The brown plastic pouches contain complete meals once intended for soldiers in the Persian Gulf. But they have perhaps been most appreciated by the men and women who eat them in the fields and railroad yards of cities like Salt Lake.
MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) left over from Operation Des-ert Storm have finally reached Utah's homeless population."It's all good," said Chuck, 63, as he huddled in an old van with his friend C.J., 65, and opened a box of MREs from the Utah Food Bank.
A few yards away, Dennis is storing MREs in the makeshift cupboard in his "hooch," a home he has created out of abandoned furniture, carpet remnants and cardboard boxes.
"It's good food," said the 36-year-old Sioux Indian. The MREs and other supplies from the food bank augment leftovers he gets for doing yardwork and odd jobs in the neighborhood.
A few blocks away, Barry, 41, a disabled veteran, rakes the gravel around the cardboard "house" he shares with eight other homeless people.
They are "good, not like the old C-Rations," he said.
The surplus meals have traveled a long, odd road to these "homes."
The food, Desert Share, was rerouted in July when the General Services Administration announced $300 million in surplus food to be distributed. The first batch went to Second Harvest food banks, but Utah is not a member.
In the second phase, food went to federal prisons, programs and agencies. Again, Utah did not benefit.
The third phase - food that had been to Saudi Arabia - was designated for state agencies that handle surplus property. State shares are based on a formula of population and per capita income.
Federal regulations said the food was only for the homeless, bad news for Utah, since service providers don't differentiate between homeless, near-homeless and very poor. The administration relaxed the ruling but said the food was "primarily" and "essentially" for homeless. With no clear interpretation of those terms, the food remained in warehouses.
Through meetings, negotiations, memos and phone calls, the red tape was cut and a paper trail blazed to satisfy federal authorities. The Department of Defense released the surplus food to the GSA, which sent it to the Utah State Agency for Surplus Properties, with some restrictions. The Department of Community and Economic Development received it next, without restrictions.
In the Utah County area and south, the food is distributed by the Mountainlands Community Action Program. Weber County oversees distribution from Davis County north. The Salt Lake Community Services Council's Utah Food Bank gives out the food in the Salt Lake area.
The food was not free. Intermountain Health Care, James L. Sorenson, Smith's Food and Drug, the George and Delores Dore Eccles Foundation and Salt Lake County contributed money to cover the $50-a-pallet transportation cost. Bettilyon Corp. and Smith's provide warehouse space, Advantage Foods took care of handling and C.R. England and Sons transported it. Along the way, Utahns Against Hunger, Sen. Orrin Hatch's office and the attorney general's office all got involved in negotiations.