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We can all continue
to support the hungry
Re: “Eateries stand up and deliver” (Page A1, Oct. 6).
Your recent article about Bay Area restaurants offering free meals to SNAP families during the government shutdown was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Local businesses and owners like Al Pastor Papi, Tony & Alba’s Pizza and Tee Tran of Monster Pho showed true kindness.
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No family should have to depend on kindness to survive. No family should struggle for basic necessities. Congress must end the shutdown and restore full SNAP funding.
Food is not a privilege; it’s a right. The organization change.org has created a fundraiser for the American people who have lost aid. All donations go to feeding Americans. Encouraging donations can make a difference right now in society.
We can all come together and make a change by supporting one another, spreading awareness and creating ways to donate to people in need. But we also must demand a government that ensures no child goes hungry because of politics.
Makena McCall
Sunnyvale
To help the hungry,
stop food waste
Re: “People flock to food pantries in Bay Area” (Page A1, Nov. 4).
I recently read the above article, and it made me sad and frustrated. Millions of Americans are struggling to provide food for themselves and their families. Forty-one million Americans rely on SNAP benefits to provide or supplement their nutritional needs, and removing these benefits is cruel and unethical.
While it is important to restore SNAP benefits, I think that it is also worth bringing up that 30%-40% of the food supply goes to waste. I think that funding infrastructure that would reduce the amount of food waste and get it onto the tables of those who need it would be beneficial for everyone.
The United States is a very rich country. It is sad that so many Americans are experiencing hunger and food insecurity, and it is a problem that deserves more attention.
Hikari Martin
San Jose
Tariff proceeds are
slush fund for Trump
Re: “Justices seem skeptical of Trump tariffs” (Page A1, Oct. 6).
If fentanyl is the issue that prompted tariffs, why did Donald Trump cut all the grants at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), totaling about $2 billion? He has cut nearly $1 trillion over nine years from Medicaid, which is the largest single source of addiction treatment funding. He has cut funds and proposed future budget cuts of billions more, which affect programs that provide services such as naloxone distribution, overdose prevention and public health surveillance.
He just wanted a slush fund of tariffs so that he could use it to reward his rich and powerful billionaire friends and hurt the small businesses and the working poor.
Mohan Raj
San Jose
Election struck a
blow for the truth
To me, the overriding political issues in the recent election were the deceitfulness, incompetence and unpredictability of our president. That was, is and will continue to be the case as long as Trumpism muddies the scene.
This election was evidence of the strength of democracy: The people oppose oppression when truth prevails. I have the same faith in our elections as thewise thinker, who stated, “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
The truth is not changed by deceitful politicians nor by deep-seated party affiliations. It is hidden sometimes by blind compliance, dishonest leadership and groupthink, but it is always there. I have therefore to believe that the human desire for truth, human rights and freedom from oppression will ultimately prevail.
Jerry Meyer
San Jose
US needs framework
for AI and education
Across America, two forces are shaping the next generation: the rapid rise of AI and the daily work of education. The challenge is not choosing between them but bringing them together.
AI drives innovation and prosperity, but education develops empathy, discernment and judgment. Both aim to expand human potential. AI creates possibilities, and education gives it purpose.
That shared mission should define the next chapter of America’s progress. We need a framework in which builders of AI and stewards of learning work side by side. AI companies should embed educators in product design, schools should teach AI literacy and ethics; and regulators should focus on transparency, privacy and age-appropriate design. These are not barriers to innovation; they are guardrails that earn trust and make progress sustainable.
Jason Park
San Jose
Mr. Roadshow still
has lessons to teach
Gary Richards (Mr. Roadshow) was my childhood baseball coach. As I’ve gotten older and lost friends and acquaintances due to the passing of time, it has become ever more apparent that people aren’t truly gone until we stop sharing their stories.
Gary, regardless of his physical limitations, never once showed our little league team (The Giants) any kind of weakness. He coached us through batting, pitching and fielding practices, all while having a prosthetic. Our team made it to the tournament of champions during Gary’s tenure as our coach.
What I’d love for people to understand is this lesson in life: We only get one shot at it. Don’t let the cards you draw at birth dictate your limitations. Be like Gary. Do what you want to do because nothing can hold you back if you give it enough effort.
Andrew Gebhart-Hardin
San Jose
