, but it was their primary). Many were old, had physical and/or mental issues, and about 1/3 were younger. In all my years there, only 1 person was not extremely nice, and he had some obvious mental issues as well as a hand that was dripping puss and blood.
It reminds me every day how fortunate that I am, and if I have the ability to help someone in even the smallest way, I should. It could just as easily be me in their shoes.
