By Ashley Beard-Fosnow

If we purchase Union Made, we support the true American spirit of opportunity for people. Buying Union-made products provides more good jobs for our citizens, which in turn means more tax dollars for our schools, roads, and services like police, fire departments, and public health programs. Additionally, buying Union-made sends a displeased message to businesses who exploit workers overseas.

It has been reported that if every American spent $1 a day on American made products, we could create a million new jobs. For us, meeting that quota is easy. We easily spend $35 a week on Union-made products. So, to up the ante, I like to purchase as many extra Union-made products as we can afford and donate them. When I come across a non-perishable item on sale for a great price, I’ll pick up a couple and donate one to Harvesters. Or for example, when I find a deal for really cheap dog food I’ll buy it, even though we don’t have a dog. I can support Union-employing companies like Alpo or Purina and donate the food to the local animal shelter. I designate an area of our pantry to items to be donated, that way I can be generous on a tight budget. I always have something to donate when our PTA, library, or community groups have a food drive. My kids love participating in food drives. When I ask them to help me choose items to donate, they surprisingly choose their favorite snacks to give away. The Labor 411 Directory is full of non-perishable items that would be great to donate.  Some of the brands I most often have on hand are:

Betty Crocker
Campbell’s Soup
Chef Boyardee
Hamburger Helper
Old El Paso
Prego
Domino
Bisquick
General Mills
Kellogg’s
Keebler
Quaker
Kraft

Now is the time to start stocking the pantry with non-perishables for holiday food drives. Wouldn’t it be awesome to fill the bins with only Union made items? There are also a ton of great Union made games like Battleship and Monopoly that would be great donations for adopting a family or the Toys For Tots bins. Search for deals and start stocking up. Let’s buy Union and donate!

Stay tuned for more posts about Ashley’s ideas for teaching Union values to children and running a labor friendly household on Labor 411 Blog. Ashley Beard-Fosnow is a Missouri housewife and mother of three who also writes a Union-themed family blog at www.myunionfamily.com.