Dear Reader,
Today is day eight of my hunger strike. Each day of this has confirmed something important: Valley Township is enforcing policies written for a world that no longer exists. The cost of living has skyrocketed. Home prices have doubled. Younger generations are being locked out of the stability that previous generations took for granted. And yet, the Township still uses a 2015 chicken ordinance to punish people who are simply trying to feed themselves.
Before anything else: thank you.
This email chain continues to grow every single day. Neighbors, parents, teachers, homeowners, and residents are speaking up. Your voices matter. Please keep sharing, forwarding, and contacting Township officials. Momentum is building because of you.
🏡
Home Buying Then vs. Now in Valley Township (and Chester County)
When Valley Township last updated its chicken laws in 2015, the housing market looked completely different:
In 2015:
Average home price in the area: ~$231,800
Median home price in Chester County: ~$225,000
In 2025:
Median home price: ~$548,000
Typical home value (Zillow Index): ~$559,000+
This is not a small shift.
This is a 140%–150% increase in home prices in just ten years.
A home that once cost $225k now costs over half a million dollars.
What this means:
Younger buyers are taking on enormous debt.
Families are spending more on their mortgage, taxes, and insurance than ever before.
Budgets are tighter. Money doesn’t stretch.
Homeownership is no longer a path to security — it’s a financial tightrope.
And yet, despite this dramatic change, Valley Township is still enforcing food-production restrictions written for the affordability of 2015, not the economic crisis of 2025.
🛒
Layer This With Food Inflation
Since 2015:
Overall cost of living is up ~30%
Grocery prices alone are up ~30%
2022: groceries rose 11.4% in a single year
2023: another 5%
And they are still rising
Families are paying 30–40% more for the same amount of food — while paying 140% more for a home.
This is the world Valley Township residents live in today.
🧑🌾
Millennials & Gen Z Want Chickens — Not as a Trend, but as a Lifeline
National data shows:
22% of backyard-animal households are Millennials
19% are Gen Z
Interest in hens has surged in response to rising egg prices
Younger generations are choosing:
Self-sufficiency
Homegrown eggs
Garden-to-table living
Reduced grocery costs
Healthier, more sustainable lifestyles
This is not a fad.
This is a survival strategy for generations priced out of stability.
Millennials and Gen Z do not want McMansions. They want land they can actually use — to grow food, raise hens, and take care of themselves and their neighbors.
But Valley Township is punishing exactly that.
🔗
Why This Matters to My Hunger Strike
When you combine:
A 150% increase in housing prices
A 30% increase in grocery prices
Skyrocketing utility costs
Millennial & Gen Z desire for small-scale food production
A township that restricts hens, gardens, and homegrown food
…the picture becomes very clear:
Valley Township is enforcing outdated ordinances that make food security harder during the most unaffordable economic period in modern history.
People are buying expensive homes and then being told they are not allowed to feed themselves on the land they pay for.
This is why I continue my hunger strike.
This is why I refuse solid food today.
✊
Keep Speaking Up
Your voices matter. Your calls matter. Your emails matter. Township officials are hearing from more residents every day — because you continue to share these updates.
Please keep going.
You can reach any Township office through the main number: 610-384-5751
Township Contacts
Janis A. Rambo – Township Manager/Secretary
jrambo@valleytownship.org | 610-384-5751 ext. 101
Code Enforcement Department
Codesofficer@valleytownship.org | 610-384-5751 ext. 402
Kyle Bendler – 302-266-9057
Joy Hurst – 610-384-5751 ext. 401
Dave Porter – 610-356-9550 x217
Township Solicitors
Andrew D.H. Rau, Esq. – arau@utbf.com | 610-692-1371
Amanda J. Sundquist, Esq. – asundquist@utbf.com | 610-692-1371
Supervisors
Linda Baugher – lbaugher@valleytownship.org
Casey Max Leidy – cleidy@valleytownship.org
Kris Lenhart – klenhart@valleytownship.org
LeRoy Goldsmith – lgoldsmith@valleytownship.org
Sharon Yates – syates@valleytownship.org
📣
Petition for Updated Chicken Laws
Please sign and share:
👉 https://www.change.org/p/valley-township-needs-new-chicken-laws
Thank you for standing with me.
Thank you for believing in the right to feed ourselves.
Thank you for pushing for a Township that reflects the reality of 2025 — not the affordability of 2015.
And ask yourself: Is the township board really representative of our community values or demographically?
Sincerely,
Stephanie N. Shermer