Dumpster people

[soothsayer]

I just seen a commercial for 20/20 where they're doing a story on people in NY that actually go through trash cans, dumpsters and random garbage bags looking for food to eat. They actually eat thrown out food! Nasty!!!!! I remember seeing another story a few years back about this but had forgotten it. I don't know what to think of these people. Anyone have thoughts on this?

[Crazed Vampyress]

i guess if youre hungry enough....

[saechalyn]

When people get hungry enough they will eat whatever they can find.

[soothsayer]

The people interviewed for this story have nice homes.....that's what was so disturbing, they aren't homeless.

[saechalyn]

OH. That's very odd then. I'm all for saving money but...uh...wow.

[soothsayer]

Yea I caught the commercial a second time and it showed these people serving up dumpster food at their kitchen tables, on nice dinner plates. I shit you not.

[bean]

um, eeewww

[Crazed Vampyress]

The people interviewed for this story have nice homes.....that's what was so disturbing, they aren't homeless.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, wow.... okay thats just weird. I read an interview once with this guy who had something like 40k in the bank, worked at a nice company wore a suit to work and all that, had a nice home was single and every afternoon he would dress up like a bum and go collect bottles to return, find change on the street and just plain beg at street corners. they were trying to get him to say why he did it (or least why he thought he did it) and he wouldnt give a straight answer. he had no problem giving detailed descriptions of what he did, but for the 'why' all he would say was things like 'why not' or 'do you know how much change people throw in ashtrays?'

[Fierce Critter]

As regular "curbside shoppers", we do have SOME standards & guidelines as to things we won't take.

Food is a huge one. When it comes to things like cardboard boxes especially - you just don't know what it's been exposed to.

Canned food - nuh-uh. It just bothers us too much.

Non-packaged food altogether? No. Just... no.

The only thing we ever tweaked that policy on was when we came across an entire case of unopened bottles of Woodchuck Cider. We could scarcely believe our eyes. We don't like beer, we love Woodchuck in particular when it comes to cider. And there was an entire 24-bottle case just waiting for us to pick it up.

And we did. We checked the expiration dates - checked out fine. We washed every bottle before putting them in the 'fridge, even though they very obviously had never been out of their 6-pack cartons NOR the heavy cardboard box those cartons were further packed into.

And we drank every one. And it was Great. And we'd do it again.

Beer? No. It can sit there and be thrown in the trash truck. Woodchuck? Gift from the Trash Gods far as we were concerned.

[Crazed Vampyress]

As regular "curbside shoppers", we do have SOME standards & guidelines as to things we won't take.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Curbside Shopper... i like that!

among other things the computer desk i sit at and the table holding my linens were aquired by the curb!

[Draco1958]

My roomie and I found a computer desk. Other than a slight flaw in one spot it was otherwise perfect. Finding similar ones in stores, they priced out around $200.

[Lilith]

Oh, wow.... okay thats just weird. I read an interview once with this guy who had something like 40k in the bank, worked at a nice company wore a suit to work and all that, had a nice home was single and every afternoon he would dress up like a bum and go collect bottles to return, find change on the street and just plain beg at street corners. they were trying to get him to say why he did it (or least why he thought he did it) and he wouldnt give a straight answer. he had no problem giving detailed descriptions of what he did, but for the 'why' all he would say was things like 'why not' or 'do you know how much change people throw in ashtrays?'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i would guess they do it because if they fall on hard times they would not want to be JUDGED while they are at the grocery store buying groceries or what ever else is allowed with there assitance.

[Steven]

I just seen a commercial for 20/20 where they're doing a story on people in NY that actually go through trash cans, dumpsters and random garbage bags looking for food to eat. They actually eat thrown out food! Nasty!!!!! I remember seeing another story a few years back about this but had forgotten it. I don't know what to think of these people. Anyone have thoughts on this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

.... I fed these people for years out of the trunk of my car in LA and Hollywood when I worked construction.

Out there where I come form there are (literally) thousands of them, you see them everyday. That s the first thign I notived about Detroit - this lack of street people everywhere. In LA its sort of typical of what I dont like about California - tremendous wealth beyond description - right next door to tremendous lack beyond description - no middle ground. In detroit - you have a much larger base of commoners as it seems that many more people here share the same lot due to the economy. These people - They are real - it is real - some of their stories are unbeleivable.

I fed a woman once who used to work a swank office job.

She went skiing in Aspen with her freinds, fell, broke her back, was paralized and in traction.

Insurance ran out.

The legal amount of time that her employer had to hold her job ran out.

She lost her house and all her possessions to creditors by the time she got out of the hospital and could walk. Out the front door and onto the street with nothing and became one of "those" people.

Lots of people think that they choose that life, bcause they dont want to work.

But if you knew how they lived - you'd realize that overall - that's just not true.

[Homicidalheathen]

Um, actually I have been this poor and not all things thrown out are nasty. Some of it is on the due date and unopened.

I hope it never happens to you or yours.

(our little desert hippie commune Idea didn't go over so well......no jobs or car or shower.....we were hungry)

America throws enough good food away to feed a 3rd world country and it sickens me.

[JaneDead]

Um, actually I have been this poor and not all things thrown out are nasty.  Some of it is on the due date and unopened.

I hope it never happens to you or yours.

(our little desert hippie commune Idea didn't go over so well......no jobs or car or shower.....we were hungry)

America throws enough good food away to feed a 3rd world country and it sickens me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

to me this is what it looked like these people were doing (at least it was my impression from the commercial)

like maybe they go to resturants or stores that are throwing out stuff they can't use the next day. that was my impression anyways.

it didn't seem to me they were eating garbage, but rather good food that was going to waste?

not sure as i believe it is on tonight and i have not seen it yet.

[Wounds Within]

I used to work at Kroger and we always had dumpster people problems. The issue with these people is if they get hurt they can actaully sue the company even though they should not be around that area in the first place. This is a very common practice.

One night I recall quite well :

It was pretty late in the fall one year and I had just finished cleaning up the produce department and unlocked the back door walked down the dark alley and threw my garbage in the dumpster. Someone yelled "ouch" aparently I had hit a dude who was actaully inside this 5 foot deep dumpster. I didn't see him because it was so dark out and he wasn't making any noise so how was I supposed to know. This guy then crawled out of the dumpster and started yelling at me saying I was tring to kill him. I kinda laughed and was like dude you shouldn't be in there anyway and how was I supposed to know someone is in there? By this time other store workers came out to see this and the dumpster guy was flipping out on all of us and said he had a knife or whatever. We just left him alone after that and called the police. When they got there the guy had already left and I did not see him again, but I guess he came back later in the week and the same thing happened to another store worker. I not recall what happened that time it was some time ago, but I know eventually the cops got him and found that he was a wanted sex offender.

I used to work for Best Buy as well and we always have people (especially during the holiday season) looking for hidden goodies in the trash. It became so bad that Best Buy had to rid of the dumpsters and replaced it with a trash compactor that could only be used and operated from inside the store. This was a safety measure for the store because again the issue with dumpster divers is if they get hurt they can actaully sue the company even though they should not be around that area in the first place.

I am not knocking these people, these are just my own persoanal stories.

[Homicidalheathen]

I talked to a homeless guy who said he eats better now than when he was just poor and proud. Heh.

[Guest Megalicious]

When people get hungry enough they will eat whatever they can find.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Pretty much ... I m glad I neve had to take it to that. Im sure I would if I had too. Being homeless in Southern Cali is way different then being homeless here LOL thats for sure .. at least during the summer you can find a nice quiet place on the beach. And for the most part the homeless populations along the beach stick togther to find and share food and other things that are needed .... damni Hippies ... =) but to this day .. alot of them are still ppl I would consider good friends. Now having to do that when you have the means to feed yourself .. thats just silly ... because well your taking the homless ppls food !! WHEN YOU HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY YOUR OWN BUT YOUR JUST A CHEAP ASS!!! i dont know perhaps it so OCD thing ...

[DarkChylde]

Hey!!! I LIVE in the dumpster.

Dumpster posse representin foo!!!