So, here we are, in the middle of a crisis that is worsening every day. I'm doing fairly well, myself, but I know that far too many of us are not. Too many of us are looking into empty refrigerators and empty cupboards. Reliable data indicates that one out of every three people who have been to a food bank to get food this month have never done so before.
Right now, unemployment is sitting near 10%. Industry estimates peg the number of restaurants that will close permanently at anywhere from 15% to 25%.
The response to the situation is a patchwork of actions taken by local and state governments. Some governors have done a great job while some others have failed miserably. Even those who have done very well have come up short in various ways. I, personally, would like to see Governor Cuomo take action to do more for those of us who are out of work.
Due to his extension of his "New York State On Pause" order, which was set to expire on April 20th, but will now remain in place until at least the 29th, I will be out of work for several weeks.
I applied for unemployment insurance twenty-three days ago and no decision on my claim has been made as of today. The New York State Department of Labor said they needed more information from me; forms that were dated March 26th and March 30th were mailed to me on April 6th, which is the main reason for the delay. The forms came in yesterday's mail.
I am very grateful to one of the staff members in the housing program here at the Binghamton YMCA. She took the time to fax the completed forms on my behalf, and also attached a cover
letter explaining why I had not completed and submitted them any earlier.
Earlier this year, when we had three paychecks in January and I received both of my income tax refunds in February, I took all my extra cash (which totaled just over $1200) and put it into my savings account.
As of today, all of that is gone. I used it to pay my bills for March. I used it to
buy a few things I needed (no lie, I had three pairs of headphones all stop working in the same week, which was a real "you've got to be kidding me" experience). I stockpiled several weeks worth of food, dry goods, shaving cream and other necessities.
I used some of it to buy music, because I need music, now more than ever. There is just one compact disc that has the full mono version of "Leader Of The Pack" on it, so I spent $20
for a copy of it. It's titled "The Best Of Tragedy" and still shows as having copies for sale
on Amazon. It was worth the money I spent on it, for that song and a few others also on the disc.
A week ago, I applied for SNAP benefits, and as of this afternoon, Broome County DSS has yet to assign a case worker to my case. So, I'm waiting for someone to do something, because I do qualify for benefits.
I have not ordered any food to be delivered as I simply can't justify the expense right now.
I have, to be honest, purchased a few meals from restaurants as take-out orders, because some
of the dishes I love the most I can't prepare at home. So once or twice a week, I treat myself
to something nice like fried chicken or lamb over rice with a side salad.
I ran into Lauren today, while we were both waiting for the #5 bus. I miss Lauren, and I miss Mike, as well. Both are very capable and good co-workers. Lauren said that without us being there and without the cafe side being open that things are very boring for her.
The daily count for the daycare program has taken a real hit, as expected.
She has very little work to do in terms of actual cooking. She told me that she has done a lot of extra cleaning she really never had time to do before.
I told her that I miss working with her, because I really, truly, do. It was nice to just see her for the short time we waited for and rode the bus together.
As always, dear reader, wishing you the best.
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