03 April 2022

"Government Run"

I knock on the door, then knowing she's expecting me to walk in so she doesn't have to struggle to the door with her walker, I greet her cheerfully as I can; lay her lunch on the table between her and her TV, and try to extricate myself as quickly as possible because I have 25 more "clients" to serve.
This is difficult because I think I may be the only human contact she has on days I deliver.

I've now been delivering "Meals on Wheels" six weeks and my experience has been just about as I imagined:
There are folks that really need the service.
And there are folks that are taking advantage by "gaming the system".

The above-mentioned lady lives in a house in serious disrepair. It's dangerous to walk across her wooden porch to her front door. I'm sure her roof probably leaks.
But some of the homes where I deliver are beautiful and well maintained, with two nice cars in the carport. Why are we delivering meals to these people?
And this is the problem with all these Socialist government-run programs, isn't it?

Yes, we need a safety net for the folks Jesus Christ would have cared for.
But when I'm elected "King of the World" I'll be making some BIG changes in this program.


7 comments:

Ed Bonderenka said...

churches should be doing what you rare doing, but since they'd be in competition with the government, they don't.
Competing religions.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

The local food bank has an occasional Friday delivery. My building has 92 apartments and amazes me who crowds to be first in line. I'm always the last in line. I can provide for myself and there are residents who cannot. Rarely do I take anything at all if I even bother to show up.

Greybeard said...

Some years back my folks were "above medicare age" WSF. And at that time our government was literally offering "government cheese" to our "Seasoned Citizens". My folks would take the cheese when it was offered and save it for us.
We certainly were not rich at the time and were glad to have it.
And it was DAMNED GOOD CHEESE.

Gerry said...

We have the same issue at the food bank. Maybe 10-15% are gaming the system but there is probably that many who don't get what they need.

Old NFO said...

Thanks for stepping up GB. And yes, folks WILL always game the system.

glasslass said...

Gerry, had a renter who was mentally and physically challenged and occasionally he would go to the food banka. But they always gave him 2/3 pounds of nuts and a couple pounds of granola with nuts. Problem is he had no teeth and telling them that made no difference to them. This is what your supposed to get therefore take it and shut up. So he brought it to me. I dislike pistachio's so I passed it on to other along with the granola. But because he was only 54 he did not qualify for meals on wheels. He was afraid to cook on stove, apparently he caught on fire one of the first times out of the hospital and living on his own. So if he couldn't manage it in a microwave he didn't eat it. We had a tornado in Dec and lost power for 11 days. I took myself and him to different food trucks that showed up 3x's a day and the next month his Dr was so happy he had gained 7 pounds. Poor soul died a month later with no known relatives.

Gerry said...

Glasslass, very true! The food banks and Salvation Army get most of their food from donations. Nuts and granola bars are always donated and they last a long time in storage.