I had lasagna for dinner last night. The single-serve kind, rather than the homemade kind, because my husband is under the weather and wasn’t in the mood for dinner. I just pulled it out of the freezer. I also could have had a hamburger, salmon, chicken, spaghetti, a frozen pizza, a peanut butter or a grilled cheese sandwich. I could have whipped together one of Susan’s famous everything in the pantry and freezer casseroles. I did that the other night when aforementioned hubby was sick and made homemade mac and cheese.

You are wondering what my point is, aren’t you? My point is, is that I am blessed with a well-stocked pantry, a well stocked frig and the ability to help others who aren’t as fortunate. The recent story about the Salvation Army’s “wall of shame” and bare cupboards leaves me quaking in my boots. You’ve heard me sing the virtues of the Salvation Army Renton Rotary Food Bank and of the Renton Clothes Bank (of which I am a board member) on numerous occasions in the past. But somehow, this just seems so different and so much more personal right now. People are literally starving and walking around without necessary clothing to keep them warm.

A few months back, I toured the St. Vincent de Paul operation. They feed dozens and dozens of people lunch every day, thanks to the generosity of our kind citizens of Renton, on the most miniscule budget you can imagine. Can you imagine a day where your belly is hungry? Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming soon, but as the Salvation Army says, “The need has no season.” I’m a bargain shopper. In my local store right now you can get super specials on canned goods, cereal, rice and other essentials that could get a family just through the weekend. I don’t know about all of you, but in my college days, I existed on Ramen noodles and cottage cheese. It was cheap, yet filling. Ten packages of Ramen noodles could feed a lot of hungry mouths, folks. Our social service agencies in town are doing herculean work, on bare bones budgets, in unprecedented times. Tomorrow, I will go and fill a few bags full of groceries and drop them off at our local agencies. You might be able to organize a food drive at your business, or write a check, or maybe just drop off a couple of items. If your pantry is full, just like mine is, we owe it to our neighbors whose pantries are not, to give a little help.

Susan Bressler is an active member of a number of Renton organizations, including Piazza Renton. E-mail her at scbressler@comcast.net.