If I had a nickel for every time I'm asked why the Daily Bread parking lot is full of "expensive" cars, I'd have almost a dollar in change. Many more people are probably wondering, but feel uncomfortable raising the question. Please go ahead! That way, I'll have lots more nickels, and can address the issue head-on.

The Daily Bread parking lot on a recent snowy Saturday

This Newsletter is not the place for a full inquiry into the type of cars in the parking lot - or the elephant. My glib answer to those who do ask is that you can't eat a car. And while technically you could eat an elephant, there are some practical and legal hurdles. Instead, and as previously advertised, we are developing an in-depth look at the "parking lot paradox" as part of a future Daily Bread University course.

In the meantime, if YOU are asked about the "expensive" cars in the parking lot, here are some handy talking points:

• You really can't eat a car, expensive or otherwise. The car may have been purchased or leased the day before a sudden illness, job loss, workplace accident, family emergency, or other calamity.
• The majority of our guests are part of a working family (see the "Alphabet Soup" article, later in this issue). While they might not need an expensive car, they certainly need a reliable one to get to and from work.
• To serve those truly in need, we must provide a frictionless and easily-accessible service. A tiny minority of Ferrari-driving elites may take advantage of this, but that is a cost of doing business.
• Most of our guests do NOT own fancy cars. The biggest reason for guest appointment cancellations is transportation problems: rustbucket cars won't start, rides don't come through, or the bus isn't running.
• Cars may belong to volunteers. Personally, I choose not to bring my gold-plated Bugatti Veyron to the pantry, but not all volunteers can be expected to show similar restraint.

Before leaving the parking lot paradox, it's always worth trying to figure out whether someone asking about the cars is genuinely interested, or just looking to confirm their own prejudices. If the latter, there's little point in engaging with them. You'll just have to hope they stumble on the rage bait on our website. Click on the photo of the Daily Bread courtesy car to see 😉.

Those of you of a certain age - and let's face it, most of you are - will remember a series of Timex ads from the sixties. They always ended with the tagline "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking." Marketing gold, until the digital watch turned it to ashes.

The super pantry has been a spectacular success, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. A chokepoint has always been the check-out desk, where volunteers have had to struggle with bargain basement laptops and thumbing through cumbersome binders to find non-scannable items such as produce and meat.

To address this issue, we have invested in proper "Point-of-Sale" terminals. These terminals can greatly speed up the checkout process, especially when combined with the new hands-free scanners. But...to get the most out of the terminals, we need to break some old habits. Fortunately, our sartorially-challenged friends Mariana and Alex have put together an updated version of "Mastering The Checkout Desk" to cover the new procedures. If you ever work checkout, this is a MUST watch! It's included on the Daily Bread University page, or just click the picture to view now.

We're thinking of renaming the super pantry the Pattie Silver-Thompson Museum of Art. Here's her latest contribution - a perfect addition to the Book Nook.