March 25, 2017
"No more food for you" says Sara at Bellingham's Community Food Co-op (Cordata deli department). For nearly 18 mnths, @TheCoopInBham (Cordata) compassionately gave me their expired food, eventually every night after closing. Without a valid explanation, suddenly this came to a cruel & abrupt stop!
CONTEXT:
In the summer of 2015, after "hanging out" at the "Public Market" (Terra Organica) for around two years, a weird deaf Canadian guy assaulted me (he pushed me, I pushed back). I reported it to management, who knew me well. They tried to get video of it, but it was out of range. Police were called on my behalf. A new barista, who hated me, told police she saw me assault the deaf guy (a lie that almost got me arrested). I posted this story on a blog and the store manager kicked me out for insulting his lying employee. I relocated to the Cordata Co-op for coffee, wi-fi, etc. Months later, the deaf Canadian guy started showing up there as well, never buying anything, just using wi-fi & trying to provoke me again.
Recently, the Community Food Co-op (Cordata) hired several new female employees. One, with a partially shaved head, apparently complained to management that she saw me taking sandwiches (given to me by the deli every night after 9pm closing). Another one (L) recently came up to me & talked about her past employment at Terra Organica. She knew the lying barista (D). She was also the first Co-op deli employee to say she wouldn't get me any more expired food. The REALLY weird part... during our conversation about Terra Organica and my hanging out at the Cordata Co-op, she (L) said that I was different than most of the homeless because I was considerate, clean, looked out for the store & was "kinda like the store's Jesus" (WTF?). That was REALLY odd to me. I didn't say it, but I felt like asking if I was about to be crucified. Yikes!
Three long-term deli employees continued to give me food for a few days, then another new female employee (G), referred me to Sara (longest employed in the deli). Sara introduced herself and said she was the senior person in the Co-op deli and that she just found out about my getting the expired food each night (for +/-18months). No way! Nearly everyone who works there saw me in the store, after hours, getting food from the deli.
In 2015, I emailed a senior level store manager and asked him about various volunteering opportunities at the Co-op, because I heard they gave food gift-cards as "payment" for volunteering. I've done this several times to get money for food & coffee. I also asked about the deli food that gets thrown out each night. He said there was no program for that, but I could ask. Next, I approached a female store manager and informed her of my dilemma. I was not getting enough nutrition each week from the Food Bank to survive and stay healthy. The vast majority of the available food required refrigeration and/or cooking. As a homeless person with no income or welfare (and I refuse to panhandle), those options don't always exist for me. Also, unless I can buy a bus pass and/or have income, I couldn't afford to explore other options for nutritious food (if they exist). She immediately went to the back of the store and brought me back several nice sandwiches, a salad & some natural sweets (for my blood sugar). She said that any time I was hungry, just ask the deli folks for any of the "free bin" food. I really was extremely grateful and nearly came to tears.
Over the next few weeks and months, eventually the deli and other staff pretty-much "adopted" me and I got enough food to last me 24 hours, every night after closing. I quickly got back to my normal body weight and was healthy and fit again. I always tried to be a most respectable "guest" while at the Co-op because they did so much for me. Occasionally, I had issues with other people's rudeness or harassment (this is when people started thinking I was "crazy"). :)~ I got mad because they had no respect for businesses that allowed them so much (free hot tea & sugar, napkins, bathroom use, phone charging, free wi-fi internet, comfortable place to stay out of bad weather, etc., etc. So yes, I was often a little edgy and stressed, especially if I was "off my meds". :) (psst... that means no weed!!! to the unenlightened).
I'm not exactly liked amongst the homeless, drug addicts and other felons than run around the streets all night... so, when they came into the Co-op (or anywhere I shop/visit):
Rarely do they not leave trash or messes everywhere, stealing, sleeping on tables, shooting-up in the bathroom, smoking cigarettes where people eat, etc. Their intent (or is it lame attempts) was often to incite/provoke me into getting angry. Otherwise, they often took the opportunity to play infantile games with me (paid C.I.'s, opportunity council,... ???). They hoped I would "react" and therefore get myself kicked out of yet another one of Bellingham's fine establishments. I did my best to keep my cool and laugh at them and others who enjoyed harassing a homeless guy who avoids the homeless and this town's fraudulent "faithful", radical liberal extremists & other creepy weirdos who can't handle the truth or a difference of opinion. Sad, isn't it? :-/
Back to the Co-op. On numerous occasions, I offered to do handyman work, sweep the parking lot, do CAD/Design work, etc. They declined due to insurance "liability" issues. Still, I regularly clean up around the Co-op (including the bathroom), find and return stray shopping carts, report suspicious or criminal activities, etc. I've always wanted to try and give back to those who were compassionate to me.
CONTEXT:
In the summer of 2015, after "hanging out" at the "Public Market" (Terra Organica) for around two years, a weird deaf Canadian guy assaulted me (he pushed me, I pushed back). I reported it to management, who knew me well. They tried to get video of it, but it was out of range. Police were called on my behalf. A new barista, who hated me, told police she saw me assault the deaf guy (a lie that almost got me arrested). I posted this story on a blog and the store manager kicked me out for insulting his lying employee. I relocated to the Cordata Co-op for coffee, wi-fi, etc. Months later, the deaf Canadian guy started showing up there as well, never buying anything, just using wi-fi & trying to provoke me again.
Recently, the Community Food Co-op (Cordata) hired several new female employees. One, with a partially shaved head, apparently complained to management that she saw me taking sandwiches (given to me by the deli every night after 9pm closing). Another one (L) recently came up to me & talked about her past employment at Terra Organica. She knew the lying barista (D). She was also the first Co-op deli employee to say she wouldn't get me any more expired food. The REALLY weird part... during our conversation about Terra Organica and my hanging out at the Cordata Co-op, she (L) said that I was different than most of the homeless because I was considerate, clean, looked out for the store & was "kinda like the store's Jesus" (WTF?). That was REALLY odd to me. I didn't say it, but I felt like asking if I was about to be crucified. Yikes!
Three long-term deli employees continued to give me food for a few days, then another new female employee (G), referred me to Sara (longest employed in the deli). Sara introduced herself and said she was the senior person in the Co-op deli and that she just found out about my getting the expired food each night (for +/-18months). No way! Nearly everyone who works there saw me in the store, after hours, getting food from the deli.
In 2015, I emailed a senior level store manager and asked him about various volunteering opportunities at the Co-op, because I heard they gave food gift-cards as "payment" for volunteering. I've done this several times to get money for food & coffee. I also asked about the deli food that gets thrown out each night. He said there was no program for that, but I could ask. Next, I approached a female store manager and informed her of my dilemma. I was not getting enough nutrition each week from the Food Bank to survive and stay healthy. The vast majority of the available food required refrigeration and/or cooking. As a homeless person with no income or welfare (and I refuse to panhandle), those options don't always exist for me. Also, unless I can buy a bus pass and/or have income, I couldn't afford to explore other options for nutritious food (if they exist). She immediately went to the back of the store and brought me back several nice sandwiches, a salad & some natural sweets (for my blood sugar). She said that any time I was hungry, just ask the deli folks for any of the "free bin" food. I really was extremely grateful and nearly came to tears.
Over the next few weeks and months, eventually the deli and other staff pretty-much "adopted" me and I got enough food to last me 24 hours, every night after closing. I quickly got back to my normal body weight and was healthy and fit again. I always tried to be a most respectable "guest" while at the Co-op because they did so much for me. Occasionally, I had issues with other people's rudeness or harassment (this is when people started thinking I was "crazy"). :)~ I got mad because they had no respect for businesses that allowed them so much (free hot tea & sugar, napkins, bathroom use, phone charging, free wi-fi internet, comfortable place to stay out of bad weather, etc., etc. So yes, I was often a little edgy and stressed, especially if I was "off my meds". :) (psst... that means no weed!!! to the unenlightened).
I'm not exactly liked amongst the homeless, drug addicts and other felons than run around the streets all night... so, when they came into the Co-op (or anywhere I shop/visit):
Rarely do they not leave trash or messes everywhere, stealing, sleeping on tables, shooting-up in the bathroom, smoking cigarettes where people eat, etc. Their intent (or is it lame attempts) was often to incite/provoke me into getting angry. Otherwise, they often took the opportunity to play infantile games with me (paid C.I.'s, opportunity council,... ???). They hoped I would "react" and therefore get myself kicked out of yet another one of Bellingham's fine establishments. I did my best to keep my cool and laugh at them and others who enjoyed harassing a homeless guy who avoids the homeless and this town's fraudulent "faithful", radical liberal extremists & other creepy weirdos who can't handle the truth or a difference of opinion. Sad, isn't it? :-/
Back to the Co-op. On numerous occasions, I offered to do handyman work, sweep the parking lot, do CAD/Design work, etc. They declined due to insurance "liability" issues. Still, I regularly clean up around the Co-op (including the bathroom), find and return stray shopping carts, report suspicious or criminal activities, etc. I've always wanted to try and give back to those who were compassionate to me.
So, as a result of a sudden & shocking change to my diet, I didn't eat much solid food for 5-6 weeks. Being hypoglycemic, I shake when my blood-sugar drops & I had an infected spider bite (2 more recently), which was healing thanks to several kind deli staff @TheCoopInBham (Cordata). It got MUCH worse & blackened before the deli folks helped me. Two of them, without asking, personally bought me garlic & vitamin C to fight the infection. It worked miraculously until "management" cut off my only daily & very healthy food supply. That "throwaway" food from the "free bin" benefited me so much and kept me from having to stand in line for an hour or two at the Food Bank, often lightheaded from hunger and unregulated blood sugar levels, only to get a few meals for the week (with rare exceptions).
 |
| You don't want to see how bad this got, trust me!!! Got two more a few weeks ago. Get to them quick! Eat organic, eat LOTS of garlic & spicy salsa, take food-sourced Vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide cleaning daily....... and smoke cannabis nightly! :) |
Well, I didn't starve (friends helped) and the infection, though much delayed; was eventually healed, after a few months without proper nutrition. @TheCoopInBham would rather give expired food to the Bellingham Foodbank volunteers, not hungry and sick #homeless. The Foodbank doesn't give a damn about the homeless & will simply refer them to the local homeless shelter for their daily "grub", prepared & served by other homeless people with criminal records (The Lighthouse Prison). The Food Bank's "homeless bags" are paper bags full of canned "fruit" (GMO corn syrup), LOTS of candy, "Nutrisystem" & other dietary/medical "supplements", a can or two of cheap tuna or beans. The Bellingham Foodbank "volunteers" don't need @TheCoopInBham's expired deli food. I DO! Foodbank volunteers are screened via an "application" process (I don't fit their "profile"). Many of them have HUGE foreign-born families and take home massive quantities of food, often loaded into luxury vehicles. Here is the response I just got to a request for volunteer info:
FYI:
The reason I asked for & received expired food from @TheCoopInBham:
Please visit the Bellingham Community Food Co-op's web-page below & see if you think taking away my daily food supply was reflective of the community "values" they claim to have: The reason I asked for & received expired food from @TheCoopInBham:
- Homeless (sleep on dirt or concrete since someone just shat upon my only bedding)
- NO welfare or "benefits" of any kind.
- Hypoglycemic
- Other medical issues (severe chronic pain, bladder/prostate issues, nausea, mini-strokes, etc.)
- Unemployed
- No working phone
- No government identification
- No bus pass or other transportation
Community Food Co-op's "Vision, Mission, and Values"
UPDATE: April 03, 2017
With no other immediate options for food, I resorted to a stressful visit to the local Bellingham Foodbank on Monday. Nothing has changed since my last visit over a year ago. Even though the Community Food Co-op , Terra Organica, Fred Meyers, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's & countless other grocery outlets, restaurants, churches, schools & other organizations have massive food drives to raise food for the homeless & the Bellingham Foodbank, you will NOT see most (IF ANY) of those quality canned items, steaks & other nice meats, organic products, etc. at the Bellingham Foodbank. WHY, you ask??? Simple: The Foodbank convinced the public, gov't & wealthy donors that they needed an additional 10,000 square feet of high-end Rotary/Mason construction to allow them to expand their reach into other communities and services (whatever that means). Since the new construction last year, the nice quality canned items, steaks, etc (often organic) have almost completely disappeared from the shelves. Replaced with the lowest quality, bulk-bought generic brands (GMO, high sugar, preservatives, etc.).The Foodbank canned/processed section is abysmal. You get one can of "food" from each section (3-4). I was told they started buying massive shipments of bulk food to save money. There was no valid explanation for what happens to the millions of dollars worth of expensive steaks, organic soups and beans, pasta & other quality food products that stores donate daily. Who gets this food now? Management says it goes into the freezers. BS! Management, employees and/or volunteers must be taking all of this quality food now. That, or it's sold for profit. Somebody needs to do a serious audit of the Bellingham Foodbank, including regular health inspections for the often rotten & wilted fruits & vegetables that they put out. I've personally gotten food poisoning TWICE from the Bellingham Foodbank, which is why I try to avoid going there. This week, I got mostly bread, sugary peanut butter & a lot of barely edible vegetables & fruit and a can of decent tuna. I'm hypoglycemic & have a very sensitive stomach (past ulcers), so my diet is restricted. Better hungry that sick & barfing.
Ironically this week (?), @TheCoopInBham, decided its "Seed" financial support/donation project is raising money for another scam "homeless outreach" program in Bellingham... The Lighthouse Mission. As if these people don't get enough donations each year (+/- $1.5 MILLION/YEAR). It seems all of the Bellingham businesses are either clueless as to where their money is going, or they just don't care because it makes them LOOK good to customers & stockholders. The ones who truly suffer are the ones like me who are trying to survive without being a burden on taxpayers. Nearly all homeless people & foodbank visitors are on welfare, food stamps, medicare, housing, etc. Many of them are also extremely obese and are not truly in "need" (vs want and greed).
UPDATE: May 20, 2017
Last week, I got to the food bank much earlier due to recently improved diet (from my own labor and bartering) and better sleep.
Also, a Co-op manager (?), whom I have volunteered for several times over the last few years, offered me another opportunity to volunteer and get a Food Gift Card. I am very grateful for that much needed food. I have just recently gotten a little architectural design project (Tiny Home) & hope to start building them for people. I'm still living rough, but no longer under a muddy tarp in a swampy rain-forest. The little money I'm getting, I spend on food and coffee... @TheCoopInBham.
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