By MARK HALL
The Feeding Team Feature
This month’s column is about a mom and her two children that rightsized my attitude and refreshed my thinking.
Feeding Team volunteers regularly experience first-hand the generosity of our neighbors in Hamilton County. On occasion we see the flip side too. We have the opportunity to see neighbors desperate who take more than a reasonable amount of food. We often say that you can’t steal from a pantry, we’re giving it away, but admittedly it’s discouraging to come across someone with a blanket spread out, dozens of meals on the blanket and you watch as the blanket becomes an extra-large knapsack walking away full of food. The pantries are intended to feed as many neighbors as we can, a few meals at a time as needed. They are not intended to be used as a grocery store.
Less than a week ago, my attitude got rebooted as a mother and her children approached a pantry with a large blue cooler on wheels. My mistaken assumption was that they were at the pantry to take too much food. Boy was I wrong! Instead, they were here this day to teach me a lesson – a lesson that will not soon be forgotten.
Initially, the mom and a young boy hopped out of the van and headed toward the pantry, blue cooler in tow. As the two arrived at the pantry the mother began to speak with the youngster in sign language. She opened the pantry door and methodically signed to him for several minutes with what turned out to be instructions on the pantry, where things went, and I presume why they were donating food. The boy, compliant with the direction, proceeded to open the cooler and remove items, placing them meticulously on the proper shelf. With each addition, the mom continued to sign, presumably offering encouragement and direction. After about 10 minutes, the boy returned to the van, and he was replaced by a young girl. The entire previous 10 minutes repeated with the mom and the daughter.
We all can fall victim to assumption from time to time. In this case, two young children and their mother set an example for me to learn from. Teaching future generations the value of giving back and taking care of others is a vital life lesson. Teaching an older dog to not assume another person’s motive is also a life lesson. Thank you to a mother and her two children who I will likely never meet. Together we help hungry neighbors, welcome to the Feeding Team.
Neighbors ask, “Why do this? What’s in it for you?” The answer is always the same: Serving people feeds my soul. It is a calling, not work.
There were many suppers when we as a young couple with young kids could only afford Dinty Moore beef stew and a potato for dinner. Surreal moment. This is why the pantries exist. As a typical young family, we could not always make ends meet.
This is why feedingteam.org exists – all starting from a can of beef stew. Thank you for embracing the pantries. We love serving with you.
In future columns we will share more stories from neighbors about how your generosity served them in times of need. Be assured that the face of hunger in Hamilton County is not what you may think.
In practical terms, this straightforward way to help neighbors is having real impact on lives, families, and our communities. Thank you. A few meals can change the course of a person’s life. A can of green beans means so much more when you have nothing to feed your kids. Would you like to get involved? We are in the process of evaluating our next 10 pantry locations. If you think you have a potential location, please contact us.
Mark and Lisa Hall are the Founders of Feeding Team. They may be reached at lisa@feedingteam.org and mark@feedingteam.org or by calling (317) 832-1104.