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Detroitpetanque
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Username: Detroitpetanque

Post Number: 120
Registered: 09-2006
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 11:46 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I'm not from Michigan, but my wife tell me that her grandparents were able to go to some central location and pick up all sorts of foodstuffs supplied by the state (?) from local farmers - canned foods, big block of cheese (velveta/cheddar-esque), powdered milk, jam, peanut butter -- in non-descript packaging. Does anyone recall this program? Where did the goods come from, what were some of the different items supplied? How were they distributed? Did people use ration tickets?
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Topflight
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Username: Topflight

Post Number: 13
Registered: 04-2008
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 12:18 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I can only remember the local agency FOCUS HOPE. I am in my late 30's.
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Gazhekwe
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Username: Gazhekwe

Post Number: 2276
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 12:37 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, commodities AKA commods were surplus food. Besides the things you mentioned there was a big block of butter, big cans of turkey, ham and beef, canned green beans, tomatoes, corn and other vegetables, flour, sugar, corn syrup. It was a USDA surplus food program, I believe, and you signed up for the program and went to pick up your carton or cartons every month. In our area, I think they had the pick up points at the township hall. There were eligibility requirements. We didn't get any, but some of my cousins, with 14 kids in the family, did. We would trade them fresh food from our garden for some of the canned things they were tired of.
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Detroitpetanque
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Username: Detroitpetanque

Post Number: 121
Registered: 09-2006
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 1:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Neat! My wife, to this day, because she had so much of that "gov't cheese" as a kid - can only go for pinconning cheese... (the good stuff).

14 Kids?! Whoaaa!
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Spacemonkey
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Username: Spacemonkey

Post Number: 763
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 1:30 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Such a place still exists today, but it's now called "Costco".
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Eriedearie
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Username: Eriedearie

Post Number: 2025
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 1:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I remember going with my mom and dad to this building on Gratiot - not far from Better Made. My dad was laid off from one of the car factories. Oh had to be 1957/58 or so. I don't know who sponsored it, but I believe we got to go twice a month. I think my dad had to show his union card. That food saved us quite a bit on the cost of groceries at the time. In the summer we always had fresh vegetables because my dad would plant a big garden. So rounded out with what we would pick out from that program, we did okay.

Now in the 80s there was Focus Hope. My sister was a single parent and through the WIC program I think it was, she was able to get what my dad referred to as "Reagan's Cheese" - cause from what I understand he instituted that as a source of protein for the single mother. She also received a month supply of canned milk for my nephew and all sorts of staples.

But I agree with your wife - that cheese was great. My sister made many, many grilled cheese sandwiches with it! And yeah, Pinconning cheese - oh yes. That's the good stuff!
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Gazhekwe
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Username: Gazhekwe

Post Number: 2277
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 2:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It looks like they still have a program. I remember talking about this a couple years ago with some fellow students at BMCC who qualified due to income status. They went to a former market that was set up with this food on shelves similar to a grocery store. You had a card that you used to check out, so I guess it was like a bridge card. I am not sure if that is still available, but here is a link to a current USDA supplemental food program. It looks like my fellow students wouldn't qualify for this one:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/pr ograms/csfp/
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Bobj
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Username: Bobj

Post Number: 4485
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 2:51 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My Dad was injured in a factory accident in the very early 60's and he could not work. My Mom had 4 kids to care for and had never held a job at that point, but was soon working parttime at Hudson's. I was under 5 years of age. I remember going to those places and getting huge cans, giant pieces of cheese, etc. Getting food from there was not well regarded and it really bothered my parents to do it. My Dad recovered and went back to work and that was the end of that.
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Detroitpetanque
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Username: Detroitpetanque

Post Number: 122
Registered: 09-2006
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 4:09 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Heck, there's no shame in feeding your family. If you couldn't work for some reason (layoffs; accidents) then I don't see anything wrong with gov't supplying something to help get you and the kids through the month. The thing is, where can you store a huge block of cheese?! I'm thinking it hadda be the size of 2 milk containers...
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Gazhekwe
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Username: Gazhekwe

Post Number: 2280
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 4:27 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The cheese was about 8" asquare and a foot or so long. We'd slide it into the fridge front to back at one side of a shelf. The butter was in a can if I remember rightly, or maybe that was margarine, about the size of a 3# coffee can.
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Parkguy
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Username: Parkguy

Post Number: 293
Registered: 04-2007
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 5:53 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

A lot of folks in our neighborhood got commodity food during the '58 recession. Half of the men in the neighborhood were laid-off then.

I loved that peanut butter.

Gaz-- your post reminded me of the canned meat! That was bad stuff.
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Gazhekwe
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Username: Gazhekwe

Post Number: 2281
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - 6:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

We liked it OK but we only got it in trade for garden goods, so we didn't have it often. It was best mixed with mayo and onions and celery like tuna salad.
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Eastsidedame
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Username: Eastsidedame

Post Number: 365
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - 11:49 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

We got that cheese too...it was much better than Velveeta.

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