To the Editor,
I am sad to say that it was only last week when I learned the inspirational story of The Common Man for Ukraine and what New Hampshirites have been able to achieve since the war began with Russia. Four neighbors came together in Plymouth NH in 2021 to talk about what they could do to help. Since then, they have partnered with Rotary Clubs and have had over 14 trips to the country working with volunteer partners in both Poland and Ukraine. They have directly delivered to Ukrainians over 4 million pounds of food, 10,000 sleeping bags, clothing, knitted goods, hundreds of generators, and other items.
Two years ago they initiated three week residential trauma retreats in Poland to help kids deal with the loss of a parent and the trauma of the war. This program has now been extended to widows and is provided by local counsellors. The children and their families, having a brief reprieve from war, are finding they have better coping skills to move forward.
The people who attended the presentation, sponsored by the New London Democrats as part of their education series, were encouraged to contribute money, knit hats, host refugees in their home or think up other ideas; also suggested were donations of beanie babies, which are safe gifts to children in this war-torn country.
The stories and pictures shown at the meeting underscored the resilience and courage of Ukrainians as they continue to fight for a better future. I encourage people to go on their website (commonmanforukraine.org) and learn how several determined people from New Hampshire just got down to brass tacks and did something. We can all do the same but in our own way.
Liz Stikeman
48 Knights Hill Road
New London, NH 03257
Having worked as a public health nurse in the large cities of Los Angeles and Chicago with
families with very limited means, I was quite surprised to learn of the problem of food instability
with some of our rural families. I was not well informed as perhaps many are not. After all, we
live in stable areas where we see little poverty or food insecurity amongst our neighbors and
friends. I was fortunate to learn of the national food assistance program, called SNAP, much in
the news lately.
I did not know that over 76,000 people in NH depend on SNAP to feed their families, that over
3500 are veterans, that 45% of these households include a person who is disabled, and 54%
include families with children.
Most people are on the program for about 18 months and only 32% of those who are eligible
even access the program. Certainly this low participation is likely due to the stigma attached to
it, or perhaps the cumbersome application process. This is particularly unfortunate for growing
children in need. Children on school meals receive healthy food and, I learned from school
educators, research shows that children who have access to food in schools and at home have
better health and educational outcomes. Very surprising to me was the fact that food sourced for
school meals have nutritional standards and are better quality and/or lower in sugar than
products in our supermarkets.
So let’s support our food pantries and SNAP, WIC, and school meals programs. They are
support systems for people who fall on hard times. People on them should not be stigmatized. It
is a program that is well regulated, and is essential for millions of Americans.
Sincerely, Joy Kubit
229 Barrett Rd. New London 03257
9 Barrett Rd. New London 03257
LTE Intertown Weekly
DID YOU KNOW…?
Regardless of one’s political party or point of view, it’s obvious that sweeping changes in state and federal government laws, policies and decisions are happening at lightening speed. I think most will agree, knowledge is power and keeping track of what’s going on in our country and state is not getting easier. Most disconcerting is when the government and lawmakers purposely try to hide important facts from citizens as a way to hide the consequences of changing laws, policies and decisions. So I’d like to briefly summarize some news pieces that I think are significant for the average citizen to know (and may have fallen between the cracks.) Some are broad reaching, others are happening right in our neighborhoods. How you feel about them or what you decide to do about them is up to you…
Did you know..
- The US Department of Agriculture announced that they are canceling the survey entitled “Household Food Security Report”. This report contains data that measures rates of food insecurity nationwide and is a tool widely used by state and local anti-hunger programs.
- WIC (Women, Infants and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Food Program) benefits to feed children and families are likely to be canceled in November because of the government shutdown.
- What is hoped to be a NH state bi-partisan bill, a ban on plastic bags, is held up because it has only been sponsored by one party
- NH water supplies contain micro-plastics and a significant amount of PFAS (a type of plastic related chemical). PFAS in drinking water is a critical problem in communities, especially in southeast NH.
- Teachers who had to move their classrooms from the now closed Bluff Elementary School in Claremont to another elementary school were told they are on their own for any furniture or materials they would need to purchase.
- New Hampshire property owners pay among the highest taxes in the country to help pay for education and other public services.
- The non-partisan New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute estimated that the reduction of the Business Profit Tax and Business Enterprise Tax (BET) rates cost the state between $795 million and $1.17 billion in lost revenue between 2016 and 2024.
- The NH State Ways and Means committee is proposing to cut The Business Enterprise Tax (BET) further from 0.55% to 0.5%. House Bill 155, (moving ahead to a vote in January) would be the first business cut in 3 years.
Jane Barry
New London