What is the blue structure across the street from Ricciardi Brothers paints on Springfield Avenue?

DaveSchmidt said:

drummerboy said:

what makes you think they can afford heat, rent, phone, etc?

According to what Formerlyjerseyjack wrote (with the implied rhetorical question of “we’re supposed to figure”), he doesn’t.

His point, as I took it, was that when people can’t afford heat, rent, phone, etc., a Community Fridge doesn’t just fail to “‘solve’ the whole problem.” It doesn’t solve nearly enough of it.

it's meant to provide assistance to one part of the problem. Why criticize it for not doing more than it was intended for?

and furthermore, small towns like Maplewood hardly have the resources to solve the whole, or most, of the problem anyway.

his complaint still makes no sense.

ml1 said:

 just a quick FYI, "stigma free" refers specifically to how people with mental health issues are treated.  It doesn't take much intellectual heft or sophistication to google a term so one doesn't use it ignorantly.

 Hey, I didn't make the sign, but thanks.  I guess this sign applies to some but not all??? That's news to me. I thought stigma free town, meant a stigma free town. Meaning a town that was fully inclusive of all.  I'm pretty sure some who are food insecure also suffer from mental health issues BTW.  FYI...

ConcernedHighTaxPayer said:

 Hey, I didn't make the sign, but thanks.  I guess this sign applies to some but not all??? That's news to me. I thought stigma free town, meant a stigma free town. Meaning a town that was fully inclusive of all.  I'm pretty sure some who are food insecure also suffer from mental health issues BTW.  FYI...

 I'm sure some do. 

But the sign means what it means. And if it was meant to mean "inclusive" it would have said "inclusive."  And it surely wasn't meant as fodder for mockery. 

Stigma: a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person."the stigma of having gone to prison will always be with me"

Stigma-Free Initiative is a county-wide program that aims to reduce the
negative beliefs associated with mental illness and substance use disorders

Up until today I never actually knew what those Stigma Free signs meant.

I doubt I'm the only one.

drummerboy said:

Up until today I never actually knew what those Stigma Free signs meant.

I doubt I'm the only one.

 I’m with you. I wasn’t quite sure what it meant. I personally thought it was a sign, put out there to show outsiders that their town harbor no prejudices. 

DaveSchmidt said:

According to what Formerlyjerseyjack wrote (with the implied rhetorical question of “we’re supposed to figure”), he doesn’t.

His point, as I took it, was that when people can’t afford heat, rent, phone, etc., a Community Fridge doesn’t just fail to “‘solve’ the whole problem.” It doesn’t solve nearly enough of it.

 Thank you.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

DaveSchmidt said:

According to what Formerlyjerseyjack wrote (with the implied rhetorical question of “we’re supposed to figure”), he doesn’t.

His point, as I took it, was that when people can’t afford heat, rent, phone, etc., a Community Fridge doesn’t just fail to “‘solve’ the whole problem.” It doesn’t solve nearly enough of it.

 Thank you.

 great, so we should do nothing because we can't do everything.

got it.

drummerboy said:

Up until today I never actually knew what those Stigma Free signs meant.

I doubt I'm the only one.

 but you weren't making snide comments without knowing what they mean, which in my experience has been pretty common. 

I've even seen #conservativesnowflakes  complaining that in a stigma free town the libs shouldn't make them feel a sad about the awfulness of their politics. 

If people care about the meaning of something the correct answer is literally at their fingertips. 

Then there are families escaping domestic violence or exploitation, perhaps living in their cars while they try to stay mostly hidden; people with disabilities who work cash-in-hand as they try for a leg up and some respect but end up exploited in the worst way…

Middle-aged or older adults with barely functional literacy who cannot ‘fess up without losing what they have worked so hard to gather. It’s surprising the people who get away with not actually reading working papers yet are respected leaders - or were, until business models changed a year or so ago.  Some prefer the relative privacy of a community fridge/food bank than puzzling out items in a big market. 

None of this means you’re a no-hoper, just dealing with different life circumstances. 

I think some people are against it because they feel “out of towners” will line up there. Since the perception of maplewood as some wealthy enclave of liberal intellectuals, it’s an embarrassment to see a food pantry on Springfield avenue. 
I’m thinking it was an idea born out of the pandemic last year. Great idea, location is good as the parking lot is right there. It’s just that some people feel it will become an eyesore, especially since the taxes are so high. 

.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Ok. Accepting that food scarily is a problem for some of our residents, it will not be solved with a refrigerator on Springfield Ave.

empty the refrigerator and put a sign to refer people to social serv…. Better yet, put a desk for the social services person inside the shed.

 As someone who has been involved with the fight against food insecurity in our community (Maplewood/South Orange) for 20 years, I can tell you, with no uncertainty, that you're right: No single thing will solve the issue of food insecurity. Pat yourself on the back for being right. 

However, stuff like this helps. And the hundreds of other little things that folks in this community do makes a huge difference in fighting food insecurity. 

And, look, maybe you've never been food-insecure either. Pat yourself on the back for that one too!

But as my late Mom used to say, "There but for the grace of God go I". I admire our communities' consistent stance of taking care of folks in need in our part of the world. 

Soul_29 said:

 As someone who has been involved with the fight against food insecurity in our community (Maplewood/South Orange) for 20 years, I can tell you, with no uncertainty, that you're right: No single thing will solve the issue of food insecurity. Pat yourself on the back for being right. 

However, stuff like this helps. And the hundreds of other little things that folks in this community do makes a huge difference in fighting food insecurity. 

And, look, maybe you've never been food-insecure either. Pat yourself on the back for that one too!

But as my late Mom used to say, "There but for the grace of God go I". I admire our communities' consistent stance of taking care of folks in need in our part of the world. 

 Well said.  I like that.  Thank you. You really made my day.  My back hurts a little now (just kidding - humor people!  Ha, Ha... levity get it?), but I appreciate you sharing a little personal moment and taking the high road.  

I, in all sincerity, feel it is a very important to dedicate attention to this matter.  I will do my part to contribute, as soon as someone explains how it works exactly.  I'm curious because I do not know (that's no joke).  

None of us is shielded from that no matter how much money we use to wallpaper our bathrooms when the kids go off to school (just kidding again - Ha, Ha, HA!).  We do the wallpapering on the weekends. Jeez, tough crowd.  There goes my stand up career kickstart project in Maplewood.

ConcernedHighTaxPayer said:

 Well said.  I like that.  Thank you. You really made my day.  My back hurts a little now (just kidding - humor people!  Ha, Ha... levity get it?), but I appreciate you sharing a little personal moment and taking the high road.  

I, in all sincerity, feel it is a very important to dedicate attention to this matter.  I will do my part to contribute, as soon as someone explains how it works exactly.  I'm curious because I do not know (that's no joke).  

None of us is shielded from that no matter how much money we use to wallpaper our bathrooms when the kids go off to school (just kidding again - Ha, Ha, HA!).  We do the wallpapering on the weekends. Jeez, tough crowd.  There goes my stand up career kickstart project in Maplewood.

 don't quit your day job Shecky 

ConcernedHighTaxPayer said:

There goes my stand up career kickstart project in Maplewood.

 Yer slippin', Straw.

PeterWick said:

ConcernedHighTaxPayer said:

There goes my stand up career kickstart project in Maplewood.

 Yer slippin', Straw.

 Could be wrong, but I don't think it's Strawberry. Strawberry was obnoxious but funny.

So when does the Fridge go in? 

I want to see how this works. 

Can people feed their pets too?  I mean if the people are experiencing food insecurity, their pets must also be going through food insecurity.  Remember when the Sub-Prime mortgage crisis hit?  People were abandoning their pets.  That was incredibly sad.  Also, during COVID many shelters accepted pets back, most recently, as reported in the New York Times "Americans found it difficult to care for their chickens, and they were starting to return them". Most other countries would probably make some chicken soup, but here the chickens get returned to the farm or shelter as well.  Will there be pet food?

Yes, but only at the drive-thru window.

So when does the smallest free supermarket open on Springfield Avenue?  Is this going to happen or not?  For a solution to food insecurity, this solution is moving quite slow in the wrong direction.

dave said:

Yes, but only at the drive-thru window.

 You know for a solution to food insecurity, we seem to really be taking our time.  I'd hate to see these people respond to a fire.

ConcernedHighTaxPayer said:

dave said:

Yes, but only at the drive-thru window.

 You know for a solution to food insecurity, we seem to really be taking our time.  I'd hate to see these people respond to a fire.

 I don't think there's enough room in the shed to hold that much water, do you?  And there's the age-old question:  still or sparkling?