Community Commentary
By William Kohler
Elon Musk called me a number of years ago because he needed $450 million for Tesla. An acquaintance of mine who thought I could help Musk gave him my phone number. We talked and nothing came of it. But in 2010, Tesla received the funding it needed, in the form of a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy. That was the funding he thought I might be able to help him obtain. I was lukewarm on helping him.
I’ve never been a fan of government funding of private business. It makes the economy do un-free market, unnatural things. It’s subject to abuse.
Now, Musk is leading an effort to make government “more efficient,” and part of that effort is policy changes affecting U.S. food aid. One policy change is the Department of Agriculture’s cancelation of programs that provide essential food supplies to food banks and school. As you’ve probably seen, that includes 148,000 pounds of food that was to have been delivered this summer to Second Harvest Food Bank for Lorain County. This loss of support will be suddenly damaging to families in deep need of food. They are people in need of groceries, not a billionaire in need of business-growth funding. Sudden food deprivation is immoral. Personally, I think it’s despicable.
If this administration won’t fulfill the government’s prior commitment to provide food to the needy, then all of us will need to step up. My rough estimation of the cost of 148,000 of beef, beans, milk and eggs is about $318,000. If we do this, then that means an expense covered by a highly effective federal vehicle for legitimate food distribution that is primarily funded by those who can afford it (higher tax-paying citizens) will become our local expense. What is your opinion: are you willing to step up and/or do you demand reinstatement of federal food aid for our community?
Editors Note:
How You Can Help
If you’re looking to support local efforts to fight food insecurity, several organizations in our community provide critical assistance. The Free Fridge at Ritter Public Library offers an easy way to donate fresh and non-perishable food for those in need. The Salvation Army’s Pantry provides groceries to families facing hardship. Second Harvest Food Bank supplies food to various pantries and operates monthly mobile pantries and programs specifically for seniors. Additionally, Goodwill Industries of Lorain County runs a pantry to help individuals and families in need. Whether through direct donations, volunteering, or financial contributions, these organizations rely on community support to keep their shelves stocked and families fed.
