Protest group funds local hunger relief
A weekend rally organized by Hands off Haywood commenced with the presentation of a $2,500 check to Haywood Christian Ministries in Waynesville, highlighting a direct link between protest activism and local hunger relief.
Hands off Haywood organizer Mary Ford told the crowd that demonstrators have faced insults and “more middle fingers since March than we have in our entire lives” while taking to the streets on a weekly basis earlier this year but said the group’s focus has remained on democracy and community support.
Partner content: Cherry juice — osteoarthritis remedy?
Question: Can drinking tart cherry juice help with my knee pain due to osteoarthritis?
Answer: While tart cherry juice isn’t harmful, the research proof of its efficacy to reduce pain or inflammation due to arthritis just is not there.
Federal shutdown threatens food aid in WNC
Waynesville resident Sam Wilds is blind, cannot work, uses her entire Social Security disability check for household bills, has approximately $50 left on her SNAP card for the month of October, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
There are ways to fix Social Security
To the Editor:
I read with interest the opinion piece in the LTE section on Sept. 2 regarding Social Security by Glenn Duerr.
Mr. Duerr is right that the trust fund isn’t on a permanently secure path under the current rules. Projections do show a shortfall "if nothing changes.” So calling attention to solvency isn’t wrong.
Food assistance program likely to be gutted, despite helping WNC residents
Like any parent or guardian, Katie Clubb wants to provide nutritious food for her grandchildren. Clubb, a Canton resident, said with rising grocery prices, SNAP benefits don’t adequately cover healthy options for anyone in her household.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2024 reported that the average person received $187.20 in SNAP — Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program — per participant, per month.
Free lunch eligibility trending downward in Macon
For the second year in a row, Macon County Schools will request funding from county commissioners to bridge the gap in funding for free school meals for all K-12 students. But with data trending downward, it’s unclear whether the school system will be able to continue its free meal program for more than two more years.
The axe always forgets, the tree always remembers
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to cut it up and use it for heat or timber, is it a waste of resources? Or, put another way, are humans the only reason that all other life on Earth was created?
