Donated Food for Thought

At this time of year, our company collects donations of non-perishable food items. When I see the bins full of cans of processed meat, bottles of salad dressing and boxes of cereal, crackers and noodles, two competing thoughts come to my mind:

1. Admiration and pride for the many generous people I work with, especially for the woman who organizes the drive.
2. Relief for having a fairly high-paying job, one that allows me to buy the high-quality foods I need to keep from slipping into metabolic syndrome, fatigue, arthritis, asthma, depression and dementia. When I see the boxes, I start to imagine a scenario in which I'm in need of food and yet unable to accept it.
   

I also wonder, if I were to donate a few boxes of gluten-free pasta or rice milk, would the agency that distributes the food know enough to direct my donation to someone on a gluten-free, casein-free diet?

Incidentally, if you can provide a donation, one of my favorite agencies to recommend is United Way, because they can direct your donation just about anywhere in the world, and you can specify what it can be used for.