and you feed him for a day. Provided he ‘self certifies’.
The Tuesday club ride officially starts in Lockeford, but most of the riders form the ‘Lodi Express’ which starts early. We leave from Hutchins Square about 45 minutes before the Lockeford start time (10:00 am in December). Last week we were heading east on Pine Street, when we encountered a long line of people holding baskets and pulling carts and wagons. They were waiting for some free food.
The distribution schedule was published in the on-line version of The Record. 23 food give away events are scheduled in December, at locations all over the county. There were also details about who is eligible for which location based on Zip Code, and what the income criteria are. An advisory stated “The food may run out before the scheduled ending time.” which is probably why people were lined up early.
None of the people in line looked to be starving, and in fact the cyclists riding past appeared more likely to be underfed than the free food clients.
Recipients must be San Joaquin County residents who do not exceed the program income guidelines. Here is the ‘self certification’ form:
You print your name, or make one up if you like, since you are ‘never‘ required to produce ID. You can make up a family size too. As far as that goes, you could even use a zip code that doesn’t correspond to your actual residence, again since no proof of address is required.
Guidelines are fine. but nothing stops anyone in line from ignoring them other than their conscience.
The food is free to the recipients, but it is not free. Federal, state and local governments paid for it. Which means taxpayers paid for it. I felt like saying ‘you’re welcome’ as we cycled past, but I kept quiet.
Pretty nice cars in the free turkey line
Rich Freggiaro Cycling Blog 