A Pandemic Christmas Story

 

I'm a lucky guy.  I have enough resources to pay my bills, put food on the table, and to give family members Christmas gifts.  There are a LOT of Americans who cannot say the same this Christmas.  It's a pandemic Christmas.  Some (far too many) are hungry, desperate, and out of options.

Accordingly, I have pasted below a Pandemic Christmas Story by Jonathan V. Last.  Jonathan writes for The Bulwark website, but this poignant story is behind a pay wall.  That's too bad...it should be available to all.  

Early in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he’d spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too.

Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket — even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave backpacks up front and displays high-theft items like hand sanitizer and baking yeast in more conspicuous areas. Park doesn’t usually call the police, choosing instead to bar offenders from coming back.

“It’s become much harder during the pandemic,” he said. “People will say, ‘I was just hungry.’ And then what do you do?”

The coronavirus recession has been a relentless churn of high unemployment and economic uncertainty. The government stimulus that kept millions of Americans from falling into poverty earlier in the pandemic is long gone, and new aid is still a dot on the horizon after months of congressional inaction. Hunger is chronic, at levels not seen in decades.

The result is a growing subset of Americans who are stealing food to survive. . . .

Shoplifting is up markedly since the pandemic began in the spring and at higher levels than in past economic downturns, according to interviews with more than a dozen retailers, security experts and police departments across the country. But what’s distinctive about this trend, experts say, is what’s being taken — more staples like bread, pasta and baby formula.

“We’re seeing an increase in low-impact crimes,” said Jeff Zisner, chief executive of workplace security firm Aegis. “It’s not a whole lot of people going in, grabbing TVs and running out the front door. It’s a very different kind of crime — it’s people stealing consumables and items associated with children and babies.”

This, in the wealthiest country in the world.

So...I wish all peace and joy this holiday season.  Jonathan's recommendation is to find a food bank in your area and give them some money.  I second his recommendation, and will be making a donation myself.