Downsizing?

A few months ago, I noticed that the NutriPals snack bars I always buy for Hannah were on close-out at the grocery store. Usually they were around $6 a box, so I only bought them when I found them on sale or had a coupon. When I came across the close-out sale, I stocked up! My girl is a super picky eater, and with these bars she at least gets some nutrition even if she is just snacking while she plays or watches Max & Ruby. Well, the stockpile of snack bars ran out a week or two ago. Yesterday at Publix, Hannah saw them while I was picking out jars of babyfood. I noticed the price- $3.99 for a box. Now, we love shopping at Publix, but the deals there aren't that great... I wondered why they closed out the old only to bring back new, cheaper ones. Aside from a few new cartoon characters on the box, I was stumped- until after dinner when Hannah wanted a bar for dessert. I opened the box and pulled out the highly anticipated "s'mores bar" and started laughing. It was TINY! Like half of the size of the old ones! In fact, I had an old one in the diaper bag for "blood-sugar emergencies" (aka temper tantrums) so I pulled it out to compare.


It's hard to tell because the older bar got a little squished in our diaper bag (I carry everything but the kitchen sink; it's a wonder it didn't disintigrate all together!) but the old one was 1.41 oz, compared to .78 oz for the new one. Seriously? I mean, I guess Hannah did have a hard time finishing the old ones, but now we're popping two at a sitting! AND that "nice" new price? When I used to get the old ones on sale, it was MUCH cheaper. Even if you factor in the full old price, I'm now getting 1/2 as much at 2/3 the price. I know the economy is bad, and everyone is taking a hit. But not only are people worrying about losing their jobs, they are worrying about skyrocketing prices. NutriPals snack bars aren't a necessity, but what about milk? Here in Chattanooga, it's not unusual for milk to be as high as $5 a gallon- and I'm not even talking about the organic, no growth-hormone stuff I try to buy for my girls. I clip coupons and shop sales, but I am fortunate that I do not have to worry about if I can provide nutritious food for my children. Millions of people, here in the US and all over the world, are not so lucky.

I recall hearing someone not long ago talk about how heart broken he or she was to see poverty and starvation. It can shake your faith to the core. But when this person cried out to God, to ask why God was allowing this to happen, why God was not feeding the orphaned, the widowed, the oppressed, a funny thing happened. God asked them the same question. WE are Christ's hands & feet, and His serving utensils too. If we are fortunate enough to be able to utter a frustrated laugh when we see the price of our favorite snacks increase, what are we doing with the blessings we have? Rob Bell shared a startling statistic in his video "Rich"- The money it would take to wipe out world poverty is about equal to the amount that Americans spend each year- on ice cream. Meanwhile, every five seconds, a child dies from hunger-related causes. Makes that scoop of Rocky Road taste a little bitter...

What can we do? There are all sorts of small things churches and individuals all over the country can do- 30 hour famines (which takes place this month), Rice Bowls, sponsorship through Compassion or World Vision, donations to Heifer International, buying fair trade products to ensure people a living wage, even just visiting a website. On a local level, you can participate in canned food drives- (your mail carrier will even pick it up for you in May!) and keep snacks or fast food gift cards with you to distribute to people you see on the street. While there are systemic things that need to happen to truly end world hunger, each of us is called to act- to be faithful in the small things. For more reading on hunger & poverty policy, check out this website: Food First. Also, there is an awesome blog kept by two Social Justice teachers who tried to live on $1 a day. It is very eye-opening. My intention is not to give you a guilt trip today, but my prayer is that we can be more determined to feed God's children. Jesus says whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" (Matthew 25: 34-36)