Many Americans, including people here on DK, are taking rational, prudent steps to get their households prepared for possible disruptions from the spread of the coronavirus. The basic preparations are quite similar to a household’s checklist for other emergencies—storms, blackouts, etc.: extra non-perishable food, two weeks of needed medicines, and the like.
If your family is in a position where you can afford to make preparatory purchases, can I ask you to pick up a few extra things? Not much. Maybe some canned vegetables, rice, pasta? Toilet paper is always welcome. Even odd things you might not think of, like aspirin and baby wipes.
Great. Now could you get them to the food bank?
It makes a lot of sense to stock up in the face of trouble, but what if you can’t stock up? What if your budget doesn’t stretch to enough, let alone extra?
Food banks are undergoing strain right now, for a really ugly reason. Pantries in the Midwest report that, while food insecurity is fairly steady, growing restrictions on subsidy programs like SNAP are forcing more families to bridge the gap with food banks. (www.harvestpublicmedia.org/...)
I know I harp on this subject a lot, but, if you are able, this is an important time to have your local pantry’s back, with cash or chow.
A challenge like this is an uneasy time for everyone. I mean, Donald Trump is President, for fook’s sake.
For those already skating on the edge, the fear is doubled.
So, if you can, drop a can. Or a dollar.
Thanks for listening.
PS: At least two chains where I live have both donation barrels and donation coupons that send money directly to Second Harvest. Quite likely, grocers in your area may have similar programs to make donating easier.