I'm not optimistic. Have you been following the news about meat packing plants? Production is way down due to Covid, and many have closed. Not surprising, as the working conditions in those places make them literal petri dishes. I hate, hate, hate giving the kids commercial food of any kind, even the best canned, but right now, when we can get meat, it's for us, and even at that, I've warned J to prepare herself for a more plant-oriented diet in the coming months, and more fish (at least that is a mutual favorite, and still not hard to get). We're not running low yet, but that is only because of our freezer. I buy what I can, when I can, to keep it full, not just of meat, but also of vegetables, fruit, bread, and leftovers of all kinds. It's not hard to get all of those items (yet), but we are trying very hard to limit both pickups and deliveries, to protect ourselves, but also to protect the store workers and delivery drivers whose risk increases with every interaction. So we stock up, and try to make every order count. I don't see this situation improving anytime soon, unless we start taking serious steps to protect the underpaid, underinsured workers who put food on our tables.
A neighbor of ours has a huge garden. He and his wife raise almost all of their own vegetables, and they give a lot away to food pantries. I have asked J, who has known him far longer than I, to allow us to buy a certain amount of whatever is in season each week, sort of like CSA. I hope he is not offended by this. I'm also going to try to find local people who raise chickens and other small livestock who may have meat to sell.
