Tag: government

Hunger and Help: Are Community Fridges the Answer?

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The community fridge not only feeds the hungry, but helps cut down on waste. In the United States, recent data suggests that as much as “133 billion pounds of food … [or] 31 percent of the total food supply” is wasted in a typical year, rather than going to feed someone —  a waste which Pope Francis said is “like stealing from the table of the poor and the hungry.”

But food safety laws prevent communities in the U.S. from setting up community refrigerators like the one in Spain.. A couple of UC Davis students ran afoul of these laws when their community refrigerator was shut down after a few months of food-sharing last year. 

Read the rest at the Register.

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It’s gummint. Why can’t it be both?

I’m only about half sucker; so I knew it wasn’t really true that Obama contracted helicopters to hover over Mount Rushmore with a big curtain.

 

But I assumed it was true that the Amber Alert system was shut down.  Turns out Amber Alert, as a way of quickly notifying the public that a child has been abducted and is in immediate danger, is still functioning; it’s just the website that’s shut down because, if the website (not the program itself) is unmanned while the admins are furloughed, it’s vulnerable to hackers.  According to the Huffington Post:

Amber Alerts are issued jurisdictionally. It’s the duty of local police, press and city governments to get information on child abductions out to the public. Law enforcement agencies still have the ability to get the word out via tweets, news broadcasts, cell phone alerts and road signs.

Additionally, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is in charge of compiling the DOJ’s national Amber Alert information. Its website is still up and running, and there are no active Amber Alerts at this time.

Glad to hear that, in this specific instance, innocent people won’t be suffering just because we have a two party system consisting of, as Mark Shea says, the Stupid Evil Party and the Evil Stupid Party.

As far as the government shutdown goes, the truth is somewhere between “This is all just impartial and automatic business, and there’s no reason to take things personally” and “This is all designed specifically to persecute the innocent and the needy.” Knowing what we know about the Obama administration and about the current crop of republicans, I have no problem believing that much of the shut-down effects were purposely and callously designed to make the public suffer because it makes a good bargaining chip/talking point. At the same time, knowing what I know about the lumbering, nonsensical, illogical workings of government, I have no problem believing that much of it is just how things shook out once the process was set in motion.

I believe that some of it is random if unfortunate, and some is spiteful and targeted. It’s government. Why can’t it be both?

And, not that anyone asked, but I believe that Ted Cruz is less of a shining, courageous knight and more of a self-serving maroon without two brain cells to rub together.  Ugh.  One thing you can be sure of, both parties are making money hand over fist from this debacle.  Have politicians really gotten worse, or have I just finally stopped being fooled?

Again, why can’t it be both?

Gov’t shutdown means food pantries need help – UPDATED

I know, I know, Big Brother is too big, and it’s super fun to crow about what a vast improvement it is when government is shut down — no more panda cam, boo hoo hoo.

But for many people, the shutdown is no joke.  Since our fearless leaders in Washington are covering themselves with glory (and I include both parties.  I’m completely disgusted with every last one of them), there are plenty of Americans who face genuine hardship.

The WIC program will run out of federal funding in a few days, and various states may or may not have enough funding to continue the program.  WIC provides nutritious food to nursing and pregnant women and their children ages five and under.  I can clearly remember a time when our family — yes, while we were employed full time and living thriftily — absolutely depended on food from WIC.  Eggs and tuna, cereal and milk is what we lived on, and if that had run out, we would have gone hungry.

School lunch programs will also lose their federal funding soon.  Many kids depend on school lunch as their main meal of the day. (It doesn’t matter whether or not you think the government should be supplying lunch, or what you imagine you know about parents who have spent money on tattoos or whatever.  We’re just talking about kids who need to be fed.)

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs will run out of funding, so they won’t be able to pay the pensions and benefits for veterans. And any government employee who’s been furloughed may certainly be low on food.

Please consider bringing a bag of shelf-stable groceries to your local St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, or whatever local organization distributes food to people who need it.  

It doesn’t matter what you think about the proper role of government.  Our response to hunger and need is not a political statement.  We are just talking about people who will not have food in their bellies.  If you have $5, $10, $20 that won’t break your budget, please please shop for hungry people next time you go shopping, and encourage your friends to do the same.  Maybe explain to your kids that you’re going to skip dessert this weekend and use that money to buy food for people who would otherwise be skipping dinner.

If you don’t know where your local food pantry is, call your church — they will be able to direct you.  Many supermarkets have donation bins, or you can add a monetary donation to your grocery bill.

Again:  not a political statement.  Just a work of mercy.

UPDATE:  My sister Abby reminds me that many women and babies depend on WIC for formula, including expensive specialty formula for babies with various allergies.  Another reader reminds me that it couldn’t hurt to ask your local food pantry if they are more in need of food or money donations.