Flip the Script: The Depression

Day Sixty-seven

The Depression

“It was the influence of the Great Depression, recycling, thriftiness, stocking up to the point of hoarding for fear of being without. … She remembered coming home from school before Jean got off work to a cold, empty house, and finding only one can of soup in the cupboard, heating the soup and eating only half of it, saving the rest for her aunt. Remembered when her father took a job as a janitor because his savings had been wiped out in the crash of 1929 and there were no other jobs. He always distrusted banks, thereafter, refusing to do business with them, preferring to bury his money in the yard. He was not alone.” ~John Neal Phillips, My Life with Bonnie and Clyde

When I studied the history of the Great Depression in middle school, my grandfather, Phil, wrote me several letters about what it was like to live during that time. He was lucky to have a job with the local utility company that included a truck with heat. During the winter, when he would drive to different locations, he would pick someone up who was hungry, cold, and out of work, share his lunch and let them ride in the heated truck for the day.

Work was something he did to survive and keep his family fed, housed and clothed. Food sources came from growing food in the warm months, canning it for the winter months, and…