My friend and I went over to one of the food pantries that is closest to our houses. I haven't been to one before (at least as an adult). Cars lined up in rows two cars deep in an empty dirt lot next to a dead drive-in movie theater where they hold a swap meet on weekends. Most of us were waiting about 40 minutes and many of us were first-timers. A big semi truck showed up. It had a church ministry affiliation painted on the side of the truck cab door and they played a Christian music station really loud and kind of sang along to it as they worked. We wrote down our names and addresses and handed over $25 each. We were handed a number and we had to pull our cars up in the line and hand the workers the number before they loaded up our cars.

Although there was a lot of good stuff I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more meat, so I may try a different food pantry in a few weeks.

Well, what do you think? Do you think it was worth it? Here's what we got (to the best of my recollection):

2 bags 16 oz. each of chopped fresh apples

2 boxes of battered lemon fish fillets Gorton's 11 oz.

2 cartons 18 eggs each

About 4 gallons of whole milk in small cartons (store brand)

Two half gallons of chocolate milk

A big hunk of swiss cheese and a one of gruyere cheese (value $10.50)

1 package of Sarah Lee cinammon raisin bagels

1 loaf of 7 grain bread (3 grams of fiber per serving, not bad!)

32 oz of Knudsen low-fat cottage cheese (2 cartons 16 oz each)

16 oz. of Lucerne spreadable butter with canola oil

1 small individual foil packet of gummy dinosaurs

Two 23 oz plastic jars of Honey Wheat braided twist pretzels (my friend tried hers aleady and said they're yummy)

1 flat of Otis Spunkermeyer muffins (banana nut, chocolate choc chip, blueberry) 15 four oz muffins

1 lb penne pasta and 1 lb angel hair pasta

15 oz. sour cream (cacique Mexicana)

2 packages Market Pantry (Target Brand) tortilla chips

2 dented cans of new potatoes, one sliced and one whole

3 cans of corn, Seneca and a store brand

1 can spicy menudo, Juanitas brand

2 package weight watchers lemon cakes (worth about $4 each)

4 packages Nissin oriental flavored ramen

Generic tuna helper and generic cheeseburger helper

40 oz Jiffy buttermilk pancake and waffle mix

2 individual packets instant oatmeal

2 individual granola bars

1 piece of coffee candy

1 lb long grain white rice

2 lbs dried pinto beans

About 4 packets of artificial sweetener

16 oz store brand picante sauce (there was a little bit on the outside of the jar so might not use it)

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing 16 oz. bottle

Generic Hi-Fiber multi grain flakes and generic frosted flakes 10 oz. each box.

1 box Motzo ball mix

Progresso Soup 15.25 oz Chicken and Wild Rice

2 large cans of generic crushed tomatoes

1 large can of Van de Kamp's baked beans

1 regular box of generic instant mashed potatoes