Even though I consider it a goofy, boring waste of time, it has been difficult for me to understand why the federal government has been in such a lather about TikTok.
From September to June, one of every three students at Muddy Brook and one of every four at Monument Valley receives two meals for free or reduced price per day. That translates to 100 meals missing for those families, per child, during the 10 weeks of summer vacation.
“Families are frightened, scared and beaten down. What the staff and I do is give them the strength to go to the other organizations, to get through this and get past this.”
--- Michelle Derr, CHP director of WIC [Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program] Family Services
Hunger is all around us in Berkshire County whether we know it or not. Concomitantly, the diabetes rate in Berkshire County has climbed to the highest in the Commonwealth. Hunger is not simply a lack of food, according to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; hunger is also a lack of nutritious food.
I just can’t stop thinking of all the good which might be done with simply the eight million dollars this country spends each day for airstrikes against the Islamic State in a “war” which will never be “won” despite all the bombs and the billions of dollars we drop into that black hole.
The whole community was responsible to feed the hungry, house the homeless, pay damages on behalf of the law-breaker, and answer for the behavior of the sinner.
“Gideon’s Garden is the best thing. It’s such a pleasure partnering with them. They have a big heart; they care about everybody.”
--George Laye, director of the Guthrie Center
According to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, roughly one in eight people continues to experience hunger in this part of the Commonwealth, an eye-opening fact. Furthermore, one in five children lives in food-insecure households.
