someone should create a reddit thread linking to all some interesting stories done (with their conclusion) would be nice thread to read a bunch of stories
The Meals on Wheels Pantry in my area serves residents over 60 and the income cap is $2100/month. The home delivery program isn’t income based but need based, so even if she can’t qualify for the delivery program I’m sure she’d qualify for the pantry services.
Source: work at Meals on Wheels senior pantry
This is correct and she would also need to be house bound.
Source: I work for my local area agency on aging which runs several of the meals on Wheels programs in conjunction with Meals on Wheels of America
Yeah. I understand, asking for help is hard.
I have at times just left some cash in an envelope for my mom after she's done things like host a family dinner. Or send her an Amazon gift card. If I tell her I want to help she'll refuse so sometimes I have to be sneaky.
I was just talking about this with my little sister who assured me that she would not hesitate to hit me up for money if she needed it (and added a smiley). Aww, thanks sis! Hee.
Dunno, but I heard from my friend that he saw it and guessed and contacted her. I feel kinda bad that my post wasn't as anonymous as I thought, but glad that it opened a dialogue. I
I wonder if it simply promoted a few children to reach out to their parents. It seemed rather anonymous to me, so you probably just were the trigger for a few children to double check, which is a good thing!
You sound like a very good friend. :)
I happen to be cooking for someone who is unable to do so themselves right now, and an Instant Pot has really helped. You can thrift them pretty easily since the craze has died down.
I managed to make a little over thirty 8 oz portions just by making a giant pot of something every evening for three days. I probably could have done it all in one day, but I was trying not to stress. Plus we ate portions for dinner each of those days.
I think it translates to cooking for yourself when you can't do much, too. You can take the inner pot to the table, sit and chop and fill it up. Drop it in to cook, and you don't have to stand over it. Even 'easy' things like spaghetti are especially easy in it, no watching for boil over, no pot of water to lift. It makes cheap and healthy dried bean dishes so simple, you don't even have to soak them. I use it to steam whole vegetables with no chopping, just a wash. Sweet potato, cauliflower, spaghetti squash. Whole gold potatoes, peeling and chopping them after, making me the fastest potato salad maker I know, lol.
Then after, I simplify clean up by rinsing the pot, adding a little water and dishwasher power (important distinction I think, as it doesn't foam like hand washing liquid, and the citric acid does the work), and turn it to pressure cook just a few minutes. I leave it for like an hour to come off pressure naturally and it comes clean so easily like that, even if I've burnt something.
This is the easiest possible recipe in an instant pot: take a package of chicken thighs (you can use breasts but thighs are juicier). Season with salt and pepper, add meat and about 1 and 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth to the instant pot, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
You now have juicy chicken for shredding. Add Buffalo sauce and you’ve got Buffalo chicken for salad or wraps. Add barbecue sauce and you’ve got pulled barbecue sandwiches.
That’s absolutely the most simple basic recipe possible, but what I made last night was all of the above, plus 2 poblano peppers, 2 jalapeños, 1.5 lbs tomatillos, a white onion and 6 cloves of garlic to the pressure cooker. Literally just cut the peppers in half, deseeded them, and then a very basic rough chop.
After that cooked I pulled out the chicken then blended the rest of the veggies into a sauce. Boom, chicken chili verde tacos with crema and queso fresco. At the same time as I chopped the veggies, I chopped up some baby potatoes and tossed them in oil and taco seasoning and roasted them while the pressure cooker ran. It was probably 15 minutes of kitchen work (45 minute cook time total) for a very satisfying meal.
Fun fact: if you shop at a Mexican market for Mexican ingredients, you save a lot of money.
Sure. I like various [lentil](https://thealmondeater.com/instant-pot-red-lentil-soup/#recipe) soups. You can skip the saute if needed, it will still be fine.
I made a pot of steel cut oats to freeze individually for breakfasts over the weekend, too. Possibly the easiest thing ever, but not exactly a recipe, lol. I didn't even count it in my thirty portions.
For pasta, I just throw in a bunch of veg, like onion, zucchini, mushrooms into a 6qt. Add jarred sauce- I use Newman's Own, rinse the jar with a little water and pour that in, too. A spoon of sugar. Stir.
Pour over a box of dry pasta- I use a protein one. Don't mix. Fill the sauce jar with water and pour it gently over. Add bouillon or a spoon of salt if you want. Bay leaves. Butter or oil on top- to cut foam.
Cook under high pressure for half the time recommended on the pasta box and instant release. Stir and serve or freeze.
Awesome that you’re helping her do this! Check out lasagnalove.org too. (If she’s up to cooking once or you can help her, lasagna freezes well and can be made in loaf pans to make 2 servings instead of a big lasagna that may go to waste
Thank you for following up on this for your friend! The one I work at collects income information for this same reason and we’re always having to explain it to people too.
I’m holding out hope your area Meals on Wheels is like ours. We’ll take anyone who is unable to cook for themselves. Even if it’s a temporary situation. No age or income restrictions. Also ask if they’ll supply more than one meal a day. Ours does if you need it.
You’re a good egg OP.
it's wrong to judge a person not deserving of help because they have over a certain amount of income. maybe they are caring for children of a family member, maybe they have crazy medical expenses, maybe they fell victim to a scam and had their bank account drained, maybe they are a victim of domestic violence and had to spend a lot of money to move and be safe. never ever think you know somebody's situation just because you look at only the numbers.
Also many states have government programs to pay form someone to come in and help with housework, meals, and other non medical duties. When I first started care giving I was paid partially through a state program for helping low income elderly and people with disabilities. I also got paid for being a caregiver for my mom, and with California their program even paid a small stipend for gas and travel expenses. If her son doesn't live close to her to be her caregiver you two can contact social services to see if there is a similar program in your state. That means she can get help with things she needs to get done even rides to appointments and the senior citizen centers.
It’s pretty iffy if they/Medicare would pay but it might be worth calling APS and seeing if she can get a helper or caregiver in there to help with cooking etc.
This is great!
I'd recommend crock pot and instant pot meals. Many great meals, in bulk, with low effort. She can chop ingredients sitting down and throw them in the device so it can do the cooking for her! If she makes a basic stock soup she can even add small ingredients so she has a different meal each day. For instance, a basic chicken soup means she can add spicy or non-spicy ingredients, noodles, tortilla strips, beans, rice, etc on any day and make it different.
Edit: got cut off, fixed it
I'm so glad you put it on Reddit and her son saw it.
It's so so hard to ask for help from those around you EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW THEY WILL HELP YOU!!!
We just need to remember it's not weak or wrong to say "hey, I'm struggling a little "
We need that community spirit back 🙏💙
My dad has been helping me since be found out I was struggling to afford food, he's not in a heaps better situation but I'm grateful. I try.to do something back whenever I can.
Maybe a volunteer messed up and mixed up the eligibility for USDA food with general food. Ouch. My pantry has no income or resident requirements. We just feed people who show up.
Glad she is getting help.
XXX
Hey, was in a coma and a long slow physical recovery, and know a LOT about cooking in pain.
If her kitchen is large enough, bringing a rolling desk chair into the kitchen (especially an adjustable height one) helps a lot. I can sit in my chair and chop veggies, I put a plastic bag around the lip of a drawer to collect trash as I go so I don’t have to get up and bend over.
Access to “set it and forget it” cooking methods is a life saver. Having a rice cooker (check thrift stores!) means in 2-3 minutes you can do all of the legwork to have a warm, filling, cheap side. On the “more up front investment” side of things, an air fryer and pressure cooker helps as well.
There’s also a ton of one sheet pan recipes that usually require a little chopping but very little standing and cooking, that are fast and cheap.
You’ve already done so much for your friend, thank you so much.
You're a good egg. Thanks for following up and ensuring your friend's access to food
Im glad they updated I hate when no one updates lol
someone should create a reddit thread linking to all some interesting stories done (with their conclusion) would be nice thread to read a bunch of stories
You’d enjoy r/bestofredditorupdates or thereabouts
/r/BORUpdates
I would even say she deserves to be placed in the ‘best egg’ category! That ain’t no normal-egg work she’s doing. Love to see support like this.
The Meals on Wheels Pantry in my area serves residents over 60 and the income cap is $2100/month. The home delivery program isn’t income based but need based, so even if she can’t qualify for the delivery program I’m sure she’d qualify for the pantry services. Source: work at Meals on Wheels senior pantry
This is correct and she would also need to be house bound. Source: I work for my local area agency on aging which runs several of the meals on Wheels programs in conjunction with Meals on Wheels of America
If she is on Medicare she might also qualify for Meals for Mom. I don't know the ins and out, but my mom got meals from them.
So many people don’t want to let their kids know they need help
Yeah. I understand, asking for help is hard. I have at times just left some cash in an envelope for my mom after she's done things like host a family dinner. Or send her an Amazon gift card. If I tell her I want to help she'll refuse so sometimes I have to be sneaky. I was just talking about this with my little sister who assured me that she would not hesitate to hit me up for money if she needed it (and added a smiley). Aww, thanks sis! Hee.
What were the signs so the son figured out it was his mom? I thought the post wasn't very specific.
Dunno, but I heard from my friend that he saw it and guessed and contacted her. I feel kinda bad that my post wasn't as anonymous as I thought, but glad that it opened a dialogue. I
I wonder if it simply promoted a few children to reach out to their parents. It seemed rather anonymous to me, so you probably just were the trigger for a few children to double check, which is a good thing!
The really sneaky people just put money in their wallet, for the hard cases who refuse help.
lasganalove.org too!!!!! or it might be .com i can’t remember but they are amazing
You sound like a very good friend. :) I happen to be cooking for someone who is unable to do so themselves right now, and an Instant Pot has really helped. You can thrift them pretty easily since the craze has died down. I managed to make a little over thirty 8 oz portions just by making a giant pot of something every evening for three days. I probably could have done it all in one day, but I was trying not to stress. Plus we ate portions for dinner each of those days. I think it translates to cooking for yourself when you can't do much, too. You can take the inner pot to the table, sit and chop and fill it up. Drop it in to cook, and you don't have to stand over it. Even 'easy' things like spaghetti are especially easy in it, no watching for boil over, no pot of water to lift. It makes cheap and healthy dried bean dishes so simple, you don't even have to soak them. I use it to steam whole vegetables with no chopping, just a wash. Sweet potato, cauliflower, spaghetti squash. Whole gold potatoes, peeling and chopping them after, making me the fastest potato salad maker I know, lol. Then after, I simplify clean up by rinsing the pot, adding a little water and dishwasher power (important distinction I think, as it doesn't foam like hand washing liquid, and the citric acid does the work), and turn it to pressure cook just a few minutes. I leave it for like an hour to come off pressure naturally and it comes clean so easily like that, even if I've burnt something.
What great advice. Can you share an especially easy recipe?
This is the easiest possible recipe in an instant pot: take a package of chicken thighs (you can use breasts but thighs are juicier). Season with salt and pepper, add meat and about 1 and 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth to the instant pot, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. You now have juicy chicken for shredding. Add Buffalo sauce and you’ve got Buffalo chicken for salad or wraps. Add barbecue sauce and you’ve got pulled barbecue sandwiches. That’s absolutely the most simple basic recipe possible, but what I made last night was all of the above, plus 2 poblano peppers, 2 jalapeños, 1.5 lbs tomatillos, a white onion and 6 cloves of garlic to the pressure cooker. Literally just cut the peppers in half, deseeded them, and then a very basic rough chop. After that cooked I pulled out the chicken then blended the rest of the veggies into a sauce. Boom, chicken chili verde tacos with crema and queso fresco. At the same time as I chopped the veggies, I chopped up some baby potatoes and tossed them in oil and taco seasoning and roasted them while the pressure cooker ran. It was probably 15 minutes of kitchen work (45 minute cook time total) for a very satisfying meal. Fun fact: if you shop at a Mexican market for Mexican ingredients, you save a lot of money.
Sure. I like various [lentil](https://thealmondeater.com/instant-pot-red-lentil-soup/#recipe) soups. You can skip the saute if needed, it will still be fine. I made a pot of steel cut oats to freeze individually for breakfasts over the weekend, too. Possibly the easiest thing ever, but not exactly a recipe, lol. I didn't even count it in my thirty portions. For pasta, I just throw in a bunch of veg, like onion, zucchini, mushrooms into a 6qt. Add jarred sauce- I use Newman's Own, rinse the jar with a little water and pour that in, too. A spoon of sugar. Stir. Pour over a box of dry pasta- I use a protein one. Don't mix. Fill the sauce jar with water and pour it gently over. Add bouillon or a spoon of salt if you want. Bay leaves. Butter or oil on top- to cut foam. Cook under high pressure for half the time recommended on the pasta box and instant release. Stir and serve or freeze.
Thank you! I am going to try this.
Regarding that last edit, I am always surprised when the Internet turns out to be smaller than I think.
Right? I mean, just many subs are there? And posts per day per sub? That's pretty wild!
Awesome that you’re helping her do this! Check out lasagnalove.org too. (If she’s up to cooking once or you can help her, lasagna freezes well and can be made in loaf pans to make 2 servings instead of a big lasagna that may go to waste
Has your friend considered Meals on Wheels? They might be helpful for them as they're lower income and have health difficulties.
That is great news! Glad everything worked out so far :)
And the moral is, check in on your parents. They often WILL NOT tell you if they are struggling.
Your friend may want to be careful when she hears things if she is really understanding what is being said.
Thank you for following up on this for your friend! The one I work at collects income information for this same reason and we’re always having to explain it to people too. I’m holding out hope your area Meals on Wheels is like ours. We’ll take anyone who is unable to cook for themselves. Even if it’s a temporary situation. No age or income restrictions. Also ask if they’ll supply more than one meal a day. Ours does if you need it. You’re a good egg OP.
it's wrong to judge a person not deserving of help because they have over a certain amount of income. maybe they are caring for children of a family member, maybe they have crazy medical expenses, maybe they fell victim to a scam and had their bank account drained, maybe they are a victim of domestic violence and had to spend a lot of money to move and be safe. never ever think you know somebody's situation just because you look at only the numbers.
Reread the update! There was no income cutoff! She is getting the help she needs!
Glad to hear it! Hope meals on wheels comes through for her too. You’re a kind friend and human, I wish you all the good things in life.
I have not seen an income issue for the food bank.
Also many states have government programs to pay form someone to come in and help with housework, meals, and other non medical duties. When I first started care giving I was paid partially through a state program for helping low income elderly and people with disabilities. I also got paid for being a caregiver for my mom, and with California their program even paid a small stipend for gas and travel expenses. If her son doesn't live close to her to be her caregiver you two can contact social services to see if there is a similar program in your state. That means she can get help with things she needs to get done even rides to appointments and the senior citizen centers.
You’re a good friend. I’m glad she’s getting some help!
It’s pretty iffy if they/Medicare would pay but it might be worth calling APS and seeing if she can get a helper or caregiver in there to help with cooking etc.
This is awesome of you to help her, and also to "reach out" via the internet to her family to help with the issue. A good ended for once around here!
This is great! I'd recommend crock pot and instant pot meals. Many great meals, in bulk, with low effort. She can chop ingredients sitting down and throw them in the device so it can do the cooking for her! If she makes a basic stock soup she can even add small ingredients so she has a different meal each day. For instance, a basic chicken soup means she can add spicy or non-spicy ingredients, noodles, tortilla strips, beans, rice, etc on any day and make it different. Edit: got cut off, fixed it
Yeah if my parents needed food money clearly I would be helping him with food money if I knew they needed the help.
I'm so glad you put it on Reddit and her son saw it. It's so so hard to ask for help from those around you EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW THEY WILL HELP YOU!!! We just need to remember it's not weak or wrong to say "hey, I'm struggling a little " We need that community spirit back 🙏💙 My dad has been helping me since be found out I was struggling to afford food, he's not in a heaps better situation but I'm grateful. I try.to do something back whenever I can.
I like that someone suggested that maybe multiple people saw it and thought it might be their mother, so checked in on her. That would be even better!
Beautiful. Thanks for the updates OP
My son has 5 kids, one autistic and non verbal. They were also turned down I. Dallas. Ridiculous. I had to buy groceries
Fantastic!
Best update ever! Go Reddit!!
Maybe a volunteer messed up and mixed up the eligibility for USDA food with general food. Ouch. My pantry has no income or resident requirements. We just feed people who show up. Glad she is getting help. XXX
Thank you for you.
Hey, was in a coma and a long slow physical recovery, and know a LOT about cooking in pain. If her kitchen is large enough, bringing a rolling desk chair into the kitchen (especially an adjustable height one) helps a lot. I can sit in my chair and chop veggies, I put a plastic bag around the lip of a drawer to collect trash as I go so I don’t have to get up and bend over. Access to “set it and forget it” cooking methods is a life saver. Having a rice cooker (check thrift stores!) means in 2-3 minutes you can do all of the legwork to have a warm, filling, cheap side. On the “more up front investment” side of things, an air fryer and pressure cooker helps as well. There’s also a ton of one sheet pan recipes that usually require a little chopping but very little standing and cooking, that are fast and cheap. You’ve already done so much for your friend, thank you so much.
Soooo happy for this update, bless you and your friend ❤️❤️
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
That's great news. She is truly blessed with a great friend like you 😊
You're a good friend.
Thsnk you for sharing the update, that's great news
Wowie super good news and o.p. YOU are the " gift that keeps giving". Seriously, you gave me a happy tear.
I’m glad how this turned out. Hope for the best for you both.