It is ironic to see everywhere the drive to give away left-over food to the poor and the needy. Last Christmas, which is also called the season of giving, I read an article encouraging people to give leftover food to charities who then will take it to the poor and the needy. Is it really a noble idea? Or is it much more honorable to prepare only what you need and maybe just one meal extra for some poor and hungry soul? I asked myself several times. After all I am advised to love my neighbor the way that I love myself. If I take it in the literal sense, I must not give my neighbor what I do not want or what is useless to me. I decided to probe through the Holy Bible and came across the miracle that Jesus did when there were multitudes following Him wanting to hear him. It was late in the day and Jesus knew that they would be hungry.He askeds His disciples to feed them. The disciples answered Him saying that they did not have enough money to buy food for all these people. Jesus asked them to go looking for some food. They found one small boy who had five loves and two fishes. They brought it to Jesus and showed Him what they had found. Jesus asked them to make the multitude sit in a disciplined manner. Then He took the five loaves and two fishes, gave thanks and asked His disciples to feed the multitude. And miraculously more than 5000 people were filled with fish and bread and there were 12 baskets full of leftovers. Jesus could have fed the disciples first and then fed the multitude with the leftovers. But He first fed the multitude. So also the disciples did. They did not eat first. They fed the poor and hungry people first. If they had not eaten first, then they probably ate from the leftovers as Jesus had instructed them not to waste any of it. They gathered 12 baskets of leftover loaves, there were 12 disciples! And this makes me to believe that leftover food is for the disciples and not for the poor and the hungry. Yes, Christmas is a season to give, but not the leftovers. Charity is to help someone in need with what you love the most. Giving away left-overs is waste-management.

The next time you see some one poor and hungry share with him or her what you like the most and not the leftovers. Because Jesus says whatever you do to the least of these we do it unto Him. By doing this we will not only stop wasting food but also feed some poor and hungry with dignity.