We will return the power to choose

By the people, for the people. Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Protect Choice of Ohio – not to mention the thousands of volunteers ready to join in – have demonstrated the power of our democracy at work.

I was thrilled that another step towards securing abortion access has been taken, and language for a constitutional amendment has been filed.

These tremendous groups have provided a window of hope to Ohioans across the state who have been rightfully concerned about a future without access to safe, legal reproductive care.

No woman should have to carry a pregnancy to term against her will, putting her health and the economic stability of her family and herself at risk. Together, we will return the power to choose to where it rightfully belongs: the people of Ohio.

Sally Crane Cox, Columbus

Waste not

As a volunteer at one of the many Mid-ohio Food Markets in the Columbus area, I’ve regularly seen the visitor car line wrap around several street blocks. Food insecurity exists in America.

And so does overconsumption.

I mean the ravenous demand for every convenience, comfort, or whim that, in this case, relates to food. We can’t even keep up with our own demand for more: one fourth of food nationwide ends up in the landfill.

In Franklin County, that’s one million pounds of food a day. Food waste and food insecurity are related. I was struck by Brian Roe’s work with Ohio State University Food Waste Collaborative highlighting connections to hunger and solutions to food loss at the consumer and household level.

After understanding more about the issue, I felt empowered to mindfully combat hunger from my own kitchen.

I encourage you to try too.

Buy only what you will eat. Take leftovers to work. Freeze food before it goes bad. Understand date labels. Use scraps. Take note of what’s in your pantry or fridge before you go shopping. Our neighbors, earth, and pocketbooks will thank us.

Terri Schell, Columbus