Should we take free stuff intended for those who need it?

In early May, dairy farmers in Boston were prepared to give away about 8,600 gallons of milk to families who were in need. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, dairy farmers had found that demand for their product had been far lower than typical. Rather than throwing away the excess milk, as part of a project called "Farmer's Feeding Families" the dairies set up areas where people could pick up up to two gallons of milk. Anything that remained would be donated to area food banks.

I live less than a mile from one of the spots where the milk was being distributed. After more than a month of seeing next to no traffic on roads since many people were working remotely from home, dozens of cars lined up to claim a gallon or two. Others walked up on foot. The only requirement was that each recipient must be wearing a face mask when they approached the distribution site. The milk was to be given away by the end of the day on a first come, first serve basis.

In addition to dairy farmers finding themselves with more milk than they could typically sell, as restaurants and other food providers have been working to provide meals to healthcare works, school children, and others affected by the virus, it has become a semi-regular occurrence to see posts from providers indicating that they needed to give away excess food before it spoiled.

In cases such as the milk giveaway it was made clear that the offer was for families in need. It is clear that the primary motive was to provide sustenance for those who need it and might not be able to afford to pay for it.

"My neighbor told me about the milk giveaway," one reader emailed me. "She can afford to buy her own milk, but she waited on line and grabbed two gallons anyway."

The reader tells me that the neighbor told her she would put the milk to good use with all of the baking she's been doing while working from home. Besides, she told her neighbor that she figured it was better to take advantage of the milk than to let it go to waste.

"No one asked her if she needed the milk," the reader writes. "She just drove up and they gave it to her. That doesn't seem right."

The dairy offer made clear that any excess milk wouldn't go to waste, but instead would be donated to local food banks. The volunteers distributing the milk didn't check to make sure everyone claiming a gallon was "in need," but worked hard to distribute as much as they could.

There might be nothing illegal about claiming goods meant for those who truly need it, but the right thing would have been to honor the intention of the giveaway. Getting free stuff can be great. But doing so because of a sense of entitlement or satisfaction in getting something for nothing at a time when others don't have the luxury of being able to afford to purchase milk or food as an alternative is both selfish and wrong.

Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of The Simple Art of Business Etiquette: How to Rise to the Top by Playing Nice," is a senior lecturer in public policy and director of the communications program at Harvard's Kennedy School.

Follow him on Twitter: @jseglin

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(c) 2020 JEFFREY L. SEGLIN. Distributed by TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.