Loving Garland Green will host their monthly speaker's meeting this coming Monday, July 25. The topic will be pollinator reproduction.  Janet Smith, Dallas County Master Gardener will be the speaker.  Janet is the Dallas County Master Gardener coordinator for the White Rock Lake Community garden.  You can expect a lively and informative presentation from Janet who, as her slides will attest, is also an accomplished photographer.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

GARLAND TEXAS

DOWNTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY located at 625 Austin Street 75040

6:30 to 7:30 PM

License Plate:  BK5 1926

This 2004 Ford F250 3/4 ton truck was stolen from the driveway of a home located at 216 East Kingsbridge Drive in Garland Texas (in the area near Naaman School Road and Hwy 78).  The truck was likely stolen in the early morning hours (between 1am and 6am Sunday July 3). It belongs to a senior citizen who only could afford to carry liability insurance on it and who cannot afford to replace the truck.  Unfortunately for the community of Garland this is the only truck available for hauling materials, plants and equipment to the Garland Community Garden.

Let's Start a Revolution:  Zero Tolerance for Theft!

I've been mulling around for the past 24 hours, dealing with feelings of sadness, anger and frustration.  I remind myself of that character from the comedy/drama film "Network" written by Paddy Chayefsky who stands up and shouts:  "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more."  My thoughts are turning now to what one person can do to make this situation better.  Car theft is a huge problem in the DFW area.  The statistics in Garland are particularly dismal as 1 in every 360 residents can expect to have a vehicle stolen (Statistics from Neighborhood Scout).  This is unacceptable behavior--on the part of the people who steal the cars as well as those who know about it and keep their mouths shut.  We need to start standing up and standing together against crime.

Any revolution in human history can be traced back to one person—often it is a person who is fed up with injustice and/or perceived injustice who decides to take action--however, futile it might initially appear to be.  In so doing this person by example empowers others to do the same.  Before you know it, change is knocking on the door.  Please stand up with me on this one.

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THE FIRST GIVEN FOR THIS THEFT OF CHARLIE'S TRUCK: At least one person and more than likely several people other than the thieves and those who received this stolen property know who committed this crime.  This is true for almost any crime that is committed.

People who in no way profited from this crime have knowledge of who did it.  I'm sure of that.  So I ask myself:  What can I as one individual with limited resources myself do to draw this person out and convince them to do the right thing for the greatest good by making this information available to the police.  In no way by any moral standards can this theft be justified.  It wronged Charlie and it wronged our community.  Those who remain silent are in fact accessories to the crime.

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$200 Reward to the First Person who steps forward with information that leads to charges being filed against the thieves who stole Charlie's truck and/or leads to the recovery of the truck.

I will personally donate $200 to this pot.  I prefer that anyone with information regarding this crime to please call the Garland Crime Stoppers.  Should your information lead to charges being filed against the thieves, I will give the $200 to the Garland Crime Stoppers and they can add it to their reward pot above the reward amount they are prepared to give.  The thing about identifying the thieves who stole Charlie's truck is that you will be helping lots of innocent hard working people who are in line to have their vehicles stolen as well.  Nothing succeeds like success.  If we let thieves get away with their crimes, we only invite more.

Thieves can paint cars and get new license plates but the truck has several other identifying features.  Among other things, the windshield has a crack that runs all the way across the bottom from side to side and then up to one side.  It does not interfere with the driver's vision but if you see a 2004 Ford F250 with a cracked windshield, regardless the color or plates, please call Crime Stoppers.  We are not giving up on getting this truck back.  Some trucks are hot, well this one is sizzling.  We can even identify some of its parts as unique and traceable back to this particular truck and yes we will never stop looking.  This truck is special.  If you have information on this theft you may as well be the one to share it and make a few bucks.  These people are going to be caught.

MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO CONTACT THE GARLAND CRIME STOPPERS-IT'S EASY!

Calls are received at the local Crime Stoppers tips line phone, 972-272-TIPS, during normal business hours Monday-Friday.  This phone is a stand alone instrument which does not provide caller ID, and conversations are not recorded.  Garland's Crime Stoppers police Coordinator receives the information, completes the tips information form, makes initial inquiries and then passes the information to the investigating officer. Calls are accepted regarding any publicized request for information, such as "Crime of the Week" or such other crime(s) the caller has knowledge of. 

By guaranteeing a caller`s anonymity Crime Stoppers allows the caller to give information in a positive atmosphere without the prospect of retribution. By offering cash rewards for information leading to indictment or arrests, the program encourages otherwise reluctant callers to provide information.

ADDENDUM REGARDING MY INTENTIONS:

Charlie has expressed concern that people will feel sorry for him. Please don't. Neither of us are longstanding fans of pity. The only thing we are soliciting for here is the return of Charlie's truck and the apprehension of the thieves. He wanted to make that very clear. I totally agree with him.  There are a lot of folks out there hurting a lot worse than Charlie.  He is doing just fine and wanted to let you know that.

I am soliciting for a community that has the courage to stand up to crooks and report crimes to the authorities--nothing else. As far as I'm concerned, there is no heroism involved in protecting thieves.

To be perfectly blunt for which I am famous:  No money or goods or donations for either of us. Give to the Crime Stoppers. Give to Loving Garland Green. Give to the Good Samaritans or other food banks in our community.  Stand by your community.

It's always in season to share your food with those less fortunate--not just Thanksgiving and Christmas. - July 1, 2016

Yesterday Charlie and I delivered 23 pounds of produce from the Garland Community Garden to the Good Samaritans of Garland.  This included 8 one-gallon bags of kale, two pounds of blackberries 12 pounds of tomatoes, two one-quart bags of okra, a bag of grapes, and several bags of basil, mint and lemon grass.  We encourage all gardeners to contribute fresh produce from their gardens to the various food banks and charities in our community.

 Pepper plant growing in the container garden at the Good Samaritans of Garland Texas - July 2, 2016

Hunger Is the Biggest Problem--many people who have a roof over their heads are still going hungry because there is only so far a dollar can be stretched.

When we were there, we also checked up on the container garden that is being maintained by Good Samaritan volunteers and some of their homeless clients--yes we have the homeless in our midst.  If you think of the homeless as being alcoholics and drug addicts, you are partially correct.  However the profile for the homeless is much broader than that.  For example, it also includes mother and children.  Organizations like the Good Samaritans help these people to find jobs and homes.  Sometimes, due to the shortage of available resources, all they can provide is food to eat and a place to clean up in the back by a water faucet.

The recession that begin in the fall of 2007 may not have touched you or your family, or you may be among the few who have recovered financial losses you may have sustained, however, there are still thousands in our DFW area who will once again tonight have no roof over their head.

Even though the homeless are often the extreme public face of inequality and food insecurity in the USA, hunger impacts many millions more people than homelessness.  I first became aware of this at my 10^th high school class reunion.  I grew up in a small West Texas town where I mistakenly thought everyone was the same—no family was exceedingly wealthy and no family was exceedingly poor.  We had no people in our community who slept on public doorsteps.

Hunger, as I learned from a classmate, was alive and well in the shadows of my hometown.  My classmate told me that she often brought two slices of white bread for lunch as a ‘sandwich’ along with a thermos of water. Yes, literally bread and water was her lunch for most of the days out of each month.  She always ate her lunch away from the rest of us with her younger sister. 

Even more recently, right here in Garland, I visited hunger face to face on a daily basis as I was campaigning door to door in 2012.  I came into people's homes and talked with them about what they wanted from political representation in  Washington.  It was an eye-opener for me--particularly when it comes to the needs of the elderly.  For example, one man, living on Social Security, told me that to make ends meet, the last week before his check arrived he lived on peanut butter and crackers and water.  He was reduced to these extremes because of his monthly pharmaceutical costs.  

• 1 in 6 Americans live on incomes that put them at risk for hunger.
• Over 14 million American children rely on food banks for assistance.
• Food insecurity exists in every single county in the United States--including Dallas County.
• A report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that only 11% of those requesting emergency food assistance were homeless.
• In 2011, more than 31 million children lived on incomes that qualified them for free or subsidized lunches.

[Statistics from Feeding America]

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Two Primary Causes for Hunger in the USA

The two primary causes for hunger in the USA according to  “Feeding America” are income inequality and food deserts.  Many food banks have a large majority of their clients who have at least one employed person in the household.  But after rent, mortgage and other bills are paid, there is not enough money left to provide for the household.  Food deserts are areas where residents do not have access to a grocery story that provides healthy and affordable foods necessary for a healthy diet. The US Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as neighborhoods more than a mile from a grocery store in the city.

Summer is the Hungriest Season of All—especially for children

Vicki and Steven:  Two hard-working volunteers from the Good Samaritans of Garland Texas.

We all know that awareness of hunger peaks during the holiday season.  However, during the summer months the children who receive free lunch at school are home.  Summer, in my opinion is perhaps the key season to be giving all you can to our food banks and pantries. 

According to the Texas Department of Agriculture, nearly 2.3 million children receive free or reduced price, nutritionally balanced lunches at school each day under the National School Lunch Program, but only about 12% of these children have access to the Summer Food Service Programs during the summer.   I’m happy to report that  The City of Garland sponsors a Children's Summer Nutrition Program in partnership with area churches, recreation centers and apartments.  Interested parties should call 972-205-3300 to discuss program requirements.  We still have two months of summer left.  Even one day is too long for a child in the USA to go hungry.  Two months is unconscionable.

It's helpful to deal with the problem of hunger at the micro-local level

It's an overwhelming problem that we have over 620,000 children in Dallas County living below the poverty line -- thousands of whom go to bed hungry at night. The researchers of that same study found that 183,000 children, enough to fill the Dallas Cowboy Stadium more than twice, are not getting enough food.  (Source:  The Children's Medical Center Annual Study of 2011).

A good starting point for dealing with the problem is to ask:  What can I do to alleviate the hunger of one or two people in my community?  Will the 12 pounds of tomatoes that Charlie and I delivered yesterday feed 183,000 children?  Of course not, but it will help to provide nutrition for one meal for approximately 24 people.  If you multiply this effort by all of us who can afford to share food--not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but year 'round you can see how far those efforts would go.

If I were queen every classroom in the Garland ISD would be in charge of a garden plot growing edibles to be given to our local food banks and charities.

Call your local city government today and ask what you can do to help alleviate hunger in your community.  Together it is possible to eliminate hunger in the USA and the world.  The best starting place is right where you are.  The best time is right now.

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Again, if you live in my local area of Garland, Texas:

The City of Garland sponsors a Children's Summer Nutrition Program in partnership with area churches, recreation centers and apartments.  Interested parties should call 972-205-3300 to discuss program requirements.  We still have two months of summer left.  Even one day is too long for a child in the USA to go hungry.  Two months is unconscionable.