Last week Governor Herbert and his staff spoke at an event sponsored by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute staff from the Governor Herbert's Office of Management and Budget(GOMB) talked about a sales tax bill they are working on with legislators.  The bill is complicated and does a lot of things.  When asked if one of the things it would do was increase the sales tax on food, GOMB Director Kristen Cox said, "We are looking at putting tax back on food."

Taxing food is unpopular and not done in most states.  About ten years ago the Coalition of Religious Communities provided strong support to Jon Huntsman, Jr.'s efforts as Governor to reduce the sales tax on food.  Over a two year period Huntsman succeeded in cutting the total tax charged on groceries by over 50 percent.  During this year's legislative session Representative Tim Quinn sponsored a bill that passed in the House that would have eliminated the state portion of the sales tax on food completely.

The discussion about the bill that GOMB staff are working on with can be seen 36 minutes and 50 seconds into this video.  

Oliver Tibbitts was not born at Crossroads Urban Center but his mother did work there while she was pregnant with him and he did come to work with her frequently during the first few years of his life.  As an infant he could be seen strapped to her back while she made orders on the telephone for the food co-op.  As a toddler he rode his tricycle in the co-op warehouse.

It did not surprise anyone that when he was a few years older Oliver wanted to volunteer in the Crossroads Urban Center Food Pantry.  When he started volunteering he would relay information about specific orders from an intake desk to the area where food orders were prepared.  As he grew older, and able to reach more of the food on the shelves, he helped to fill food orders and deliver them to families and individuals in the lobby.

When he would leave the food pantry Oliver would share enthusiastic stories about the people he had volunteered with and the people he had helped to serve.  These stories always highlighted his tendency to only see the good in others and to view everyone he met as a friend.

Oliver was also an memorable participant in activities of the Anti-Hunger Action Committee and Coalition of Religious Communities.  He attended meetings, helped sing songs to the Governor that were posted on Youtube, went to the Capitol to talk to legislators and generally did his best to introduce himself to everyone he could.

Tragically, Oliver was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016 and passed away in December of last year.  The Crossroads Urban Center Board of Directors wanted to honor Oliver in some way and, after much discussion, realized they wanted to create a special award named in his honor, that can be given to other young people who volunteer in our efforts to help low income people.  Oliver's parents believe he would be delighted to have his name and story used to encourage other children to think about the needs of other people.

He will be honored as the first recipient of this new award at our Annual Open House  and Volunteer Recognition event on  the evening of Thursday, October 25.  The Open House begins at 5:00 PM.  The Volunteer Recognition program begins at 6:00 PM.  Everyone is welcome to attend.