Day 20 - Relief supplies

Relief supplies
Originally uploaded by mattguthrie

Here you see all the dry beans and rice collected by the sixth graders at my school. I will deliver this and a few other bags collected by the other two grades to a church coordinating local collection tomorrow. I'm very proud of the sixth graders. They did a lot in a very short amount of time. I'm anxious to add up the weight when I'm loading up.

Day 14 - Beans & Rice

Beans & Rice
Originally uploaded by mattguthrie

Tonight we had a simple meal of beans and cornbread. My wife has this wonderful recipe where the beans slow cook all day in the crockpot, seasoned with the required ham bone and also with diced tomatoes and green chilis. It is sooo delicious.

Today I helped my homeroom create collection boxes for each hallway in the school. A local church sent a plane load of medical supplies and clothing to Haiti today. Now the urgent need is food. In the aftermath of Monday's devastating earthquake, this already impoverished country is literally crawling out from under the rubble. The same church has issued a call for food - specifically dry beans and rice. Our goal as a school is 300 pounds by Tuesday afternoon.

While I enjoyed the wonderful taste of my beans tonight, I thought deeply about the beans the Haitian people will be eating in the weeks to come. Chances are they won't be slow cooked and seasoned just right. My guess is that they will be cooked just enough to provide sustenance. Tonight I am deeply saddened by their plight but perhaps more thankful for my own blessings.