Store would help with unmet needs in Yuma

Trader Joe's - the topic will never rest I'm afraid, as long as there are people out there that just don't get it.

Mr. Hendrick wrote that “we” are getting along just fine without a Trader Joe's here in Yuma. Well, if you are someone who eats animal products and potatoes, I am sure you are “just fine.”

To educate those of you that don't get it, I will tell you why “we” are not all doing just fine. There is nowhere here in Yuma that I, a struggling-to-be vegan, can buy a majority of the products I enjoy and that would much assist me in the healthy way of living I choose to follow.

I am not the only person struggling. There are people with special diets, food allergies and people who can only eat meats that are steroid-free and not injected with hormones and the like.

These foods are available at Trader Joe's stores and some at Whole Food and Sprouts stores, but for this group of “we,” those stores and those needs are not met here in Yuma. So we need a Trader Joe's so everyone can get along just fine and enjoy the foods they need.

We should be supporting one another. We have different needs and everyone deserves to be able to meet those needs as easily as the next guy. I am tired of paying high shipping and handling prices for things I should be able to buy locally.

Currently a lot of the money I spend on groceries benefits California's economy, not ours. That doesn't make me happy either, but without a Trader Joe's or something similar, that is my only option. Now Glen and the rest of you that may not have understood, I pray you get it. Trader Joe's would not be honoring me with their presence, they would be helping me greatly by saving me time and money, helping others with medical issues and needs, as well as boosting the economy here in Yuma.

Melissa Schmehl

Yuma