24 April 2009

Wal-Mart with the Refugees

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take some newly-arrived refugees from Darfur to get their first groceries. They had only arrived in Louisville the previous night! Three single men, one male translator, and I got our "basket" (they don't call them carts in Kentucky) and started out. I thought it was an amusing and interesting sight for anyone who took notice: three very dark African men and one lily white American with a shopping basket in Wal-Mart. It was suggested that I could help by explaining value to the guys. Example: loaves of bread: two 12" loaves of Pepperidge Farm french bread - $3.19. "Too expensive" - showed them American bread: nicely squared off loaf of sliced bread 98 cents. Next example: carrots - show them the word "organic" and tell them it is too expensive. You can buy regular carrots for much less.

After my overseas experiences I can imagine the culture shock of a store such as Wal-Mart. The variety is unbelievable, the size of the store is also overwhelming. In my perfect world, I would take an incoming refugee family to a local grocery store that is close to their country of origin. They could find their own comfort foods and feel a bit in control of their own destiny...........but the shopping needs to be done where there are funds available. In this case, Wal-Mart gift cards were given to help the refugees!

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