Dear Reader;

Today is day two of my hunger strike. I am doing it to draw attention to how far we’ve drifted from the skills and policies that once helped families feed themselves.

During World War I and II, our government actively encouraged “victory gardens.” Ordinary people were asked to grow food in yards, vacant lots, and shared spaces. Families were even encouraged to keep a few chickens for eggs. Those small, distributed efforts added up to a meaningful share of the country’s fresh vegetables and protein. It was understood that household-scale food production wasn’t a hobby – it was part of national resilience.

In just a few generations, those skills have largely disappeared. Many people no longer know how to plant a garden, preserve food, or safely keep hens for eggs. Zoning, code enforcement, and cultural attitudes often treat small-scale food production as a nuisance instead of a practical necessity and a public good.

At the same time, hunger has not gone away. Last year, the Chester County Food Bank distributed over 6 million pounds of food to our neighbors in need.  That number should be a wake-up call. We are depending more and more on centralized emergency relief, while actively discouraging the exact practices – like backyard gardens and small flocks of chickens – that could reduce demand on the food bank and restore some basic self-reliance and dignity to families.

My hunger strike is about that gap. It is about the distance between what we know works – people growing and raising some of their own food – and the systems that now make that harder instead of easier. It is also about the loss of generational knowledge: grandparents who once gardened and kept hens as a matter of survival, and grandchildren who are told they can’t even plant a serious food garden or keep a few laying hens where they live.

I am asking Valley Township, Chester Co PA to:

Recognize small-scale, household-level food production (gardens, hens for eggs, etc.) as an important part of food security, not an inconvenience.
Review the policies, zoning, and enforcement practices that make it harder for families to grow food or keep a modest number of chickens responsibly.
Consider how supporting local, distributed food production could reduce the pressure on organizations like the Chester County Food Bank and strengthen our community’s resilience.
I am willing to bear discomfort and publicly mark each day of this hunger strike because I believe this matters – not just for me, but for every family that is one crisis away from needing those millions of pounds of food assistance.

I would welcome a conversation about practical, evidence-based ways to update our approach so that “victory garden” values – local food, shared responsibility, and community resilience – can exist in modern policy, not just in the history books.

How to Speak Up:
Please share your concerns directly with Valley Township officials using the contact information below, and forward this email to neighbors and community members so more residents understand what is happening.

You can reach any Township office through the main number: 610-384-5751.
Janis A. Rambo – Township Manager/Secretary, Right-to-Know Officer, Recycling Coordinator, Phone: 610-384-5751 ext. 101, Email: jrambo@valleytownship.org  
Code Enforcement Department (general) Codesofficer@valleytownship.org

610-384-5751 ext. 402

Staff contacts: 

Kyle Bendler – Building/Codes Officer – 302-266-9057
Joy Hurst – Codes Coordinator – 610-384-5751 ext. 401
Dave Porter – Zoning Officer – 610-356-9550 x217
 
Andrew D.H. Rau, Esquire – Township Solicitor Email: arau@utbf.com, Phone: 610-692-1371, Firm address: Unruh Turner Burke & Frees, 17 W. Gay Street, West Chester, PA 19380 

Amanda J. Sundquist, Esquire – Township Solicitor, Email: asundquist@utbf.com, Phone: 610-692-1371  
 

 
Linda Baugher 610-384-5751 ex 505 lbaugher@valleytownship.org
Casey Max Leidy, 610-384-5751 ex 503, cleidy@valleytownship.org
Kris Lenhart 610-384-5751 ex 201 klenhart@valleytownship.org
LeRoy Goldsmith 610-384-5751lgoldsmith@valleytownship.org
Sharon Yates 610-384-5751 ex 504 syates@valleytownship.org
Sincerely,

Stephanie N. Shermer