How much do you really need?

So my daughter makes this comment about throwing away food when there are people who go hungry. Wouldn't it be great if we could give that food to people who need it?

Dad: How does that help them?

Deanna: What?

Dad: Imagine that we can efficiently give our leftover food to a hungry person. How does that help them?

Deanna: They get to eat, duh. (Okay, I added the duh. It fit a 14 year old.)

Dad: True. They eat today. What about tomorrow? What if we have no leftovers. What do they do then?

Deanna: I don't know. I guess they're still hungry.

Dad: So you didn't solve their problem. You just delayed the inevitable.

Deanna: I don't understand.

Dad: Okay, we start a problem by asking five why's. Why is this person hungry?

Deanna: They don't have food.

Dad: Good, good. Why don't they have food?

Deanna: They don't have money to buy food.

Dad: Alright, why don't they have money?

Deanna: Well, they don't have a job.

Dad: Why not?

Deanna: They lost their job, or they don't want one. They're not working.

Dad: Does giving someone food get them working?

Deanna: No.

Dad: So it doesn't solve their problem.

Root Causes

People have many different reasons for not working: lost a job, looking and just in between, can't hold one, or won't hold one. And the solutions are different for each reason. So the question is, do you want to solve the problem?

See these one-size-fits-all solutions can't work. Every person has a different problem. It takes time, energy, and commitment to unearth the root cause. Are you willing to pay that cost?

Welfare programs give us an excuse for not caring. Throw something at the problem (instead of someone). That comes from a fundamental disrespect for the people you're helping. I helped and can therefore turn my back on the deeper, more permanent problems underlying the hunger. I don't have to care about you.

Think about that for just a minute: giving away your leftovers can actually be a selfish act.

Deanna: So we shouldn't give food to hungry people?

Dad: No, that's not what I'm saying. Why you give them food matters more than giving the food. Have you spent time with them? Have you learned whether it helps or hurts them as a person? Are you giving them food because you respect their value as a child of God, or because you want them to go away?

You had a good question, Deanna. What can we do to help?