Letter Writer Complains of Bridge Card Use for Junk Food

In Friday's edition of the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph Herald Palladium, a letter to the editor complains about Bridge card users "on more than one occasion" purchasing "Twinkies, frozen pizzas, Doritos, and several two-liter bottles of Pepsi."

The writer states that he "believe(s) that Bridge Card purchases should be limited to healthy, wholesome, staple foods only - fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, whole grain breads etc., and not include junk-food items such as chips and sugar-filled beverages."

Now I am not sure when the last time I saw anyone buy Twinkies at the local supermarket. I am not even sure there are any Twinkies, although there probably are.

Certainly, I have personally bought the other things on the list: frozen pizzas, Doritos, and Pepsi. I probably should not admit it, although my waste line would certainly expose the truth, that these are something like staples in my household.

I know that fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, etc. should instead be what we snack on. So, I don't object to the notion that we ALL should eat more healthy foods.

I live in Stevensville which has just opened a brand, spanking new Meijer store. When you first enter the grocery end of the store, you can be overwhelmed by the wonderful produce section. I mean it is absolutely beautiful. Fresh lettuce of numerous varieties, apples, corn, grapes, and myriad other fruits and vegetables bountifully greet shoppers.

Stevensville is not Bloomfield or Forest Hills, but we do have fewer children than the state average who qualify for the federal free/reduced price lunch program. Slightly more than 20% of the children in our school district qualify for this program. According to the State's Center for Education Performance and Information (CEPI) state-wide 46% of children in fall 2010 qualified for free/reduced price lunch.

I could be wrong, but my recollection is that the city of Benton Harbor (where 90% of children qualify for free/reduced price lunch) does not even have a grocery store. There are Aldis, Sav-A-Lot, Meijer, and a wonderful Hispanic market/restaurant La Perla, but these are all in the Township outside city limits. There are plenty corner "party stores" which sell a limited selection of foods. There is also at least one Family Dollar Store which carries canned goods, boxed cereal, and the like.

So, while I agree with the statement that we all should eat more healthy foods, the fact of the matter is that in some communities fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are harder to come by than in other areas. In the more affluent areas, like Stevensville, some of us (and I am guilty as charged) still fall to the temptation of buying junk food rather than more wholesome foods.

And frankly, I think the letter writer's mention of Twinkies is probably an embellishment.

The letter to the editor which got me going this morning can be found at:

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/06/03/opinion/letters/5058068.txt

Food Bank Gives Aid to Storm Victims

Brayden Thurston, 2, wore a big grin as he toddled behind his mother in line for food.

That's because this would be his first meal in days that didn't consist of cold hot dogs, said his mother Jessica Thurston.

The Thurstons were among hundreds who finally received help days after a Sunday wind storm knocked out electrical power and destroyed their food supplies.

The Thurstons, who live in Triangle Mobile Home Park, were reached by a group of volunteers targeting poverty-stricken neighborhoods with the offering of food.

"It's going to help," Jessica Thurston, 20, said with a small smile as she returned to her mother's waiting car with a box of groceries.

Many people who could not afford to refill their pantries after the storm were individually notified of the Food Bank of South Central Michigan handout at Trinity Lutheran Church Friday morning.

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110604/NEWS01/106040314/Food-bank-gives-storm-victims