Neighborhood Buzz
A News Blog for Democrats and Independents
Editor - Jerry Meyer
thevillagesdemocrats.org
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For
Sumter County Democrats
It’s
more than politics
On the
second Saturday of the month many members of the Villages Democrats are
carrying bags of groceries as they walk into Colony Recreation Center for their
regular meeting.
 |
| Norm Davis & Larry Cohen |
In the Tea
Room, which members enter before being funneled into the main meeting room,
tables have been set up by various candidates, groups that function inside the
club, the membership committee – and one for a food collection. This is where the bags of groceries pile up,
and checks and cash are tossed into a bowl.
Norm Davis, who heads the food bank collection for the Club, pushes a
cart load of food out to his van when the table gets too full, while Larry
Cohen stays at the table, greeting people and accepting their donations.
 |
| Larry Cohen & donor Carol Urosevich |
At Our
Mother of Mercy Food Pantry, located on North Main Street, coordinators Thom and Betty Anne
Horning oversee the organization of the food and the
volunteers who put together the grocery packages that will be handed out to
households. Recipients can be served
twice a month. Volunteers organize the
packages ahead of time to facilitate pickup. All the packages are identical,
but recipients may also choose individual items such as hygiene products and
meat. |
| Norm Davis & Thom Horning |
Thom says
that on distribution days people are often waiting in the parking lot early in
the morning before the pantry opens.
They are there for a variety of
reasons, some because they are coming off working a night shift and some
because they are picking up before they go to work. Many of the recipients have jobs, but don’t
make enough money to cover all their needs.
 |
| Don Huggins |
According to
Huggins there was another food pantry in Wildwood at the time, but it just
couldn’t support the operation, so the pastor appealed to the minister at New
Covenant Methodist Church in the Villages, offering to provide the facility if
they would provide the manpower and leadership.
Since that
coming together, it is estimated over three million pounds of food have been
distributed to the “food challenged” in the North Sumter County area. That group includes the “working poor,” those
on a single social security check, some on disability and some on food stamps,
a broad cross section of economic challenges.
Donations
from groups like the Democrats are a big component of the operation, but they
also spend a lot of money buying food as they are consistent in what they give
away. Smaller food pantries give away
what they have, but when the Wildwood Pantry runs short of a particular
commodity, they purchase what they need. Cash donations are used for that
purpose, as well as operations.
Food
distributions happen twice a month, feeding 160-170 families. On a typical distribution day an estimated
five tons of food is given away. Some of
that comes from the government. On the day we visited, the warehouse was filled
with 17,000 pounds of food that had just come in.
Huggins says they don’t count on it, but it is a good bonus to
supplement what they are doing. Other
food comes from local supermarkets, where volunteers pick up three times a
week, a total of about 2,000 pounds each day. This food is perishable, bakery
products and bread, as well as produce and meat. It is shared, not only with the pantry
regulars, but with other area food pantries.
The soup
kitchen in Wildwood is a separate operation, with a “good neighbor”
relationship with the food bank. When
they get food not appropriate for their needs they give it to the food bank and
Huggins shares with them products they can use.
The two team
up before Easter on the “Seeds of Hope” food drive, splitting the food and
money that comes in during that month and a half period.
Huggins has
125 volunteers he can call on for the work that needs to be accomplished every
month.
 |
| Voluneers Kevin & Charlene O'connor help Davis unload at Lady Lake |
Carrol Neal
has been keeping things humming since 2010 and the food pantry has been open
since 1998. Members of the North Lake
Presbyterian Church fund operations, so all the food and monetary donations can
go to clients.
Those
clients come from an area that stretches up to CR 42 and South to the
Fruitland Park Line. Like the other
food
banks, all kinds of financial situations impact the people who come in for
help. There are older clients on
disability due to illness or other reasons and just can’t go it alone. There are widows and widowers who are now
living on a single income. Many clients are families where one or more is
working, probably part time and for minimum wage. Neel says the food frees up money for car
payments, gasoline and other needs.
 |
| Carrol Neal - Lady Lake Director |
The Pantry
doesn’t take government assistance, which allows them to be more flexible in
dealing with people seeking help. They
do ask them to fill out a short form, similar to a financial loan request. These are not verified as recipients are
required to be on food stamps and that process does the verifying. The pantry checks to make sure that has been
done. Their role is to be supplemental,
clients are not supposed to rely on them.
With that said, if someone doesn’t qualify for food stamps it doesn’t
mean they won’t get help. If a working family can’t cut it, that is taken into
consideration, as is every situation, including poor money managers. “We’re not here because people don’t have
money or can’t manage it, “Neal says we’re here to help.”
A big
component for the pantry is a relationship with “Second Harvest,” a national
organization that works with grocery stores.
This has resulted in a relationship with the Winn Dixies at Pinnellas
Plaza and in Lake Sumter, plus Target on 441.
Monday through Saturday, volunteers pick up meat, bread, produce, baked
goods, dented cans, etc. at the Winn Dixies.
Twice a week volunteers go to Target, where they get the same items,
plus paper products and slow moving items.
The stores get a tax write off and the Christian Food Pantry gets a lot
of food.
Neal says
they appreciate and can use every donation, but in recent years have moved from
large food drives to requesting money. This is easier for organizers, who have
the challenge of moving large amounts of food, and easier for the pantry as
they can buy what they need, using discounts available through Second Harvest.
Norm Davis
is one of the first persons Neal met here, and she is very appreciative of what
he and the local Democrats have done for the food pantry.
On July 13th,
the food collection at the meeting of the Villages Democrats, will again be for
the Christian Food Pantry. Norm says
they need canned goods, fruit, meats, vegetables, soups, chowders, tuna, pork
and beans, mac and cheese, sauce, pasta, boxed goods, cereal, cake mix, rice,
oatmeal, peanut butter, jelly and paper products.
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Chao - McConnell and ethics!
Elaine Chao is the Secretary of
Transportation in the Trump administration
She is married to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell.
 |
| McConnell & Chao |
Multiple ethics questions are
swirling around Chao, including efforts to include members of her family in
meetings with Chinese officials during a visit to China in her Cabinet member
role. After concerns were raised the
meetings were canceled, but another trip may be scheduled, according to a New
York Times story.
Money is reportedly still coming to
Chao from stock in Vulcan Materials Company, where she served on the board of
directors before joining the Trump administration. Vulcan is the nation’s largest supplier of
sand, gravel and crushed stone for road construction and much of their business
is with the government. Chao had
pledged to divest herself of her Vulcan stock and hasn’t provided information
as to why she hasn’t done so.
There’s more.
Reporters have found information
that Chao may have been giving Kentucky special treatment because of her
husband, who is up for re-election. Some
$80 million in federal grants have gone to the state during Chao’s Cabinet
term.
And, from Rachel Maddow, the story
of Mitch McConnell and Oleg Deripaska.
Deripaska, who is close with Vladmir Putin, did some work with Paul
Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, now in jail.
Following Russia’s attack on U.S.
elections, sanctions were put on Deripaska, including Rusal, his mammoth
aluminum company.
That set off a major lobbying
campaign for Deripaska, and the Treasury Department actually said they would
lift the sanctions. That didn’t go over
well in the House of Representatives where a bipartisan majority had
questions. Then the Senate took it up,
and many Republicans there also wanted to keep the sanctions in place.
Enter Mitch McConnell, who saw to
it that the measured died, which allowed the Trump Administration to get rid of
the sanctions.
Deripaska’s company recently announced they will open a
$200 million plant in Kentucky, bringing money and jobs to McConnell’s home
state.
The news of the plant was given to
McConnell by David Vitter, a former Senator from Louisiana who was one of the
lobbyists for Deripaska.
Turns out Vitter’s wife had been
nominated to be a federal judge, but the nomination had been languishing for a
year and a half because she was such a poor choice. Five weeks after Vitter
called McConnell with the good news about the plant, his wife’s nomination came
back up and she is now a Federal Judge for life.
Mitchell sees no problems with any
of this, but House Democrats have requested a federal investigation.
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We are looking for Artistic Democrats
Are you a painter, pencil artist, potter or quilt maker?
Are you one of the many artists in the Villages
whose work is admired by everyone?
Were you a professional artist before moving to the Villages?
Would you consider donating a piece of your work to be included
in the "Silent Auction" at the Sumter County Democrats Gala?
This event will be held November 9th, 2019 at Harbor Hills Country Club!
All items will be prominently displayed, with a tent card describing your work.
Funds raised at the Gala make possible our outreach efforts on behalf of the Democratic Party and our work to elect candidates
who reflect ct the America we hold dear.
If you are willing to contribute an item please respond to:
Lydia Busch at 504-377-7450
Or
Jean Cutter at 978-764-904
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Are Democrats late in appealing to Latino Voters?
Latino political operatives are worried about the lack of attention being paid by Democratic Presidential candidates in swing states according to POLITICO. The Trump campaign is mounting an extensive outreach to Latinos in states like Florida. The operatives feel if Democrats do not energize younger Latinos and those who feel estranged by the president--those voters may sit out the election.
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Have you thought about running for office?
Your skills may be of value for a Villages CDD or County Commission member!
For assistance on how to run for office contact:
Mike Hardy - Democrat Party Candidate Coordinator
mlhardy024521@gmail.com
352-623-7823
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