The Things You Find When You Clean Out Your Gmail Promotions Folder
Poking around in the recesses of my Gmail Promotions folder--where would-be spam and solicitations forever rest in digital purgatory--I came across a shortie from the office of Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. This was no mere happenstance. Back in March, I happened to email him (or the intern who monitors the inbox) at the end of March for the start of Passover (like me, Schatz is an M.O.T.).
I didn't pick Schatz randomly to make this request. Having made numerous visits to the Aloha State, I have a strong affinity for the islands and their people. I know that making a go of it is tough when you live there. Almost everything's expensive and wages often don't match up. And an article in the Star-Advertiser brought that home on March 26, reporting that nearly half of all kids in the state are food insecure and that 15 percent simply don't have enough to eat. Half!
Given that one of the traditions of Passover is inviting strangers to join in the Seder--the holiday meal-I gently suggested to Team Schatz that, in the spirit of Passover, he perhaps could wield the visibility of his formidable social media platforms to highlight the problem of food insecurity and how people could come to the aid of his fellow Hawaiians.
Or not. Despite emailing him about a problem specific to his state and wishing him a Chag Pesach (Happy Passover), this is all I got back.
Thank you for contacting me. For more information regarding communicating with a U.S. Senator from your state, please visit: http://www.senate.gov/general/
Brian Schatz
U.S. Senator
Huh? I know how to send emails to Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, thank you very much. So, living nearly 5,000 miles from Hawaii apparently deems me incapable of making observations about a dire problem in the state or caring about the people Schatz represents?
Look, I get it. Senators get jillions of emails, letters and other brickbats thrown at them every day. Was I expecting Schatz to get anywhere near my email? No, brah. Would I have expected someone to have the foresight to forward this to his social media guru. Yeah. Maybe. Would it have been too much to ask for someone to have actually read what I sent? Definitely not.
And if you agree that hunger in Hawaii is a problem that needs to be dealt with--by Schatz or anyone--do what I do and give to organizations helping, like the Maui Food Bank and the Maui Farm.
And I'm sure they'd be happy to hear from Brian Schatz too.
