Genesee Valley Guardian

Issue 49 – December 9, 2025

Quote of the Week:

“…In 1984, (Billy Shore) founded Share Our Strength, a hunger relief organization, with his sister, Debbie Shore…Hunger, Shore [said], “is a solvable problem, relative to so many other things we care about. You don’t even need facts or figures. People know it intuitively.”

But here’s a shocking figure anyhow: According to the latest data, from 2023, nearly 50 million Americans, including one in five children, are food insecure

Shore said “one of the things that’s really impressed me since I’ve been a firefighter is this mentality of ‘Do whatever it takes,’ rather than ‘Let’s study it for six months.’”

Please help support Share Our Strength’s fight. When you’re talking about hungry kids, by all means, let’s do whatever it takes.”

Maureen Dowd, “Leaving Hungry Pols to Help Hungry Kids,” The New York Times, December 6, 2025

Next GVI Community Meeting

Next meeting December 11, 2025
Location: St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Geneseo, NY

If weather conditions (or any emergency situations) require that the meeting be cancelled, an email will be sent to all GVI members by 3 PM on the meeting date.

Rallies

✊ Solidarity Rally

Saturday, December 13, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Avon Traffic Circle
Four activist and two peace groups are co-sponsoring a rally in solidarity to support Democracy. Extra signs and voter registrations will be available. The groups supporting this rally are: Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace, Hemlock Rising, 5 & 20 Alliance, Veterans for Peace, Wyoming County Indivisible, and Genesee Valley Indivisible.

RSVP Here

✊ Weekly Geneseo Gateway Rally

Weekly – Wednesdays & Fridays — 3:00 PM (NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)

Geneseo Gateway Corner Park (across from Wegmans)

Drop by — even 10 minutes helps visibility. Signs are provided — or bring your own!

✊ Weekly Hemlock Rising Indivisible hosts “Every Wednesday” Protest

Weekly – Wednesdays — 3:30–4:30 PM (NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)

Corner of Rt 15A and Rt 20A

✊ PUPs: Pop-Up Protests

Short, pointed “unexpected” protests across the county.

“Silent Sentinels” (black clothing, “Signs of Fascism“) — ongoing

Two more PUPs in planning, one requiring only dark sunglasses (and regular clothes)

Interested? Contact Shân:

text: 917-763-7215

email: wordsmitheryeditorial@gmail.com

GVI Events Calendar

Events

Next GVI Book Club Meeting

Wednesday, January 21, 2025, at 10 AM in the Wadsworth Library, basement meeting room Geneseo, NY. NO brown bag. The group will be discussing Part 3 of Democracy Awakening written by Heather Cox Richardson. Having read it is not a requirement.

Constitutional Series in 2026 – “Separation of Powers”

Third presentation in the series – date and time TBD (will be held at St. Michael’s)

The presenter is Jeffrey Koch, Professor of Political Science at SUNY Geneseo. His expertise is in the fields of American Politics, public opinion, and voting behavior. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. Professor Koch has served as a Fulbright Scholar in both China and Cambodia. He has also served as a Distinguished Professor at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Professor Koch has published extensively in the fields of public opinion and voting behavior.

Support Genesee Valley Indivisible

Support our work with an online donation.

Donate now

Alianza Agrícola: GVI has pledged to help the children of immigrant farm workers in our area. Alianza has provided us with a list of families the organization supports. GVI members have volunteered to provide gifts for the children of these families, along with a stocking or gift bag filled with smaller items and “goodies.” For more information and to provide support (donations, shopping and wrapping assistance, etc.), please contact Shân via text (917-763-7215) or email (wordsmitheryeditorial@gmail.com).

IF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP TO PROVIDE PRESENTS FOR THE CHILDREN, PLEASE BRING THEM TO ST. MICHAEL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 BETWEEN 5 AND 7:30 PM.

Villa of Hope is a social service agency serving children and families in the Rochester area. Their Holiday Wishes program ensures that the youth and families served by the Villa receive gifts this holiday season. For some, these will be the only gifts they receive. Stop at the Tops at 270 E Main St, Avon, NY 14414 and look for the Villa of Hope Wishes Display! Pick up a gift tag, which will contain an individual’s wish list, and go shopping! Then, drop your unwrapped gift back into the display bin, with the tag attached.

ACT NOW

RESIST – INSIST – PERSIST

Trump is exploiting the tragic shooting in Washington, D.C. to try to further expand his anti-immigrant crackdown by threatening to halt immigration permanently from much of the world, deport legal immigrants and denaturalize American citizens. Alianza Agrícola is working with local allies to set up a rapid response network in Livingston County. If you have not signed up as an ally, contact Shân via text (917-763-7215) or send her an email.

Demand consequences for Pete Hegseth’s war crimes – call script here
Trump’s plan to massively expand offshore drilling is open to public comment – Tell him HELL NO before January 23rd. (language here)
The zombie Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is attempting to eliminate protections against discrimination in lending – public comment with objections before December 15th
RECORD NUMBERS IN DETENTION, RECORD NUMBERS OF LIVES LOST Congress has poured billions of dollars in extra funding into Trump’s detention camp archipelago, tripling ICE’s budget. They are responsible for every wrecked and lost life, and they need to step up and perform the oversight this moment requires. The National Immigration Law Center has identified a number of steps for our members of Congress, including site visits, insisting on transparent data on deaths and health care, meeting with impacted community members, holding public hearings, and supporting bills like the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act. Let’s use their tool to endorse these demands and call on Congress to stop deaths in ICE custody.
Tell Congress: “Ban high-tech price fixing on rent. Outlaw algorithmic collusion, protect tenants, and put people over profit.”
There seems to be no motivation beyond political posturing, and the intoxicating idea that a leader can display absolute power by unleashing the world’s most destructive force. But nuclear policy cannot be driven by ego. Restarting explosive testing would shatter international consensus and provoke a global arms race. Tell Congress: Ban nuclear-explosive testing. Block Trump’s reckless plan and prevent a new arms race now.
Phonebanking: The Environmental Voter Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit focused on identifying an estimated 11.2 million environmentalists who did not vote in the 2024 presidential election, and efficiently converting them into a critical mass of consistent voters that will soon be too big for politicians to ignore. Phonebank with the Environmental Voter Project
Choose your own outrage with 5 Calls
Visit Genesee Valley Indivisible’s Community Resources Page for more!

Modify our Shopping Habits

Push Spotify, Telemundo and Univision to get ICE off their airwaves and say no to AT&T until they stop ICE contracts.
The Starbucks strike is underway! Take the No Contract, No Coffee pledge not to cross the picket line and find more ways to help here.
The T-Mobile boycott is on – learn more here, sign the pledge here
Look up the political giving of brands and companies and start making a difference today! Visit GoodsUniteUs – you can download their app or just search for products/companies on their website.
HOW TO FIND AN ETHICAL HOLIDAY GIFT – This sustainable holiday gift guide features something for everyone on our lists, including options that support small businesses, businesses with diverse ownership, and women-owned businesses. You’ll also find affordable and eco-conscious choices.
BOOK SHOPPING WITHOUT AMAZON – For the book lovers among us, this can be a big problem. We can locate our nearest brick-and-mortar indie bookshop via IndieBound. And if we’re looking to shop online without using Amazon, we can try bookshop.org. Each purchase through this site supports local, independent bookstores, and they promise carbon-neutral deliveries.

📮 Postcard Campaign

Mailing physical postcards is one of the simplest, most effective ways we can reach voters directly—with clarity, truth, and a personal touch that cuts through the noise. Whether we’re encouraging new voters to register, reminding infrequent voters what’s at stake, or helping our neighbors understand how their representatives are showing up (or not) for them, these short messages make a real difference.

CHOOSE YOUR POSTCARDS

🎉 Something to make you smile

Visit Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

Email: info@GeneseeValleyIndivisible.org