Greetings on this beautiful Memorial Day. I hope everyone is having a great extended weekend, but please do take some time today to remember those who have given all in the name of this great Country and those who have to live every day without them.
Schools are coming to a close for the summer all over this state. The end of school can mean two very different but critical parts of life for our local youth.
First, and the thing that comes to mind first, is our graduating seniors. Just last Friday I watched (very proudly) as my middle son walked across the stage, and I said something to him that I have said to both of his older siblings…”Congratulations on making through the easiest part of your life.” We all know that life doesn’t get any easier by simply possessing a piece of paper, rather this is where life tends to get real interesting – graduates face many challenges, each unique depending on their chosen path. There are so many challenges that are ahead of these young adults, are we doing all we can to help them? My wife and I have raised our children to be as self reliant as possible, but that’s not to say that we don’t help them achieve their goals while still allowing them to maintaining independence and control over their own life. These young adults are what we need to retain to ensure the long term success of this County. Housing has outpaced income, and homeownership takes a much higher percentage of a persons salary today than 20 years ago. Before anyone gets twisted…Yes, I know that the County Council has little to no bearing over things like affordable housing, but the Council, along with other elected and appointed personnel, can have a tremendous impact on the policies and direction of this County. There has been much focus on projects in this County that are not only divisive, but also tend to let young adults (like our recent and soon-to-be graduates) die on the vine. Are we focusing our time and efforts where it matters? I’m not just talking about the Council, but all those who have been entrusted to guide our County. Can’t see the forest for the trees, cutting off your nose to spite your face, use your favorite saying to describe what’s going on…
The second thing that is associated with school ending is food insecurity. There are many kids in our community who relied on school breakfast and lunch to be their primary source of meals for the day. We are so incredibly fortunate to have some of the resources available in our County that can help bridge that gap, whether it is one of our food pantries or summer nutrition programs offered by through our libraries and schools. Ensuring that these entities are able to keep their doors open and programs running is as important now as it is any time throughout the year. District 1 of Fulton County is so incredibly fortunate to have these resources available in the form of the Kewanna Food Pantry, the Kewanna-Union Township Library, and the Caston Summer Feeding Program. I sincerely applaud the efforts of the food pantry, the library staff, and the school staff – your efforts do not go unnoticed!
In our area, most library programs start on June 1st and run until July 23rd (12-1 PM, Monday through Thursday) and the Caston Summer Feeding Program Phase 1 starts on May 26th and run until June 12th and Phase 2 starts June 15th and runs through July 27th. Most food pantries will accept donations, and one thing they are always happy to accept is fresh frozen meat. PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK WITH THE FOOD PANTRY BEFORE SHOWING UP WITH DONATIONS!! We happen to have a tremendous opportunity at the end of the 4H fair to not only support a young 4Her, but also take their project and use it to help feed those in our community. We have used a processor in Wakarusa for the last couple of years and I know for a fact that he still has openings for locker appointments right after our County fair. ELM Processing – (574)336-0566, Eugene Martin. ELM Processing is not sponsoring me or my campaign, just for full transparency. If you have the means, I would encourage you to get a locker appointment and purchase a pig from our County fair. Donate that meat to the Kewanna Food Pantry, Matthews Market, or any other food pantry in our area. 1 lb. packages of whole hog sausage are easy to distribute and can be very versatile in meal preparations.