Many of us heard the story about the grasshoppers and the ants from our parents, as they tried to teach us about being industrious and planning ahead.
The grasshoppers were jumping all over the yard, enjoying the summer day, and their ability to move and play.
The grasshoppers looked down at the ants, toiling away in the hot summer sun, dragging bits of food down into their underground nests. “What are you doing down there?” the grasshoppers called derisively. “Come play with us.”
But the ants said nothing, toiling away without a word.
Of course, the ants had the last laugh in the winter time, when the cold winds came and killed the grass, and the fresh food, and probably the grasshoppers as well, while the ants were warm and well fed in their underground houses.
The moral of the story is clear. But does it have any application to us here in Elkhart County?
I’ve heard two separate themes this last month as I talk with social service agencies, bankers, unemployed workers, and government officials.
First, the good news. Requests for help with utility bills are down. It’s summer time, and while you have to run the heat in the winter, you don’t have to run the airconditioner in the summer. People are growing food, and visiting food pantries less often. Our unemployment rate dropped a bit, and every bit helps.
Next, the bad news. We just passed the one year anniversary of Monaco Coach’s announcement of their closing. People who lost their jobs last year are running out of benefits. Extended unemployement, and the special extensions, are running out. Job re-training isn’t finished, or the jobs people trained for aren’t there. Family savings are exhausted. An unemployment rate of 16% or 17%, while lower, is not sustainable.
The potential for another wave of foreclosures, bankruptcies, businesses going under, families leaving the area, depression, and other results of an extended period of joblessness and economic stress is great – and growing.
We can see the winter coming. We know we need to be good ants. But what does it mean to be an ant in Elkhart County this summer?
We hear of churches offering canning and freezing classes for people who want to preserve food for the winter. That’s a great idea. I wish there were more. I wish we had people at ECWT to spearhead efforts like that.
We are developing a web-based Skills Bank that will allow unemployed people anywhere in Elkhart County to list work they are able to do, so that people who needs work done around the house can give them work. That’s one small piece.
But I’m left with the feeling that there is more that needs to be done – much more – to avoid further pain and devastation in our community.
Are you being an ant this summer? What are you doing?
How could our community work together this summer in ways that allow us all to eat this winter?
