Government Assistance – Where Do I Start?
When you work, you pay money to the government in the form of income taxes. You pay sales tax on almost everything you purchase, and you pay real estate taxes on your house. The government takes our tax money and splits it up as they see fit. Money goes to the schools, some goes to fix the roads and pay government employees like police and firemen, and some of the money goes to pay individuals in need of financial help. These programs are called government assistance programs. They are put in place to help individuals who have fallen on hard times and who are having trouble making affording the basic necessities.If you’re a single parent with more than a few mouths to feed, if you’re disabled or if you just lack transportation to get to and from a job adequately, you may qualify for one of these programs. If you’re in need, you’ll find that getting government assistance will improve your quality of life and you’ll be much happier leading a less stressful life.The ProgramsThe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)(previously known as Food Stamps) will help you buy food for your family. There is also a program referred to as Section 8 Housing that will help you pay for a place to live. Other programs like Medicaid will provide health care for your family, while other programs like Temporary Cash Assistance can get you cash to pay for other things that you need. You can also get help paying your power bill in some states as well as government assistance for your home phone service or, assistance to help pay for you to go back to school. No matter what type of hardship you’re facing, there are agencies available to offer you the government assisted programs that you may qualify for.To ApplyWhen you are ready to apply for a government assistance program, you will want to start doing your own research. Find out what kind of programs are available to you in your state. You can start by going to sites like benefits.gov USA.gov, and check your state’s DCF website. You’ll then want to find out what the qualifications are for the various programs. You will more than likely need to show proof of employment or the lack thereof, and proof of income, if any, for your household, in order to prove you are a low-income family. You will also need to show proof of any dependents who rely on you for care, such as young children, or elderly and disabled relatives. If you can prove these things, you should have no problem finding the assistance you need.Once you’re on some sort of government assistance, don’t forget to call your home phone company and get Lifeline service. If you’re on government assistance, you qualify and it can greatly reduce your monthly bill. If you prefer, you can use your Lifeline benefit to get a free “government” cell phone instead of a home phone.These programs offered by the government will allow you to raise your children in a more comfortable and safer household. You can improve your quality of life and you can provide a great atmosphere for your children to grow up in, and you can receive all that with government assistance.The first step is finding out which programs you may qualify for and the next step is to apply. With most agencies making it very easy to apply online, you should be able to receive government assisted help in a very short period of time. So what are you waiting for? It’s time for you to get the help that is available to you.
Pick Your Own Blueberry and Agri-Tourism and Agri-Entertainment Business
IntroductionWe would like to speak directly to some of you if are considering starting a “Pick Your Own” blueberry farm. The “Pick Your Own” blueberry business as well as other fruit is a very good business. This coupled with agri-tourism and agri-entertainment can make for a profitable business. Pick your own blueberries and other pick your own “super fruit” is a very big business. It will only get bigger as food and fuel prices continue to increase and people move more and more toward buying “locally grown” fruits such as blueberries!Pick your own blueberry businessThe pick your own blueberry business and other super fruits can be a very big and profitable business if you have the time, vision and resources to start one. You can start relatively small with just about 1000 plants and add more as you get the resources and experience to handle a larger operation. The pick your own is a business is only going to get bigger as fuel prices and food prices continue to rise. People will more and more be moving toward buying locally grown fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, aronia black chokeberries and etc… The recognition of the health benefits of these are also major factors in their increasing popularity. Aronia black chokeberries for example have an astounding amount of antioxidants and make excellent juices and jams. They have 3 times the amount of antioxidants that are in blueberries. The health benefits of these berries were even recognized and use by the American Indian before the arrival of Europeans.Buying only “locally grown” fruits such as blueberries which currently tops the list of fruit desired by you pickers! This business will increase in the future.Agri-tourism and Agri-entertainmentAgri-tourism, is a business or activity that draws visitors to a farm. Agri-tourism can include a wide variety of activities, such as picking fruit, buying produce from a farm stand, feeding animals, navigating a corn maze, taking a hay ride or staying at a bed and breakfast on a farm.It is a form of niche visiting the attraction that is considered a growth business in the United States and in other parts of the world. Another related business is Agri-entertainment.These are great entertainment for children and have an educational value.Today, the economic survival of many family farms is being endangered by the modern global agricultural economy. To supplement traditional farm income and maintain their economic viability, many farms are taking advantage of their unique rural and outdoor appeal by developing entertainment attractions as additional sources of income and provide some nostalgic appeal. This is typically referred to as “agri-tourism or agri-entertainment” (agriculture plus entertainment’). These options have a wide range of strategies as pick-your-own, picnic areas, petting zoos, hay rides, children’s play areas, mazes, pumpkin patches, fall festivals, farm stores, and school field trips. Knott’s Berry which started as a u-pick berry farm is one of the most thriving independent entertainment destination in the United States.Agri-tourism and Agri-entertainment are going to be very big businesses in the future. Now is the time to get “ahead of the curve” and “get blueberry plants planted now” and plan for the future. You will greatly benefit by this development in the years to come. Fuel prices and food prices will continue to rise causing more people to buy locally grown food.There are both “baby boomers” and young college graduates who want to start their own little farm to make a living or already have a little farm set up. “Baby boomers” often want to have this for their retirement.SummaryNow is a good time to start your own your pick blueberry farm and agri-tourism and agri-entertainment business. You can start small and grow to the size you want.
After Drug Rehab Will I Be Able To Stay Off Drugs?
With all the media reports these days about celebrities going into drug rehab two, three or more times. The question inevitably gets asked: “Will I be able to stay off drugs after completing drug rehab?”It’s a valid question, but the answer is not a simple “yes” or “no”. The true answer would have to be something like: “It depends on three main factors.”FACTOR 1 – YOU: Perhaps the number one factor for the success of your drug rehab is you – often more important than the type of drug rehab program itself. Drug rehab is successful to the degree that you are committed to getting better. Without that commitment, no drug rehab program can do very much. With your commitment to give it your all, to really dig in and participate with every fiber of your being, you bring an essential ingredient to the rehabilitation process. You bring the means that makes the help work wonders.FACTOR 2 – DRUG DETOX: The first step of a drug rehab is drug detox, to help you get off alcohol or drugs as comfortably and safely as possible so you can continue with the drug rehab program. You should ensure you receive medically supervised drug detox that is monitored and adjusted to work best for your personal health and metabolism. Attention to your nutritional needs is important, because alcohol and drugs can take a toll on your body’s health. Emotional support is vital as well, because detox can be an emotional experience. After detox, you’ll be through withdrawal period, feeling better, and able to continue with drug rehab.FACTOR 3 – DRUG REHAB: An inpatient drug rehab program is proven to be more effective than outpatient. If you really want to succeed, make inpatient care your choice. You can concentrate all your will power without distractions on the rehab process. This will really help you focus on the issues that led to and surround your addiction. The right drug rehab program for you will address all those areas of your life, and provide the means to dig into the basic personal reasons that contributed to you becoming addicted. It should provide life skills including communication with others, how to get along with others, how to take responsibility for your past destructive actions and their consequences, and also how to take responsibility for the good things you’ve done -that’s called self-worth, and that’s where your commitment to yourself really comes into play. Especially important, you must learn how to stay away from or deal with the people and places that remind you of your addiction and tempt you to continue using. In its place you will give yourself the gift of shiny new goals for your new life, and real plans to achieve them.The length of time in rehab is also an important part of the success formula. At least 90 days is better for most serious addictions, and even longer can be more successful. So be prepared to put the time into your drug rehab. We’re talking about changing the entire course of the rest of your life, and that is certainly worth a few months. With your commitment, your strength of purpose, and some toughness and bravery, you will be able have a successful drug rehab program.