We Are Different

On Friday, just as I was leaving the pantry after a long day, a car pulled into the lot. I drove up to the car to tell them we would reopen on Monday, when the driver explained that she had just gotten out of the hospital and had $1.47 to her name. 

There is a school of thought that emphasizes setting good boundaries, protecting yourself, and being firm.

But we are different. We give people food when they are hungry.

The consequences of not helping can be severe, both in the immediate sense of someone’s well-being, the consequences of their actions when they are trapped in their hunger, and in the long-term consequences to their lives.

At the end of World War II. Dutch railroad workers went on strike in order to help the allies’ advance into the Netherlands. The Germans retaliated by cutting off food supplies to the eastern part of the country. The ‘Dutch Hunger Winter’ lasted for seven months; 20,000 died, and we are still discovering how the effects of hunger lingered in the lives of those who survived. 

If your mother was malnourished when pregnant, you have a much higher rate of diabetes, lower educational attainment, and higher rates of cancer. The effects of hunger reverberate through our lives.

And so, for me, it’s an easy decision: We help people when we can, even if the sign says “closed.” I went back inside and packed a box for her to take home, being sure to include information on our pantry and shopping hours. 

What we do puts food on the table for families. It keeps people fed and prevents the gathering storm of the effects of hunger from destroying lives. We do this—you do this—to make a better world for all.

Thank you!

– Michael