Dear Reader,
Today is day nine of my hunger strike. Each day strengthens the clarity of the issue: Valley Township is regulating food production as if it is still 2015, while the world around us has shifted dramatically—economically, generationally, and demographically.
Thank you again for the growing wave of support, signatures, messages, and shares. This email chain expands every day because you continue speaking up. Please keep going. It matters.
Felicia wrote:
“Why is growing your own food and animals such an issue? What's the hidden agenda? Is it because whats to come? You want us suffering and hurting to survive even more? Have you not looked around the world and see what is going on? Cost of living in chester county is ridiculous! The number of people experiencing homelessness is growing more than ever. It now includes the working class and families. We should be allowed to grow our own food and raise our own animals to provide for ourselves our families and our communities. All the houses being built are not affordable, the cost of everything is on the rise. Food and job security are priority. I struggle to feed my family and you want to prevent those who can grow their own food and animals to help offset this disaster and destruction we are facing. It’s going to go back in time where we all have to help our neighbor and community. My family is my priority and I will do what I need to do!”
Outdated Chicken Laws vs. Today’s Home Buyers
When Valley Township wrote its current chicken ordinance in 2015, the average home here was roughly $225k. Today, it’s close to $550k. Groceries are up 30%. Utilities are up. Everything is more expensive.
But something else has changed even more dramatically:
We are in a generational turnover.
The majority of new homebuyers are Millennials, followed by Gen Z.
Not Baby Boomers.
Not the Silent Generation.
Not Gen X.
According to national market data:
Millennials now make up the largest share of homebuyers in America
Gen Z is the fastest-growing segment of new buyers, despite lower incomes
Boomers are aging out of the housing market due to mortality, downsizing, or moving into assisted living
By 2030, Millennials + Gen Z will represent the dominant purchasing power in residential real estate
This is not speculative—this is happening now.
And the people buying homes today do not want the suburban model of the 1980s.
They want:
gardens
hens
micro-homesteads
sustainability
meaningful use of their land
lower grocery bills
healthier, local food
community resilience
These desires are not fringe—they are mainstream for the generations inheriting the housing market.
Demographic Reality: Population Die-Off
There is also a demographic shift no one wants to talk about openly:
The population is aging rapidly.
Baby Boomers—once the largest demographic group—are entering advanced age all at once.
The CDC, Social Security Administration, and census projections show:
Boomers are passing away at increasing rates
The population pyramid is flipping
Fewer young people are being born
Smaller families are becoming the norm
This is what demographers call population die-off or population contraction.
As older generations pass and younger generations take their place, the people shaping communities will be Millennials and Gen Z.
Younger generations now:
buy the homes
pay the mortgages
pay the taxes
inherit the properties
build the local economy
And they overwhelmingly want access to small-scale food production.
So Why Is Valley Township Still Regulating Like It’s 2015?
A law written for:
2015 home prices
2015 grocery costs
2015 demographics
2015 economic conditions
…has no place governing a world where:
housing costs have doubled,
grocery inflation is 30%,
egg prices fluctuate with supply chain shocks,
young families seek self-sufficiency,
Millennials and Gen Z are the majority of buyers,
and older generations are no longer the ones shaping land use.
The Township is clinging to ordinances written for a population that is no longer here.
Instead of adapting laws to fit the rising generation actually living and buying in this community, Valley Township is enforcing outdated rules that harm exactly the demographic group that is:
keeping the tax base alive
buying homes locally
raising families here
revitalizing neighborhoods
and wanting hens and gardens to do it sustainably
Why This Matters to My Hunger Strike
This strike is not just about chickens—it’s about who gets to shape the future of this community.
Right now, Valley Township is choosing:
rules written by older generations
for an economic world that no longer exists
while punishing the people actually living through the realities of 2025
My hunger is voluntary. The hunger created by these outdated laws is not.
Please Keep Speaking Up
Your voices are powerful.
Your numbers are growing.
And your impact is being felt.
Please keep emailing, calling, and signing the petition.
Township Contacts
(Main office: 610-384-5751)
Janis A. Rambo – Township Manager/Secretary – jrambo@valleytownship.org
Code Enforcement Department – Codesofficer@valleytownship.org
Kyle Bendler – 302-266-9057
Joy Hurst – 610-384-5751 ext. 401
Dave Porter – 610-356-9550 x217
Solicitors
Andrew D.H. Rau, Esq. – arau@utbf.com
Amanda J. Sundquist, Esq. – asundquist@utbf.com
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
Do we as a community want to grow stronger or tear others down?
Thank you for standing with me on Day 9.
Thank you for demanding a township that plans for the future — not the past.
And thank you for supporting a movement rooted in dignity, survival, and generational truth.
Sincerely,
Stephanie N. Shermer