Dear friends,
I have been thinking a lot about food lately. Mostly, this is a wonderful thing, as I enjoy cooking and the farmer in the family has deepened my understanding of my desire to feed people.
I’ve been doing more of the grocery shopping, as I am less employed than usual. Food shopping has put me in better touch with food prices, which are markedly increased, even at the Park Slope Food Coop where I shop.
And I have been thinking about hungry people. My first real direct exposure to veterans was in the early 80s, when I moved to NYC to attend college. My daily walks on Broadway brought me into contact with tremendous numbers of unhoused people, many of whom were Vietnam veterans.
Many of the veterans who called out to me from wheelchairs or the steps of the nearby church were unwell in a variety of ways. They were often angry and hungry.
Anger and hunger are debilitating.
A 2021 study by the Cost of War Project concluded that since 9/11, four times as many service members and veterans have died by suicide as have perished in combat. The study detailed stress factors particular to military life: “high exposure to trauma — mental, physical, moral, and sexual — stress and burnout, the influence of the military’s hegemonic masculine culture, continued access to guns, and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life.”
Access to guns is at the root of American violence. On average, 110 people die each day from gun violence in the US.
The US accounts for just 4% of the world’s population but 35% of global firearm suicides. Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide than people in other high-income countries.
Guns Down America — which estimates that 17 Veterans die by suicide daily in the US — has also made a link that I didn’t understand, even after the mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo: there were 448 shootings at the nation’s biggest grocery stores between January 1, 2020 and May 14, 2022.
One of their campaigns is focused on getting grocery chains, which are giant corporations, to use their clout to invest in the communities where their stores are located, stop supporting candidates backed by the NRA, and use their dollars and influence to support gun violence prevention and gun control legislation.
Sign Guns Down America’s petition to supermarket chains.
The Food Bank for NYC reports that 1 in 8 veterans in NYC relies on food assistance and that veterans are twice as likely as others to struggle with food insecurity.
Get involved as a volunteer to distribute meals with Food Bank for NYC.
I have a more nuanced relationship with veterans these days. Still, there is only one veteran among my friends. She is a teacher now and among the most admirable and loving people I know.
Organizing has brought me in contact with veterans who are active in anti-gun and anti-war advocacy. I sincerely hope that veteran and anti-war activist Brittany Ramos DeBarros will run again in NY-11.
We are entering the holiday season — especially the part focused on food and gratitude. I am taking Monday and Tuesday off to visit my mama and treat her to some favorite foods. I’m also going to bring some edible appreciation to her beautiful caregiver, Flo.
I will miss Monday evening’s organizing meeting for NY Caring Majority. The meeting is to plan the relaunch of Fair Pay for Home Care. Check it out!
Attend Monday’s meeting to join the Fair Pay for Home Care campaign.
with love,
L