Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

28 March

At The Cambridge Pantry: Busiest Day Ever, 22 Favorite Items Gone, Army Of Good To The Rescue: “They Made All The Difference…”

by Jon Katz

Cambridge Pantry Director Sarah Harrington knew Wednesday would be busy.

Due to the massive snowstorm, the pantry had to cancel last weekend’s food distribution.

She knew the Wednesday offering would be jammed and require three days of food, including the Easter Weekend. But she didn’t expect yesterday when a record-breaking  67 people—187 individuals—came looking for food.

(The Cambridge Pantry food most sought today is Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Clam Chowder, case of 8, $14.43. See below)

She was overwhelmed. More than 21 favorite items were gone entirely: clam chowder, ravioli, coffee, ramen, prego sauce, diapers, wet wipes, flour, sugar, canned spaghetti, pineapple chunks, pancake syrup, parmesan cheese, and Kleenex.

They also registered seven new families on Wednesday.

(Joan, a volunteer at the food pantry for seven years.)

This list includes many of the most sought-after food items in the pantry.  Sarah was worried about how to re-order.

Adding to the pressure, the New York Legislature is considering a one-third cut in the funding that supports the backpack program. This morning, we had only 67 bags of food for the children for three days. The potential consequences of this funding cut are serious.

Then she texted me later: “After my crazy record-setting day, I came home and was overwhelmed with joy when I learned that all the Amazon list items ordered for the food pantry were delivered and waiting to be opened. It is such a game-changer. I thank the Army of Good! You guys are making all the difference!”

On to clam chowder! (See below.)

Yesterdays.Amazon food delivery. Army Of Good to the Rescue.

I went to help pack this week’s backpack orders; I loved this work. It’s not remote work but a very personal thing to put my hands on—the things that will help families have enough to eat over the weekend. I love knowing that the things I was packing were going right to the children who needed them, with no fees or special charges and no middle administrators.

The food I was packing would be eaten by a hungry child starting tonight and going through the weekend.

We are re-posting the entire   Cambridge Pantry Wish List to replenish some of the items. I asked Sarah this morning what item was most in demand today. She said the most sought-after food for the moment—they are out of is clam chowder. The list is updated every day.

The pantry’s food of the day is Campbell’s Chunky Soup, New England Clam Chowder, 16.3 Oz Can, Case of 8, $14.43.

Also new on the list today is Community Coffee, 12.0z, pack of 3, $12.oz pack of three.  All of the items on the Wish List are foods unavailable to the food pantry from their usual sources; it means a lot to the families to get them.

I can’t thank you all enough for supporting this pantry; more and more people in the area are struggling to pay for food. As Sarah said, you are making a huge difference.

Above, my volunteer task (along with others) is to prepare these “backpack” food packs for delivery to the central school today for the children of families who depend on the pantry for food.

 

Feature phot: Director Sarah Harrington ordering food at the Cambridge Food Pantry.

28 March

Farm Journal, March 28, 2024. Mud Morning, Light Morning. Two Views, Mud, Calla Lili

by Jon Katz

It was a gloomy day outside, but my Calla Lillies brought some color inside. I went to the Cambridge Food Pantry to prepare backpacks for the kids who needed food. I’ll write about it when I get home. In the meantime, here are two ways of looking at the morning.

St. Joseph’s Mud morning

Inside, A Calla Lily plant brings some light. I can’t stop taking pictures of the Calla flowers

27 March

Color And Light, Calla Art, The Power Of Inner Silence

by Jon Katz

Because of what is happening inside and outside of me, I’ve become increasingly drawn to what I call inner silence, the quiet that comes from inside, from the heart, not from what is happening outside of me.

This has helped to calm and ground me. I never thought of silence as healing, but it is a powerful healer. I need something like this right now; many people do.

So, I share what I am learning. I’m not preaching. It’s a take-it-or-leave-it thing; I don’t tell other people what to do, say, or think.

I’m a talker, but silence does not mean giving up talking or not being active or busy. It means making time for quiet and working and listening to still the churning inside my head.

It means that I am quieting down inside; no talking is allowed there. But thinking often interrupts. It makes a noise of its own. I can’t always control it.

When I am genuinely silent, I can appreciate and enjoy the silence no matter what happens to me in the outer world. It takes concentration and practice.

Much of the time, my inner silence isn’t completely silent, at least not at first.  There is almost always talking going on inside of my head.

My challenge is finding inner silence while connecting with the outside world or listening to what people call the news.

I have two worlds: the inner world and the outer one. Today, Maria is going to her belly dancing class, and I will be alone in the farmhouse with the dogs for several hours.

I want to wash in silence.

I intend to meditate for much of that time and read when I get restless. Mostly, especially when I get angry,  I want to drink up the silence and let it flow over and through me.

Silence does come from the heart, not the head. I need to remember that.

27 March

Two New Books I’m Eager To Read. Tea Obreht On Our Future And The Last Dalgliesh Mystery By P.D. James.

by Jon Katz

I have two exciting books to read; they both came today. My to-read stack keeps growing; I need to stop or slow down, but some of these books are just irresistible. I love it when a new hardcover book comes in the mail. It’s always a special event for me.

The first is The Morningside, the much-awaited second book by Tea Obreht, author of the much-acclaimed The Tiger’s Wife. This review, published in the  New York Times, got me to buy it.

The review can describe the book more thoroughly than I can since I have yet to read it.

I love everything I’m hearing about it. The Tiger’s Wife was a terrific book; Tea Obreht is the real deal. She has a unique voice. Originally from the former Yugoslavia, she now lives in Wyoming. It is also a book about hope.

The Morningside is ostensibly a Dystopian novel set in the future ruins of America. But it is not a frightening, depressing, or violent story. It is magical, a story of migration and the search for love and belonging,  a story that imagines the human capacity for survival and love in a very uncertain world.

This will be one of the year’s significant books,  so I might move it up my reading list.

Sadly, the second book that arrived today is the last in P.D. James Adam Dalgliesh’s mystery series: The Private Client.

This is my favorite mystery series and my favorite detective. James’ mysteries are unlike any other because P.D. James writes them like no other mystery writer. Hers are the most intelligent mysteries that I have ever read, and Dalgliesh is the most intelligent detective; the plots are complex, even intricate, as we follow this brilliant detective and his crew.

I don’t need to say much about P.D. James or Dalgliesh; I’m sorry, this is the last book. I’m grateful to have read all of the others.

 

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