Sheep Shots: Harnessing Some Serious Energy

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Harnessing Some Serious Energy

Anyone who knows, knows that the older generation (over 60s) have an enormous amount of political clout because they vote. So when seniors write their legislators, those legislators pay attention.

Our food bank administers a commodity program (Commodity Supplemental Food Program--CSFP--if anyone cares) that provides a monthly box of nourishing food to eligible seniors (and some WIC "graduates"). The box contains cereal, juice, canned protein, fruit and veggies, milk (canned and dry) and cheese. Okay, it's not all they eat, nor is it "enough" for a month. It's meant to supplement. Just so we are all on the same page, people receiving this help must 1) be over 60 and 2) have an income below 130% of the federal poverty level (that's a little over $1000 a month for a single). Truthfully, the average income of the people in our program is about 75% of the poverty level (less than $700 a month).

The administration's proposed budget didn't just gut the program, it eliminated it! No money. None.

Our seniors wanted the opportunity to communicate their thoughts to their elected officials.

Yes those are paper plates. Several hundred of them.

We have letters, too. And postcards.

They'll all be delivered before the budget is voted.

The messages are a lot clearer than this photo.

It says, "CSFP helps me stay healthy."

For folks who often must choose between eating and buying medication, it's an important program.

Today, House appropriations restored funding. The battle is partly over. Full House, then Senate appropriations, the compromise, then vote again. Work with me here, m'kay?

So, what's with the yarn?

It's another "treat" from the Tree. We were going to use it to string the plates into a mammoth "quilt," but now, we'll just be delivering the plates and using the yarn for something else.

Etoile asked in Tuesday's comments about the center out blankie. I'm ready to start the fluffy pastel one, so I'll be doing a step by step how-to. Stay tuned.

Materials list: odd bits of lots of stuff, pretty much all the same weight or combined strands to make the same weight. set of 5 dpns, appropriate size, 24" or 29" and 60" circulars, same size.

I'll be using the Frenzy and size 10.5 needles.

Get ready!

// posted by Ann @ 5/03/2006 04:25:00 PM