Trump squanders money on a parade instead of helping the needy

Concord, California – On Saturday, Donald Trump, on the streets of Washington, will throw him an expensive and flashy military parade, and he will only show a gradual waste and vainglory show to inflate the resistant ego of the president.

Estimated Price Tag: Up to 45 million dollars.

On the same day, volunteers and staff White Pony Express They will do what they have done for about a dozen years, otherwise they will take the perfect good food and use them to feed hungry and needy people living in one of the most comfortable and wealthy regions of California.

Since its establishment, White Pony has processed more than 26 million pounds and passed – The equivalent of about 22 million foods – thanks to Mr. Area philanthropists such as Whole Foods, Starbucks and Trader Joe’s. This will otherwise go to regular storage areas, insert the 31,000 tons of CO2 emissions into the overheated atmosphere and eat 13,000 tons of food.

Something very right, you can practically hear that angels sing.

White Pony’s General Manager Eve Birge, the guiding principle of the non -profit organization, “We are a human family and one of us is all rising,” he said.

The Trump administration took a scythe in the country’s social security network, this task became late.

White Pony receives most of its support from companies, foundations, community organizations and individual donors. However, a large heap comes from the federal government; The non -profit organization may lose up to one third of its annual budget of $ 3 million due to the deductions of the Trump administration.

Birge said, “We serve 130,000 people every year,” he said. “This puts one -third of the people we serve, because if I can’t find another way to raise this money, then we’ll have to scaze the programs. I will have to think of quitting the staff.” (White Pony has 17 employees and approximately 1,200 active volunteers.)

Birge said, “You have a seven -day operation per week, because people are hungry for seven days a week.” He said. “We had to retreat to five or six days.”

Trump’s Great, Braggadocio-self-celebration, a Soviet-style exhibition of military equipment-tanks, horses, mules, parachute jumpers, thousands of walking unity-average celebrates the 250th anniversary and Oh yes, the President of the President celebrated the 79th birthday.

Marivel Mendoza was not very silent.

“Are we using a taxpayer dollar to pay for all empty programs and passage ceremony?” He asked a white pony distribution truck withdrawn with a few palette fruits, vegetables and other foods.

The organization of Mendoza, which operates from a small office center in Brentwood, serves more than 500 immigrant farm workers and their families in the Far East areas of Mr. Area. Iz We will see that people are starving at some point, Mend Mendoza said. “Ethical and immoral. I don’t know how [Trump] He’s asleep at night. “

Absolutely not seduced, or the empty belly is hunger.

Employees in White Pony speak with spiritual respect.

74 -year -old Paula Keler took a break from the last shift control products to discuss the benefit of the organization. (Every food coming from the door is controlled in terms of quality and freshness before entering the truck from the White Pony’s Concord warehouse and headquarters to one of the non -community non -profit organizations.)

Keler retired about a Bay Area school area about ten years ago. Tuesdays and Wednesdays have been volunteer in White Pony for the last nine years.

“This was my church, my gym and the therapist,” he said, a pulse rhythm and blues from a portable speaker inside the big ranking room. “On Tuesdays, I deliver two senior home. Mostly small women and knowing that the refrigerator is full tomorrow, they can sleep at night, and that’s what touches my heart.”

Keler had not heard Trump’s parade. “I don’t watch the news because it makes me want to vomit,” he said. He talked about the show and cost, responded to equality.

“Like Serenity prayer, Keler said Keler. “What can you do and what can’t you do? I’m trying to adhere to what I can.”

It is not too much to quote Joe Biden these days, but the former president would say something worth remembering. “Don’t tell me what you value,” he said. “Show me your budget, I’ll tell you what it value.”

Trump’s priorities – me, me, me – as I have never. However, while cutting funds that can help feed the needy, there is something that turns stomach in a make -up parade, especially about waste of wasting tens of dollars.

Michael Bagby has been voluntarily delivering food at White Pony for three years, and has been educating others to direct the truck fleet of the non -profit organization.

(Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times)

66 -year -old Michael Bagby works part -time on the White Pony. He retired after a career with great equipment piloting, and began to deliver about three years ago and began to train white pony drivers. His passion is dreaming of wrapping in the deep sea marlin-but he cannot feed any hobby spirit as much as helping others.

He was aware of Trump’s ambitious contest and careless price tag.

Bagby settled in the cabin of a 26 -meter refrigerator truck truck and said, “Nothing I say will not make a difference that will continue to go on a parade.” “But it would be better to show interest in the real needs of the country instead of a parade ceremony.”

That day, a church in a secondary school and a church in Antakya, the working class, then called Mendoza’s non -profit organization in neighboring Brentwood.

As Bagby climbed to the church, the priest and a few volunteers were waiting outside. The humble white plaster building is fringed with dead grass. The traffic from nearby Motorway 4 produced a film music.

“There are too many people. There are too many people. Very much,” he said. Eighty percent of the food he provides comes from white pony and helps to feed about 100 families a week. “If it wasn’t for them,” Hernandez said, “We couldn’t do that.”

With the help, Bagby left several palette. He raised the luggage door, shot the latches and headed to the cabin. A church member walked and took his hand. “God bless you,” he said.

Then he went to the next stop.