Uncertainty.

It’s why there wasn’t a newsletter last month. I was uncertain what to write about. It’s why I haven’t picked out my Halloween costume. My 6-year-old is uncertain on what he wants me to be. And neither of those things matter, not really, not in the long run. But uncertainty over where your next meal is coming from… that has very serious repercussions.

Aside from just the general stress of trying to find a meal, food insecurity is a serious detriment to mental health that can lead to cycles of depression, poverty, poor hygiene, food safety, and food born illnesses issues. There’s a NIH study about this specific topic and I highlighted a passage in the conclusion I thought was relevant.

“The impact of food insecurity on mental health spans beyond individual wellbeing, extending to societal issues such as poverty cycles and community mental health. Addressing this complex interplay necessitates comprehensive interventions integrating education, income, housing, social support, and healthcare access. “

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10893396/

As I’m writing this, we are days away from 42 million people missing their benefit payments to supplement their grocery bills. The SNAP program began in 1939 was revived in 1961 and was codified into law in 1964 with the Food Stamp Act. It’s gone through expansion and retraction periods including work requirements since 1971, but the main goal of helping people alleviate food insecurity has stayed largely intact. And there’s a whole separate discussion to have about why 12% of the population of the worlds’ richest country requires food stamps, but sometimes people just need a little help while they navigate a rough patch. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

I also don’t think that we should have to decide between having affordable health insurance and food assistance. I honestly don’t think we should have health insurance, I think we should have single payer health care, but that’s another rant at another time. But what’s happening right now is the current administration is keeping the government shut down unless we collectively agree to higher health insurance premiums. And, while it’s shut down 12 % of the country is going to experience some level of food insecurity; and that’s fucked.

I’ve worked in hospitality and food service my entire life. My first job was bagging groceries at a local grocery store in Ohio. I cooked in Ohio, New York, Georgia, Indiana, and Colorado. Now, I run a grocery store of my own because I like talking about food and helping people make great food that enriches their lives. So, watching my community be decimated with food insecurity issues is beyond infuriating. On top of all of this, there are 2700 federal employees in Northern Colorado and at least some of those have been furloughed and have gone weeks without pay. The white house has also suggested that they are not all eligible for back pay, going so far as to remove references to a 2019 law that guaranteed back pay. So now we have employees who are currently working and uncertain if they’ll receive their back pay, never mind that they already had to figure out how to live without any income from the last month. It’s fucked.

I’m just one guy, and I don’t control many economic purse strings, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything. I have access to meats at wholesale prices, and for as long as I can afford it, I’m going to put together some care packages for anyone who has been furloughed or lost their SNAP benefits. It will be a couple pounds of meat; some ground beef, chicken breasts or drumsticks, pork shoulder, and some eggs. About 5 pounds total. All of this will be handed out for free and I hope it will help people navigate these unconscionable injustices levied on us by this vulgar administration.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time I’ve done this. A little over 5 years ago, I made small lunch meal available for anyone who lost their jobs during the COVID shutdowns. They were little ham and cheese sandwiches with an orange that I gave out at the shop. I had a lot of friends in the restaurant industry who were hurting and I wanted to do what I could to help anyone who needed it. What I didn’t give away at the shop I donated to the Mission, and we did that all summer. So, this isn’t a “look at me” kind of gesture. It’s something I do when I see there IS something I can do.

People… sorry, not people, assholes, they always want to add caveats and limitations on who gets help in this country. Politicians want us to look down on each other because if you see someone struggling, it’s their fault and you should shame them. And honestly, I’m not going to do that. I’d much rather spend my money handing out free food to help someone in need then paying taxes so orange-nosed sycophants can take bribes in golden ballrooms.

So, we’ll have these care packages available as long as we can and for as many people as I can get them to. Just come by and show us your EBT card or federal badge and we’ll take care of you. Because that’s what we all should do when we can.

…

All of that was written last week. Since then, I started offering free bags of meat and the community has stepped up and donated 80. THOUSAND. FUCKING. DOLLARS!!!! We are now handing out 300+ bags a day, 1200 + lbs! This gives me a lot of conflicting feelings. I’m super happy that we can offer this to people, but to see the line of people outside my door each morning, people who have done nothing wrong, people who our government shits on…. It’s … I don’t know the right word… fucking horrible. Now the Orange fuck-stick says he won’t fund SNAP despite a judges order. So why would anyone trust this administration or his cronies to honor any agreement to discuss extending health insurance subsidies after the shutdown ends. It’s either starve now or go broke later…then starve. These aren’t politics anymore. It’s beyond that now. This is cruelty for the sake of cruelty, because he doesn’t think there will be any repercussions. But you can’t stand here day after day handing out food, seeing so many people hurting because of his narcissism and not wish evil things for that “man”.

If you wish to donate to help us keep handing out food, and now baby supplies, there’s a link below. However, if you are going to donate, please consider giving half of that to the food banks. They can help more people faster and better than I can. And I will keep doing this as long as I can.

https://gofund.me/e45afa29b

Cheers

Slightly Less Friendly Nick