My reading of late caused a light to go off in my head.
Food Banks are running on empty. Unemployment is rampant. What do these two things have in common? A ready work-force and a need that work-force has (along with many others), food.
Please note, this is not an attempt to present a "finished product". Rather, it is an attempt to solicit expertise and advise in the development of a mature approach to aid food banks AND the unemployed.
Maybe there's a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) answer built-in here. Please provide help and support below the fold.
I just got off the phone with the director of my local food bank. Here's the idea I proposed (summarized and paraphrased):
There is a confluence with the goals of a food bank and the unemployed. Maybe this can be used to advantage without need to get permission from some governmental agency.
To the director (Judy), my question was, "Isn't there some way to make use of the unemployed to collect food and repay them for their efforts in some way ... through food stamps, food (in-kind reimbursement) or other methods?"
Judy's reply was, "Er, maybe ... there are a lot of regulations involved. Give me some time to talk with my contemporaries and see what's possible." (Judy pointed out that the Holidays are their busiest time of year, thus, she would not likely be, realistically, ready to concentrate on this until after the New Year).
I asked Judy if she thought this was just off-the-wall crazy. She said, no, it made good sense on it's face. She appeared to take the idea seriously.
Now, I ask the DKos community ... is this idea nuts? Where are the holes or areas of concern?
UPDATE #1: Sometimes this community amazes me in it's ability to assume the worst in a diary looking to develop a new idea. Commenter Richard Cranium (I read that as "DickHead") assumes I'm proposing some Nazi force MAKING the unemployed participate in such a program. That is NOT my intention. Rather, I envision purely voluntary participation. Do it if you want, or don't. I'm unemployed, and I'd do it, but I know others who wouldn't out of pride ... everyone's choice.
UPDATE #2: Clearly my presentation needs work. I seem to have attracted certain dickheads who willfully misinterpreted the thrust of the idea. Who knows, maybe cooler "heads" will prevail and view the idea logically rather than emotionally. We'll see what my local food bank director decides after consultation with her peers. Thanks for some the input. Watch for more at the end of January.
UPDATE #3: Gee, I must not have been clear at all. The problem I'm trying to solve is that food banks are running dry of money and food.
The unemployed are running dry of money and food. Isn't that an odd coincidence?
The frigging problem I'm trying to solve is that two needy groups have complementary assets problems. The unemployed have time available. The Food Banks need the time of volunteers. Maybe the unemployed can volunteer their time to collect food and receive something in return.
I'm not proposing "chain-gangs" ... just wondering if some meeting of the minds might benefit both parties.
Somehow, Richard Cranium (is it coincidence that I think of him as "Dick Head") has made me out to be the new Hitler. FUCK HIM ... I'm just trying to help.
Got any ideas?