Hidden Harvest Food Bank

Poverty.  I don't think I understood how prevalent poverty is in this country until recently.

Back in the fall I read a book that opened my eyes to living without in this country.  The autobiographical book by Jeannette Walls is entitled The Glass Castle.  Not only did this book set me to wondering about lives lived with nothing to fall back on - wondering about what I cannot see, wondering how it comes about, how vast it is, wondering how one gets out of it - it set me specifically wondering about children and poverty.   

I know nothing, really nothing about go to bed hungry poverty.  Further, I have a pretty good hunch that most people who are living comfortably or even comfortably getting by don't know very much about it either.  Does anyone want to know? I have no idea about that either, only that this book stirred something in me that needs to know.  

I have no idea how to delve into these questions.  It will surely be a slow digging.  The food bank that will be posted here for a few days is all I have to pass on and that is barely a scratched surface.  

Hidden Harvest Food Bank

Eddie Assists

Eddie ( Puss Rex) is urging me to get on the the Hidden Harvest Food Bank images...and I will.

Hidden Harvest Food Bank

Shortly before surgery I was privileged to shoot at the monthly food bank provided by Hidden Harvest in Coachella, CA.

I will write more about Hidden Harvest and about my interest in knowing more about poverty in our country - especially about children and poverty.

For now, here is a grandmother and small child waiting for the boy's mother as she collected the vegetables, fruit and dry goods that would help her family survive until the next food bank a month later.  

The food bank, entirely manned by volunteers, is held once a month for three days.  The first day that I was in attendance 400 people came for food.

This valley has been exceptionally hard hit by the mortgage disaster and bust in construction that gave so many people full time jobs.

Surgery interrupt -us

Out of blog business for a bit due to a big deal but entirely elective abdominal surgery.  It has been something of a slog getting this side of the Feb 15 surgery but this side I am on and definitely well on the way to savoring the benefits of having done it.  

Image 1: pre- surgery waiting room.  Info for our patients on my lap.

Image 2: surgeon's waiting room for post surgical check up.  Dreams of the future on my lap.

While I am not healed up enough yet for shooting I am, nonetheless, musing around with my next project.  Stay tuned  for some early exploration into that I shot before the surgery.