“We just wanted some fresh fruit and vegetables for our family to eat, so we didn’t have to eat out of cans all the time,” said Sarah Coole, North County wife and mother of two, as quoted in a story entitled How a North County Family ended up in a food line in yesterday’s North County Times. Her husband has been out of work for a month since construction jobs dried up as developers are dealing with the stagnating credit market, so they went to Interfaith Community Services in Escondido for some help making ends meet.
There is no shortage of stories like the Cooles’ in the paper, on the Internet and TV, and it’s easy to get compassion fatigue. I tend to get overwhelmed if I let my mind linger too long on these accounts, and it’s easier simply to read and move on. The situation seems too big, too intractable, for any one person to have a perceptible impact, and besides, it makes me uncomfortable.
But something about that quote got to me. For a variety of reasons, our family has been relying on take-out and meals prepared with packaged ingredients the past few weeks, and although I never thought I’d hear myself say it, I was starting to miss cooking nightly dinners. The second Friday night pizza in as many weeks was assuredly convenient, and I’ll admit, delicious, but its appeal was waning. So last night I cooked up a big batch of Mostaccioli with Ratatouille using fresh eggplant and zucchini from Be Wise Ranch. I enjoyed the simple acts of dicing, peeling, and simmering, the tactile satisfaction of creating a meal from raw ingredients. And my palate appreciated experiencing the directness of flavors unfiltered by salty seasoning or preservatives — the slight sharpness of the eggplant, the summery tenderness of the simmered zucchini and mellow richness of the onions.
That the Cooles should forfeit fresh produce gave me pause. We are fortunate that our family’s processed meals are a factor of expedience and not economics. And I am aware that only a few unforseen events stand between us and the Cooles or any other struggling family. I doubt they received any eggplant in their assistance (those of you who are not eggplant fans may consider this a blessing), but a follow-up comment Sarah Coole posted to the online article said they were well taken care of.
Interfaith Community Services is well-respected in North County and provides much-needed help to those who are struggling. We have supported them in the past, but this was a reminder that more help is always needed. Donations of time, money, or food will go to help our neighbors, neighbors very much like us who deserve the opportunity to taste the tangy sweetness of a ripe orange or the crunch of fresh lettuce. One person can make a difference. Consider joining us in supporting them today.
