Letters to the Editor - May 1, 2025

Local food access: How to speak up, make your voice heard, on behalf of neighbors in need

Widespread hunger and food insecurity continue to be hidden problems throughout the region. A whopping $1 billion in funding cuts, announced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in mid-March, have resulted in swift, direct, and devastating local impact. At St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia, our Community of Radical Hospitality hinges on food distribution to neighbors in need—921 of whom visited the Food of Life/Comida de Vida Food Pantry on the last Friday in February. These individuals live in our neighborhoods and work at local businesses; they are the parents of our children’s classmates and contribute to the local community; and, amidst rising inflation and ongoing political uncertainty, they turn to us for assistance because they can’t afford to buy groceries.

As members of the New York Regional Food Bank, the USDA has been our primary source of reliable low- to no-cost protein—including pork, chicken, beef, fish, eggs, nuts and peanutbutter—for the last 15 years. In the wake of drastic and unexpected cuts, the once abundant selection of quality protein is growing smaller and more costly. While we have been spared any weeks without protein for distribution (a blessing due to careful advance planning by our pantry manager), we anticipate availability will continue to plummet. The end of two pandemic-era programs (including the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, which enabled states to buy fresh food direct from farmers and distribute it to local organizations helping communities in need) has revealed a stark truth: the vast chasm between the haves and the have-nots in Dutchess County is growing, and the impending crisis demands immediate attention from the community at large.

Donations of shelf-stable food are not the answer. In an effort to provide well-rounded pantry staples for all, we need to raise dollars and awareness in equal amounts. Money means we are able to expand our relationships with local farmers, through partnerships with Tri Corner FEED (Food Equity, Education, and Distribution) and the Tenmile Farm Foundation, to keep our neighbors nourished. Advocacy equates to contacting your state and federal representatives; voicing concern about barriers to local food access; and letting them know you are a constituent who is asking for action!

Food is a basic human right. While eradicating the myriad barriers to access in our region may not be imminent, it is our collective responsibility to ensure dignity for all. Together, many hands will surely make light work of bringing this issue into the spotlight where—with increased visibility—it can be seen and solved.

The Rev. AJ Stack

Priest-in-Charge

Executive Director, Food of Life/Comida de Vida Pantry

Amenia


Time to save democracy

My father, my grandfather, and probably my great grandfathers, were Republicans in the tradition of Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan, and I am proud of their accomplishments for our country.But they would be truly appalled by how much of what they supported, at home and abroad, is now being destroyed by Trump and his MAGA Republicans.

It is time for traditional Republicans, together with Democrats, independents, progressives, and conservatives,to support our democracyand our Constitution.

We all should rally—with speeches, votes, letters,lawsuits—to Lincoln’s famous words at Gettysburg: …It is for us, the living…that we here highly resolve…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom…that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

Alice Yoakum

Lakeville


For the sake of libraries

I am horrified by the cuts to our Connecticut library system.

As the town with the country’s oldest lending library, let us step forward and fundraise to reinstitute the statewide interlibrary loan system. If each library in Connecticut could raise money it may be possible. We have to try.

I hope that those at Scoville, and the savvy fundraisers among us, can generate some ideas that the community will support. I know that I am not alone in mydesperation for action.

Jill Esterson

Salisbury

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less