Posted By: Debra Freeman

I started going to a local food bank after someone in the community told me about it. I didn’t go in there expecting anything crazy, just some help to feed my family. I have six kids. Six. So when I say I need food, I really need it. I’m doing what I can, but times are hard right now, and every little bit helps. But the more I go, the more I’m noticing things that don’t sit right with me.

Some of the people in charge of handing out the food are picking through it first. And I don’t mean just organizing it—I mean actually going through it and taking what they want. Then by the time it gets to us, we’re left with stuff that honestly shouldn’t even be handed out. I’m talking about old potatoes, fruits that are already going bad, vegetables that look like they’ve been sitting there too long. Stuff you can barely use, let alone feed to your kids.

And that’s the part that really gets me. When you go to a food bank, you expect help. Not leftovers that somebody else didn’t want. Not the scraps after someone already picked out the good stuff for themselves. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. People going through the food before it even hits the tables. Pulling out the better items—meat, fresh produce, name-brand stuff—and setting it aside. Then we come through and get whatever is left. That’s not right.

And I know I’m not the only one noticing it. I’ve seen other people look confused or frustrated too, but nobody really says anything. I think a lot of people are scared that if they speak up, they might not get anything at all next time. And when you’re struggling, you don’t want to risk losing even that little bit of help. But I’m at a point where I can’t stay quiet about it anymore.

There are too many people out here really going through it. Rent is high, groceries are high, everything is high. People are trying to survive and take care of their families. Places like food banks are supposed to help the community, not take advantage of it. And that’s what it feels like when the people who are supposed to be helping are picking over everything first.

I believe in helping people. I really do. I believe in community and people coming together. But helping means doing right by people. If you wouldn’t take that food home and feed it to your own family, don’t give it to mine. I’ve got kids depending on me. Young ones and older ones. They need real food, not stuff that’s already going bad. I’m not asking for anything special. Just fairness. Just honesty.

If you say you’re there to help, then help. Don’t go through all the good stuff, take what you want, and leave us with whatever’s left. That’s not helping—that’s hurting. America talks a lot about sticking together, especially in hard times. But that starts right here, in our own communities. In places like food banks. In how we treat each other when nobody’s really watching. I’m just saying… something needs to change. Because this right here ain’t right.