Got the inside story on testing & contact tracing & a few others. Coming in about 90 minutes. Follow if interested. 1/
There is plenty of food. Plenty. We need to make sure it gets to the right places. The amount of hunger in major cities is bad and growing.
The outlook for May is uncertain. 2/
-General panic buying of non-perishables
-Closing of many commercial food buyers (restaurants, schools, corporate cafeterias)
-Illness in labor, transportation, packing, warehousing
-Soaring demand at food banks 3/
-Pallets, SKUS, barcoding sizes don’t fit
-Restaurant & commercial sizes are dift
-Food producers can’t pay transport & labor 4/
What happens? It’s being mulched. Half the dairy & produce apparently is being put back in the ground. Cows are being slaughtered.5/
That needs to change. 6/
Non-perishables are in short supply.9/
I’m sure there are plenty of people who understand the mechanics better than me & if so welcome their additions or comments. 10/
@BetoORourke told me told that Texas hasn’t been able to get rice or beans. He’s been raising money & finding volunteers for food banks. 11/
I think it’s like being out of bagels. 12/
If perhaps you overbought non-perishables or aren’t worried about going hungry, a food bank donation would probably be hugely welcomed.
The ones I talked to said there are hours & hours of lines. 13/
If you didn’t see this line of cars to get food at a food bank in Pittsburgh, it may sear in your memory like it did mine.14/
commondreams.org/news/2020/04/1…
I have been on & off and take a slight break while I talk to them one more time. 15/
I proposed that the Fed government by and distribute from the growers, make a market, and reduce the shortages. I’m sure there are other ideas. Let me know. 16/
17/
This is far higher than anyone else’s projection. But it’s achievable if we pull out all the stops. 19/
Like South Korea did, use your phone to help you see who you were in contact with. 24/
Through the course of the last week I’ve been picking up points here and there but it hasn’t been the most salient issue to tweet about. 28/
Peak or no peak, the toll in lives, hunger, job loss & fear have been real. We must tend to each other. /end