Heat or Eat?

This phrase is becoming more relevant as the weeks roll by. We must all have noticed that the price of many basic foods has risen and with the impending utility bill hikes there are many people who are now “just about managing” and soon will find themselves tipped over the edge. Pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes – all ingredients I use regularly have gone up by frightening amounts. Here in our little seaside town we have a community pop-up shop in different locations each day of the week, where anyone can go to buy a bag of groceries for £2. In addition there are food banks to which those in dire need are referred. In both cases the items are all donated by charities and shops as well as shoppers… and that leads me to think long and hard about what we need to donate. Any item of food which needs to be heated will add to the heat/eat dilemma, so my feeling is that breakfast cereals are one of the most useful items, along with, for example, tinned tuna and meats. Disposable nappies, sanitary products, laundry necessities, toothpaste.. all these could be high on our list and if we add one item to the donation box each time we shop, there will be someone somewhere who will benefit.