In the season of giving, enter the Grinches
The more trips around the sun I take, the more grace I need from other people. It’s simple really: forgiveness for a mistake, forgiveness for a misunderstanding, and sometimes even forgiveness for not listening with the intent of understanding. Not coincidentally, the more grace I need, the more I try to give it to other people. Asking for forgiveness creates a spirit more likely to forgive others, especially when they acknowledge what they have done is wrong, they apologize, and ask for forgiveness.
The FeedingTeam.org food distribution model, “Take What You Need, Give What You Can,” relies on the goodness, giving nature, and respect of our neighbors. Our mission is to always have a meal available for any neighbor in need. Our anonymous, no-questions-asked approach respects the dignity of any pantry shopper. The model is susceptible to neighbors with bad intentions, those that operate out of fear and those that don’t care about others. FeedingTeam.org pantries are designed to provide a few meals for many people, not many meals for a few people.
Enter the Grinch. Better stated in this case, several Grinches. These are organized, headlamp wearing, group text thread managing, large bag carrying neighbors whose behavior reveals that they don’t care about the needs of others. They game the system and let “it’s free” override any feelings about the other families whose children won’t eat because of their selfishness.
We first learned about this group of ladies this past spring. They appeared on video at several pantry locations, generally between 2 and 4 a.m., sporting headband headlights, carrying bags and grabbing as much food as they can in as little time as possible. We even have these ladies on video checking storage locks at the FeedingTeam.org office.
Truth be told, if they asked for food, we’d give it to them and connect them with larger food sources designed to accommodate larger needs. Feeding people trumps bad behavior. We have learned over the years that for every individual who abuses the system, far greater numbers of people respect the model, benefit from it, use it the right way, and often, when they are able to do so, contribute to a pantry to help the next person in need.
Recently, this latest group of Grinches slipped up. As they were staging in a local BP gas station before running a route of their selected stocked pantries, a local supporter overheard their plans. This collection of neighbors leverages the power of a text message group to alert other members when a pantry is found to be well-stocked, thus, coordinating successive pickups to collect as much food as possible for the group. In some cases, they use the food personally. At other times it was paid forward to families in need, and lastly, occasionally, they sold the food.
You might think that we’d be mad. Nope.
Our position is that feeding people trumps bad behavior. We are disappointed that some select few people abuse the privilege afforded them through the generosity of others. To address these challenges, we implemented more varied and unpredictable food deployment schedules that will combat this behavior in the future. We have incorporated higher food distribution in outlying pantry locations. We have made it difficult to abuse the concentration of pantries abused by this group of ladies. Also, many of our pantry hosts now ask people to knock on their door to receive a controlled amount of food. We remain undeterred in our mission.
I tell you this experience so if one day, you happen across a Grinch abusing the charity of others, you will give them some grace, offer them a kind word, and maybe even a hearty “Happy New Year.” Remember, Grinches are unhappy because their hearts are two sizes too small.
This holiday season, as we celebrate the blessings in our lives, as we make memories with family and friends, please take a moment and remember our neighbors who are less fortunate and those who are in need. In the spirit of the season, consider a selfless act of kindness to our neighbors. Thank you.
* * *
With over 47,000 food-challenged neighbors in Hamilton County, FeedingTeam.org is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides outdoor 24/7/365 no-questions-asked free food pantries throughout the county.
The pantries exist to meet the food insecurity needs of gap families, neighbors who may not qualify for public assistance and could use a few meals before payday. The pantries serve as many food-challenged neighbors as possible, and our hearts are with those who, like my family, could not always make ends meet.
Thank you for supporting the pantries. We love serving with so many neighbors across Hamilton County. In future columns, we will share more stories about how your generosity served neighbors in times of need. 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? Volunteer opportunities are available. We are evaluating new 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) 832-1123.