This post is written by Melanie Clemmer of Fellowship of Freethought Dallas. Melanie is a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator and has kindly offered to share her expertise with us in this post.

I have noticed that in the nonbelieving community we definitely have our share of disagreements on what our diet should be like. Two things that most of us can agree on, however, are that eating healthy requires an investment of both time and money, and that many of us don't make healthy changes in our diet until we are faced with some kind of health problem, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and/or heart disease (and sometimes we still don’t change our eating habits!). In other words, even people with a steady income can sometimes have trouble making healthy food choices, and when you are unemployed, underemployed, or otherwise on a fixed income, it can be that much harder to eat healthy. People who wind up in the aforementioned categories often turn to food pantries to supplement or provide their entire food intake. Unfortunately, many of the shelf-stable items donated to food pantries can present the following problems:

1) Many donated items are heavily geared toward carbohydrates (boxed macaroni and cheese, Hamburger Helper, rice, beans, ramen, etc.). Diabetes, pre-diabetes, and many other related health issues are a common problem in low-income communities. Usually people with these conditions need to control their carbohydrate intake to keep blood sugars under control, and this is very difficult to achieve if most of your diet consists of pasta, rice, and other refined flours. Plus, people usually feel like they have to eat a lot of these items to feel full, and that certainly doesn't help with blood sugar control or weight loss.

2) When people donate shelf-stable vegetables and fruit, the items are often high in sodium and/or added sugars. The elevations in blood pressure, fluid retention, and elevated blood sugars that can result when certain individuals consume these foods can cancel out the benefits they might otherwise receive from eating fruits and vegetables.

3) Sometimes the items donated to the food pantry are a result of people cleaning out their own pantries to make their own diet healthier. (For example, a newly diagnosed person with diabetes might decide to get rid of the multiple bags of pasta sitting on the shelf.) While the desire to not waste food is certainly understandable, we do need to stop and ask ourselves about whether or not it is a good idea to give this food to someone else who may also have similar health issues.

So, when purchasing food for food pantry donations, or when considering what out of your own pantry to give away, I recommend you keep the following in mind:

1) Find out whether the food pantry you are donating to has any specific requests and try to honor them, even if they don’t always fall on the “healthy” list. That may sound like an odd point to make in a blog post about healthy food pantry donations, but we still want to make sure that we focus on helping meet the needs of the population we are serving and not make it about ourselves. So, for example, if the food pantry you are giving to has a request for bags of cornmeal/masa, but you don’t feel right about eating corn yourself, keep in mind that the pantry requested the cornmeal because that’s what their population is used to cooking with, and we are not there to force people into healthy choices. All that said, on to what foods to buy!

2) Emphasize protein foods--look for cans of tuna, salmon, sardines, chicken, or other meats that are packed in water or olive oil. Look at the list of ingredients for canned products and purchase items that have as much meat and as little "extras" added as possible. Other shelf-stable sources of animal proteins include powdered eggs and egg whites. To make sure the vegetarians are included, you can also purchase shelf-stable tofu, dried beans/legumes, canned beans with no added salt, and peanut butter and other nut butters. Unsalted nuts and seeds would also be a welcome addition to the protein category.

3) When purchasing canned vegetables, look for items that say “no added salt” or “low sodium” on the label.

4) When purchasing canned or dried fruit, look for items that say “no sugar added” on the label and check the ingredients to make sure what you are buying is actual fruit.

5) When purchasing carbohydrate foods, look for items with the least amount of processing, such as canned pumpkin with no added sugar, canned sweet potatoes/yams with no added sugar, beans/peas/whole-kernel corn with no added salt. If you purchase grains, go for items such as quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, whole-wheat pastas, and whole oats. Once again, though, check with the food pantry about who they serve. “Regular” pasta and rice will likely still be welcome if that’s what people are used to using.

6) Keep the people with food allergies in mind by buying shelf-stable dairy substitutes such as unsweetened almond milk and unsweetened coconut milk. Soy milk may also be an option for some. Rice milk usually lacks the nutritional value of almond milk, etc. Gluten-free pastas and gluten-free flours, such as almond meal, rice flour, corn flour, and gluten-free baking mixes, will also be welcome. Gluten-free cereals can also be added to the list.

7) Cooking staples such as olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk, and dried herbs and spices can also be an addition to a healthy food pantry donation. 

8) Ask whether the food pantry has a place to keep donated perishables such as fresh meats and fruits and vegetables. Some may only take perishables at certain times because of limited refrigeration space.

9) And finally, do not be afraid to include some “fun” items, such as tea, coffee, or even sweets, especially if a holiday is approaching. Even those of us who eat healthy most of the time allow ourselves to have a treat on special occasions--the people who are served by the food pantry will probably appreciate it too!

The warm weather is beginning to take hold, the trees are blooming, and the birds are singing.  Spring is in full swing, and it’s an invigorating feeling! We’ve put together a list of seven ideas perfect for spring to get you out into your communities.

1. Go green for Earth Day. Serve the global community by being mindful of how your practices affect the environment. Earth Day this year falls on April 22 and there are lots of ways to help. Do maintenance on a nearby trail. Clean up a local park, lake, or beach. Several of our teams, such as Fayette Freethought Society, have adopted a stretch of highway that they clean regularly. Plant flowers or care for plant life that’s already there. Make a concerted effort to reduce your footprint, or do something to counteract it, such as planting a tree or advocating for environmental responsibility.

2. Run a charity race. Run? Walk? It doesn’t matter -- sign up for a local 5k, 10k, or any other distance where the proceeds benefit a worthy cause. Get together a group of friends or family to walk or run with you.

3. Spring cleaning. Root through your house and find things you don’t want or need anymore, and take them to a local charity thrift store or find a local clothing or book drive. Remember not to donate junk—a good rule of thumb is that if it’s not in good enough condition to give to a family member or friend, it’s not good enough for charity, either. Donating your unwanted stuff is a win-win: you’ll feel great from getting rid of clutter and from knowing it will benefit others!

4. Walk a shelter dog. Visit your local animal shelter and show these needy animals some love. Dogs in shelters spend their days cooped up in cages or small pens, and they could always use some exercise, attention, and fresh air. While you’re there, be sure to spend some time with lonely cats or other animals, too!

5. Set up a lemonade stand or have a bake sale. A tried-and-true fundraising favorite, and especially perfect for kids! Choose your favorite charity and send them the proceeds. FBB’s beneficiaries are a great starting point! If you set up at a public place or business, be sure to seek appropriate permission first. Our team Fellowship of Freethought Dallas has a cool spin on this one—they bake cookies and bring them to the local police department!

6. Thank a volunteer. April 15th-21st is National Volunteer Week, the perfect time to thank someone in your life (including yourself!) who serves your community, and the perfect motivation to go out and volunteer some more! If you need some ideas, check out Volunteer Match for opportunities in your community.

7. Tell others. Whatever you choose to do, don’t do it alone! Recruit some friends or family members to join you, and encourage others to be active in their communities, too.

Have other ideas we didn’t cover? One of these strike your fancy? Tell us about it in the comments!

Happy Volunteering! 

Suzanne Nobles, Intern
Noelle George, Program Coordinator

Volunteers Beyond Belief
A Program of Foundation Beyond Belief
Visit the VBB page

This post was written by Frank Kloch of Triangle Freethought Society discussing one of their recent service events.

On the evening of February 28, 2012, a group of Triangle Freethought Society members volunteered for the Coalition to Protect NC Families phone bank in Raleigh, NC. The phone bank was established as an urgent effort to inform potential voters about the May 2012 "Amendment One" proposal that would amend the NC constitution to further restrict the definition of marriage and, effectively, deny domestic partnership status to any unmarried NC couple.

TFS is a member organization of Volunteer Beyond Belief and, as such, at least once a quarter we commit to charity work in the community to help make it a better place and to show that we can be good without god. This quarter’s event was chosen because our members feel this is a discriminating amendment based solely on religious ideology and we want to do all we can to see Amendment One defeated on May 8, 2012. 

Those who do phone banking are given a list of registered voters for the area--you don’t do cold calling, so most of our targeted voters are picked to be most likely to oppose the amendment. Trainers, such as Morgan Hinton, a coordinator from protectncfamilies.org, give you a short script to follow, and before long you are breezing through using your best voice and terminology, conveying a calm, convincing message on the importance to vote.