What does your monthly grocery bill look like? I shudder to think what mine looks like, I honestly don't have it down to a science. I get "basics" once a month - toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. and then probably go weekly shopping for the rest - perishables, fruits/veggies, etc. But I'll be honest - I've not really sat down and looked at what I spend on monthly supplies/groceries. I think I would be shocked at what I spend - I don't know about you - but it's probably way more than I think!
Imagine, if you will, if you are a single mother, raising 3 children and are without work or a husband. If your monthly income came directly from your husband who has snuck illegally into the United States to better be able to care for his family. Now hear me out here - I do NOT condone illegal status! I know there are those in Honduras who are here illegally as well. It makes me just as grumpy! Don't go someplace and confess to trying to "help" but be illegal about your own status in said country. But this is not a blog about legal/illegal immigration. I'm saying that if I were a Honduran, and my family was starving, I too would do what I had to do to not let my kid go to bed with an empty belly! The options here are few. There are no social programs like food stamps, etc. You don't work...you don't get money...you don't buy food. Period.
When my dad came down to visit last year, he saw me purchasing a "food box" for a very needy family in Armenia Bonito, and he wanted to know how he could help. Since then he has been sending me a monthly contribution solely with food in mind. So what can I buy for $25?
5 pounds of beans
5 pounds of flour
2 pounds of corn flour
15 eggs
cereal
dried milk
coffee
sugar
salt
vegetable oil
shortening
pancake mix
oatmeal
laundry detergent
bleach
That's what I provide in my "canasta basica" - basic basket - of food. I keep a basket of food in the clinic and as the need arises, I have it to provide for those who are without. And when I mean without - I mean they are surviving on food that their neighbors give them, what they can pick off of trees, what they can scrape by on.
Celia is in that position. Why bring up illegal immigrants? Her husband was/is one of those. He crossed the border a long time ago - collects more in a month than he makes all year in Honduras, and sends some of it back to his family. He was recently arrested and thrown into prison, where his status is currently unknown. Here is this mother of 3 whose littlest is 2 years old with severe medical problems. How do we help? She receives free medical care - professional consult by a pediatric doctor, and free medicine that would otherwise cost her a fortune, or just not be available at the local public hospital. And...she received a "canasta basica" to help get her through this most challenging of times.
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| Celia's little boy |
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