Volunteers carrying groceries, which include (pic, below) packaged food items in boxes, at a mobile pop-up food pantry at Mussey Fire Hall in Capac, Michigan. — Reuters
ON a snowy morning in rural Michigan, three dozen cars idled outside a firehouse-turned-food pantry in the town of Capac.
Inside, volunteers packaged lettuce, apples and other staples whose prices have climbed or remained stubbornly high this year.
Taylor Ludwig, 35, a mother of three, had lined up in her pickup truck long before the pantry’s 10am opening, seeking help she had hoped would not be necessary when she voted last year for President Donald Trump.
She said she expected him to make faster progress on lowering the cost of basics such as cereal, fruit and vegetables.
While Ludwig blames high prices on Democratic policies, she warned that the Republican Party could lose her support if Trump does not move faster to deliver on his 2024 campaign promises.
“I’m not just gonna follow along somebody like a sheep,” she said. “I will follow you until I know it’s not okay to.”
Across St Clair County, along Michigan’s eastern edge on the Canadian border, the scene at the pantry echoed the frustration of many households.
Families in towns and small communities rely on limited-paying jobs in auto manufacturing, retail and services, and for some, even basic groceries have become a challenge.
Bob Benjamin, a retired auto worker, came to pick up supplies for his adult grandchildren struggling with food, rent, healthcare and car insurance.
Though he voted for Trump in 2024, he said he might consider voting Democrat next year if conditions do not improve.
“I would probably vote the way the conditions are going,” he said. “If he’s doing good, if you can see it coming out of a hole, then I give it two more years. But if it’s starting to go back down again, well maybe we need a little change.”
Darryl Kalich, an out-of-work field service technician and Marine veteran, said he regretted voting for Trump in 2024.
He cited frustration with the president’s focus on foreign policy rather than easing the financial burden on everyday Americans.
“We’re struggling with groceries, rent, insurance,” Kalich said. “Leaders from both parties are detached from the problems we face every day.”
The cost of living remains high despite some recent price drops in gasoline and energy.
Signs critical of Trump are posted on a utility pole in Port Huron, Michigan. Americans who are struggling with the basic cost of living want the president to speed up on his campaign promises.— Reuters
Meat, vegetables, coffee and other household staples have risen significantly in the past year, leaving families counting every dollar and sometimes choosing between groceries or other essentials.
Mareesa Buterakos, who runs a small bar and restaurant in nearby Port Huron, said the rising cost of meat and potential trade impacts have made it harder to revive her business.
“We didn’t get here overnight, and so we just have to have some grace,” she said. “He’s been in office a minute now; I would really like to see him speed it up.”
At the pantry in Capac, Ludwig and others carried their carefully measured supplies back to their vehicles.
The line outside reflected a quiet reality: for many voters in this corner of Michigan, the promise of economic relief is deeply personal.
It is about food on the table, bills paid and a sense that the leaders they support are delivering tangible results.
While political arguments swirl in Washington, on these snowy streets the impact of inflation is immediate. Families wait, watch prices and measure progress not in policies or polls, but in the groceries that make it home safely.
“I just want to feed my kids without worrying if it’s going to cost me half my pay cheque,” Ludwig said, stacking apples and lettuce in her truck. “That’s what we’re all hoping for – and what we’ll be judging them by next year.” — Reuters
