With the scores of criminals , perverts , double-dealing eve gowns , and Martin Shkreli , it ’s easy to finger a short cynical about morality and the Internet . But sometimes the Interweb surprise me , and fills my usually black spirit with gooey , ill at ease tenderness .
Such is the case withReddit ’s Food Pantry– a subreddit set up to directly and ( if you so select ) anonymously link those in pauperization with those willing to help , in the light term , close to home . The Front Page of the Internet ™ is n’t just about banana tree - based measurements and babe elephant GIFs . Altruism is hide behind the snark and banter of the front page . You just need to know where to find it .
Anyone who needs help can ask for it
People request intellectual nourishment on the site for varying reasons , from temporary fiscal rigorousness to medical issues . Most of them are extremely personal pleas for supporter that include direct links to Amazon compliments lists , or even Paypal accounts . Here are some case :
[ REQUEST ] Sick and bedridden , seriously lacking intellectual nourishment and desperate for some supplies … Been pretty sickly the preceding year , but the last week I have been specially unhinged and it is make it very severe for me to get around … I basically have a huge stockpile of tinned vegetable and macintosh and Malva sylvestris . It is hard to get right nutrition from those alone .
[ REQUEST ] Narrowly avoided eviction but whole out of foodI work in IT , and was released from my contract at the very end of December . I have had a tough time find study since then , and spent all of January unemployed . I am very thankfully employ as of 2/1 , but I will not be getting paid until the very end of the month , and I am completely out of money and intimately out of groceries .
Reddit/Jennifer Bui/Thrillist
And helpers respond
The above are just two of the hundreds of requests that have poured in over the four year the subreddit has been operating . The donators are just as varied . Although some prefer to wait in the wings , and react in camera to requests , others select to make posts that offer supporter . fit outtheseexamples !
[ go ] 93534 Have nutrient I can birth locally . Hi so I have a bunch of solid food in my electric refrigerator I will never eat . And alternatively of throw it by I figured I can give it to someone who needs it .
It really works!
There is an option to specify your offering or request as " fulfilled , " which turns it a pleasant purple spook , and for the most part , the remark sections are litter with information and update about each case . Sometimes , recipient role will post banknote of gratitude . Here areeven moreexamples :
[ THANKS ] Thank you so much for assist things feel normal with your kindness and generosity …. With what has [ sic ] deliver has done my family unit a lot of goodness and things have been able to feel normal for my kids in our household .
[ Thanks ] to /u / Hegulator for the food!The soup and Salmon River and mayo have get safe and sound . Greatly appreciated !
People are connected without any middlemen
All the interactions ( unless both company agree otherwise ) occur directly through Reddit .
And it’s totally not a scam
intrust me , I was doubting , too . But to scrap would - be culinary yardbird creative person , the subreddit has some guidelines :
This is a legitimate tool to help those in need
It ’s important to remember how the net , and widely used , community - found platforms like Reddit , can be used to make a real difference in people ’s spirit . You might be misanthropical , and believe these people are clapperclaw the organization , but you ca n’t snub the precaution the biotic community has build up . We apply the net to find roommates , purchase cars / homes , and even findagricultural soulmates– why not more fundament needs , like solid food , too ?
If you need some help ( and it ’s not only food ! Vital items like clean provision and diaper are also fair game . ) , try this legitimate , if not exactly mainstream route . And for those looking for a little bit of karma , both in the Internet and cosmic sense , it ’s the perfect exit to aid your residential district while never leave the couch .
Sign up herefor our day-after-day Thrillist e-mail , and get your location of the best in food / drink / fun .
Reddit / Jennifer Bui / Thrillist
