This Is The Way Its Supposed to Work

 With the government shutdown and Congress and the President playing politics with real peoples' lives, the people have stepped up to take care of their communities. It is absolutely one of the most heart-warming things I have seen in my life -and the way its supposed to be. Here are just a few examples of what ordinary people, charitable organizations and political candidates are doing to feed SNAP beneficiaries and out-of-work federal employees:

Pittsburgh man, A J Owen, set up a neighborhood food bank in his front yard with non-perishables and snacks he got from his local Aldi's. His TikTok went viral and he was covered on local and national news. Donations starting coming in, including an envelope with $100 bills and no name, Pittsburgh DE Yahya Black and his fiance who dropped off totes of food. And he estimates he's feeding 200 families in his community.

Kat Abughazaleh, of whom I have spoken before, has pledged $2500 per week of campaign funds to the food depositories in her district (She's running for Congress) and has challenged all candidates in her race to do the same (there are 17 candidates). 

A coffee shop owner in Portland is giving free "SNAP" breakfasts to anyone who needs a meal because an 11 year old boy asked him for one "because he was hungry". He is serving over 150 breakfasts a day and is getting help from donations. In his 450 sq. ft. coffee shop...

Southwest Diner in Boulder, Nevada is serving free meals to children during the shutdown.

In my home state, HEB, a huge but relatively local chain, has donated $5 million worth of food to food banks on top of what they were already donating weekly.

And the list goes on and on and on...

People helping people, spreading hope and love in their homes, their communities and to their neighbors. Something our government is entirely incapable of doing.(Not blaming the government, no government ever conceived has the tools to do that.) While it is not perfect, it is the way its supposed to work.

But don't let these stories convince you that all is well. Every food bank, depository or soup kitchen  researched is begging for help. They are getting more than they've ever gotten to help the hungry, but there are more hungry people than they've ever seen before. What used to last a month is now lasting less than a week.

These people they are helping have no options, no Plan B, nothing to fall back on. Food banks don't solve their poverty, they literally just keep them from starving while Elon Musk gets paid $1 trillion dollars. Funny that while working class Americans open up their wallets, give of their time and reach out with the hand of community, the 1% are strangely silent. Hmmmm...

So, please, do what you can to help. Usually, the best donation you can make is cash. Food banks can stretch your dollar to buy much more food than you can just buying from your local grocer. They can combine your money with other donations and buy in bulk for pennies on the dollar, corporations can write off any discounts they give to food banks so food banks can buy for less. All the food banks I researched also said that they need diapers and feminine hygiene products, which the cannot get discounts on, but that families need. My suggestion is call the food bank of your choice and ask what they need.

This is America at its best, this is what happens in a democracy of the people. When we're down, we come together and quit looking at our difference and start acting like what we are - "One People, Under God". Help if you can and may God Bless the United States of America.