What Does a Loaf of Bread Mean to a Person

 Why do I feed these kids that I am always cooking for?  This is a question I am seriously rethinking this morning.  Sometime around the holidays, someone mentioned this after school program that was held in this small town for underprivileged children. It stuck with me and one day I sent some cookies over.  After that, I would send a treat over once a week. Soon it turned into twice a week and then every weekday.  I did it because I thought it would be fun for them to have treats after school.  I remembered how hungry my kids and their friends were at that age and I just felt the need to provide them with a snack.  I really didn't think it through too much because let's face it...they were a captive food audience for me.  I'm always looking for food guinea pigs to feed.  It was a win/win because I got to cook and they got to eat.  That all changed for me yesterday.

I baked 6 loaves of bread.

Months ago when The Blog Tech  and I were going to maple festivals, I bought a bunch of maple cream spread with the kids in mind.  I planned on baking them bread so they could spread the maple cream on it.  Believe me, this is a huge treat.  You don't find things as delicious as this.  It has always been one of my kids favorites treats.

 As the bread was baking, I made a big cheese tray and made a couple meat platters.  I had some ham in the fridge and I spread it with cheese and rolled dill pickles in the middle.  I thought the kids might get a kick out of having appetizers after school.

On one platter I cut up some smoked sausages that I had on hand, on another, I added some slices of salami along with the cutup ham rolls.

 I figured the kids would devour the bread with the maple cream as dessert after they ate the ham and cheese and crackers. I was sure the 4 containers of maple cream would be gone.

So, I wrapped it up and sent it off assuming my ideas for the food would work out.  I woke up this morning to find 3-1/2 containers of the maple cream returned to me, 3 of which were unopened.  I was shocked.  Did the kids not like it?  No, that is not the answer.  The kids were so hungry that they used the bread to make sandwiches with the food on the cheese and meat platters.  Forget fancy, forget treats, these kids just wanted real food.  Plus, not one of them had ever eaten homemade bread before so some of them were just eating plain pieces of bread.  I've been walking around all morning shaking my head. Here I am making "fancy" things for them when all they want is regular food because they are simply HUNGRY! Good god, I am going to rethink how I have been feeding them and start giving them really good food.  I assumed that what I was feeding them was supplemental to what they are eating at home.  My food is basically their main meal.  wow wow wow. I bake bread almost everyday and never think about someone not having something so basic.  Lesson learned! I can hardly think of how many kids there are in the world that are even hungrier than my little group. There is something to laugh about though.  One of the kids is a notoriously picky eater.  He picked up a piece of the bread that was spread with the maple cream and eyeballed it, sniffed it, took a bite and then asked if he could have 4 more. Another kid was spreading it on chive flavored crackers and insisted it was really good that way.  I need to remember to be a lot more thankful for what I have.