US Friends: Remember 211 for Help

Gas is up, food is up, rent has unfairly increased exponentially – but where is the money coming from to keep up with everything that keeps getting more expensive? Thankfully, there is local and immediate help for food, rent, utilities, and more through 211.

Even if you have applied for assistance previously and been turned down, there are still many resources across the United States available to help keep you afloat during times of hardship. And if you have never tried asking for help before, whether because you did not think you would qualify or because of pride, it is worth a shot. There is no need to suffer.

211 is a clearinghouse for help with:

• Food
• Housing/Rent
• Utilities Assistance
• Employment
• Grants
• Healthcare
• Mental Health
• Substance Abuse Help

The website is simple to use (or you can dial 2-1-1 from any phone). Just hover over “Get Help” at the top and select the assistance you need. The site will then provide you with a list of resources and the means to contact and apply for them. Again, you may also simply dial 2-1-1 to have a team member walk you through the process.

Just a side note regarding available grants – one you may want to check into if you are working is called the “Modest Needs” grant. This one in particular is designed for working individuals who are just above the poverty line and may be in that “stuck in the middle” situation where you need help but make too much to qualify for most other assistance.

Remember, there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help if you need it. We all need a hand at one time or another and that is why these programs were created. If you do not need assistance at this time, pass the information along to a friend, neighbor, or family member who might. Let’s all stand together and look after each other.

Kombucha and Other Oddities

The inspiration for this post comes from a conversation recently had with my pet about some of the stranger things we’ve consumed. Recently we were in a grocery store looking through the liquor section to find something new and exciting for the night when he came across a hard kombucha, locally made of course, and was asking me if I had ever heard of it. I told him I had, I’d actually been consuming it for a couple years now. A good friend of mine the next county down actually brews his own and sells it in a couple of his stores. When I can’t get down to his shop, I buy it from Aldi’s. Once in awhile I just need it to kind of reset my belly when things get uncomfortable.


He asked me what exactly it was and that’s where he lost interest abruptly. I explained to him that kombucha is a fermented tea and contains live bacterial cultures similar to yogurt. I did also warn him that you can see the strands in the tea and it looks a little chunky, plus it’s a little bit naturally carbonated from – let’s face it – bacteria farts. That generated a hilarious face with a whole lot of nope.


Going back to a previous conversation we’d had with one of his employees, he felt the need to remind me that he doesn’t like octopus either. I had to laugh. I’ve only tried octopus a couple times, both deep fried and extremely fresh. As in still-moving fresh. the fried version I would have been okay with had it not been so tough. It kind of had the consistency of overcooked squid. The other experience I had with octopus I will never do again. It was literally still moving on the plate. I had a brave moment and I actually did try to eat it. Its little suction cups grabbed onto my tongue and even chewing as hard as I could it seemed like it would not die. There was no way I was going to swallow that. The little leg was holding on for dear life.


Other things I have tried or actually do eat regularly that other people might find strange include sawgrass roots from the everglades, gator tail, wild boar, wild turkey, fresh mahi-mahi straight off the line and raw, basically a lot of local wild game and some exotic fruits and vegetables that are hard to find. Lychee, loquat, and dragon fruit rank up there with my favorites. I highly recommend making a habit out of trying things that you never have before. You just might find a new favorite. Life is too short to not be adventurous!