Election Day Recipe For Calm

 How should you vote? Like you were following a recipe. With care and concern. This could make for a food secure future for all.

There are several crucial campaigns right now, from gubernatorial ones in Virgnian and New Jersey and the mayoral one in New York City. All affect how people in these states shop and eat. As a New Jerseyan I am more than concerned about not only my future but also the future of my fellow New Jersey and. Shopping here is tough. Luckily I have LIdl for all the major purchases like milk and cereal. Even the frill buys like soda and cookies are much cheaper at the store. The same with it's rival Aldi. So many are shopping here for all sorts of items, from pet food to baby foods and essentials to ingredients for holiday cooking and baking. They also offer valuable coupons for that enable us to get free stuff.It's always a fun thrill to get a free croissant, or bag of pretzels or even a free bottle of mouthwash. yet it's also important. Money saved is just that. With Trumps; tariffs' all over the place food has gotten more and more expensive. Parents are worrying about whether they can buy their kids fruits and veggies along with meat. That should not be. There should be  no worry when food shopping.

Then there is the SNAP benefits.Trump wants to halt  them during the government shutdown, even though thousands of families will be  affected. SNAP or Food stamps  have been around since 1939, the invention of then Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace and the program's first administrator Milo Perkins. The program first operated by permitting people on relief to buy orange stamps for their food shopping .For every orange stamps bought there were blue stamps that enabled families to buy food determined by the Department to be surplus.Modern food stamps came in the early 1960's and in 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law to make the practice permanent. The stamps allowed people to buy local food and vegetables along with basic foodstuffs. Alcohol and luxury food were not on the program as were imported foods.There have been decades of other reforms however no president has ever done anything this cruel. Churches and food pantries can only do so much.This is a Red problem  - no question about this. Yet Republicans can be as caring as their Democrat counterparts. If they're not vote them out.It's just that simple.

As with any recipe, care and concern should always be used. It creates the perfect dish.THis should also apply to how you vote too.

Food Fights

Yesterday's economic blackout sent a  message to the president and the big box stores. Did it work? it may be too early to tell.Should we do it again  to make a stronger statement? Absolutely!!!

The reason for the blackout was to honor companies that still maintained their DEI - diversity -equity and inclusion policies and to protest those that followed President's Trump new policies.Atlanta based pastor Reverend Jamal Bryant organized a forty day protest  through the website targetfest.com.It was supposed to start on Ash Wednesday - March 5th 2025 and continue for forty days during the Lenten period.Right before this plan Reverend Al Sharpton announced in late January of this year that it would identify two companies for ninety day  boycotts focusing on businesses that had abandoned diversity pledges. The reverend stated that while federal government might eliminate DEI programs it was ultimately the consumers retained the power of where they could shop and spend their money. Unfortunately many stores where we shop for food and kitchen appliances scrapped their DEI programs. Topping the list were Walmart,Target , Amazon and it's subsidiary Whole Foods. Certain companies like General MIlls and Nestle also got rid of their diversity programs.

What does this mean? Do we still shop at these stores and buy their products? That's up to you. However it pays to research a store's hiring policies. Both Aldi and Lidl, German based companies that have the European sense of fairness (as many European based companies do) hire on a DEI basis.Anyone is welcome to work in their stores and there is a very likely chance of promotion in their first year of work. American based grocery stores like Acme and Stop & Shop. Shop at these stores as much as possible. Ldl has delicious foods like Aldi and at cost. Lidl offers clothing and household goods like pots and pans along with linens so you don;t have to rely on Target or Amazon for everything. Another economic blackout might also call for avoiding such fast food chains as Chick Fil't and Starbucks. What do you do then? As the organizers suggest look to the smaller family ownded businesses. There are some good coffee shops that are privately owned. Many bakeries also offer coffee and places to sit. Their homemade treats area lot better as we all know than the mass produced muffins and doughnuts. The same is true with family owned restaurants. The food is always fresh and they can easily customize your food to the way you want.

Another economic blackout may be planned. Be ready and knowledgeable about where to shop and eat. Support the places that still strongly support DEI in this turbulent time.