Our Future ... Today's Children

It's been said that our children are our future. If our children are our future, then don't we owe it to them to give them the best opportunities for a full, productive life? I don't think anyone will disagree with that, no matter political preference or personal beliefs. 

So what are those elusive opportunities we are talking about? I think an education is one of the best ways we can help the next generation reach, and exceed, their potential. So what does the South Plains Food Bank have to do with education? A lot and I'm not talking about just school supplies either. It's a basic theory regarding human needs. If the first need isn't met, the others can't even be approached. If a child is not eating or is constantly having to wonder where their next meal is coming from, if they get one, they aren't focused on learning. And who can blame them? Once they are fed, preferably healthy foods, they can then begin the task of listening to their teachers and not their stomachs. 

The South Plains Food Bank serves thousands of meals every year to students through our Kids Cafe program. This year we have sixteen sites across West Texas!! Help us help the next generation of kids be the best they can be! 

It Takes a Village

We talk about serving and making a difference and I would venture to say that each of us want to make a difference. We all have different passions and those passions are what drive us and what make us unique. When we work together, we make a difference. Whether it's political activism, social activism, spiritual service, arts or music - it all fits together like a puzzle we each have a piece of.

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day. My water heater was sitting in two inches of water and my cousin needed to come, with her two young boys, to my house for the afternoon. The boys were down, the workers were working on my water heater and we were taking a moment to breathe. My cousin and her husband are new to town so they don't know many people yet. She made the comment, "wow, it really takes a village". While that statement is evident in our individual lives, it's also evident in our lives as a collective nation. We weren't meant to live this life alone. It does take a village. Each of those individual passions plays a role in ensuring that the village works and continues on into the next generation, hopefully better than the prior generation.

That's what we are trying to do at the SPFB, make a difference in our corner of the world, do our part to be a productive member of the "village".

Today America lost a legend and a servent when we lost Ted Kennedy. You may not have agreed with his politics but no one can argue the impact he left on his country or the lifelong service he genously gave. He did his part as a member of the "village" we call home.

You are what you eat?

I'm sure we've all seen those commercials for the cereal that claims to help kids think during the school day. It came on the other night and I got to thinking about the food we eat and how it effects us on a daily basis. Now, I'm not sure how much eating one type of cereal will help us concentrate during the day but I do know that I can tell when I've been eating good and when I've been eating poorly. 

I know I've blogged about nutrition before but I think it's something that is worth mentioning again. It can be so hard and so expensive to eat well. We have so many foods that are synthetic and chemically altered. If we take time to think about it, we know they aren't good for us, it just tastes so good to us! But what if we truly are what we eat?!?!  I think I would be mostly carbs and fruits. Granted, I have switched to whole grains so I'd be a giant whole grain carb! I digress, but what about all the grease and fast food that we eat because it's convenient and cheap. What about the family whose only option is the cheapest option. I have the luxury of making a healthy choice and yet I don't always. Some people don't even have the option. Unless we do something about it. Unless we help them by giving, not just food, but healthy food. 

My Favorite Day

As you know, this month the SPFB has been collecting school supplies for our annual Stuff the Bus: School Supply Drive. Well, today at 9am, we started handing out the school supplies. When I got to work at 8, there was already a line forming.

As I stood there, helping hand out grade appropriate school supplies, I had to fight back the tears. As I've said before, I love the first day of school and I love school supplies. To see all the children in line, ready for school, was just exciting! Education is so important, it is part of what helps breaks the cycle of poverty. As I talked to kids that came through my line, I couldn't help but hope they would someday be standing in line at a university, waiting to get their class schedules. That they would not have to get a voucher for their children's school supplies.

At the SPFB we offer hope by providing food for those who have hit hard times. Once a year, we get to provide hope through ensuring that every child starts the school year out with the proper supplies to succeed. After that, it's up to them but if giving them the resouces needed helps break that cycle of poverty and give them hope for a better future, then my favorite day might become the day we hand out school supplies. The first day of school can come in a close second!

Cooking with GRUB

One of the unsung programs of the South Plains Food Bank is our Nutrition Education Program run by Sharon Adams. I requested Sharon's assistance several years ago when I discovered that the very teenagers who were growing healthy vegetables for the food bank were not eating vegetables themselves.

The teens in the GRUB - Growing Recruits for Urban Business program are the labor force on our 5.5-acre urban farm. They put in an incredible amount of volunteer time during the school year, and a select few are hired every summer to work part-time on the farm. They grow over 100,000 pounds of vegetables every year, but they weren't eating any - until Sharon intervened!

Sharon comes to the farm at least once a month to work with the youth in the GRUB program. Over the last few years she has introduced hundreds of teenagers to the joy of cooking and to the pleasure of eating fresh, locally grown, chemical free produce; food they have planted, tended, harvested and now prepared.

Not one to miss an opportunity, Sharon took advantage of the teens' competitive nature and held a cooking contest last week. As a bonus the GRUB members were transported from the make-shift kitchen at the farm to our new state-of-the-art Kitchen of Hope (the Kids' Cafe commissary kitchen) for the contest, or the cooking "throw-down" as it is called on the TV cooking channels these days.

One of our GRUB teens, B.J., has been a stand out in the kitchen since the first lesson Sharon taught. He was ready to prove his culinary skills and he didn't disappoint. The contest was judged by an impartial panel and, sure enough, B.J. and his team came in first place. Sharon awarded prizes to the winners, but the real prize is the nutrition education and cooking skills the teens now possess.

Thank you, Sharon, for making good nutrition a delicious subject and congratulations to B.J. for being the "Top Chef."

good eats for a good cause

The new red velvet cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory is not only delicious but helps feed the hungry! How is that possible you ask? Well, the Cheesecake Factory and Feeding America have partnered up for Hunger Action Month in September.

I was in Denver this weekend and since we don't have a Cheesecake Factory in Lubbock, I decided I needed (yes, needed) to go try out this new cheesecake and help support the South Plains Food Bank and Feeding America! It was great but what is even more great is all the exciting events that are coming up in September in conjunction with Hunger Action Month!

I will be detailing those as we get closer to September but the theme is "Give a Little, Feed a Lot"! You can give your voice, your time and/or your money. Stay tuned for ways to do all three!!

First day back

When I came to work this morning, I struggled to find a parking place. Normally, this would be a cause of much frustration but at the SPFB it simply means that more people are out helping alleviate the problem of hunger in thier community! It was PACKED!! Not a spot in the parking lot or on the street (good exercise for me).

The activity inside the food bank has been non-stop all day. It always is but today there is a certain energy that I can't quite put my finger on but I love it! Today is the first day back for Lubbock teachers and one middle has spent their firt day back volunteering at the food bank. What a way to start the year out!! Each day teachers all across the nation give back to our children, these teachers went above and beyond their normal service to help feed the hungry.

They know how important it is for children to start school each day on a full stomach. They are able to do their jobs when their students aren't having to worry about where their next meal is coming from. So here they are, doing their part to ensure that children start the year off right! Thank you for spending your first day back at the South Plains Food Bank!

Service begins at home

A few days ago in a meeting at the SPFB, someone challenged us to remember why we work and/or volunteer at the food bank. I think this is a great exercise for multiple reasons. Mainly, I think we get caught up in the job and forget why we are doing the job. It's easy to look at numbers and forget the faces of the clients we serve. 

I saw the above quote, "Service begins at home", and remembered exactly why I work at the food bank. It all started at home. My mom taught me a lot of things and in all those things she taught how to achieve a life well lived. She didn't simply talk about it -- she did it. I remember her telling me how important it was to treat everyone the same -- from the cleaning crew to the CEO -- and did just that. She served. She served her community, her family and her church. More importantly, she brought my brother and I along to serve. It's one thing to give your time and money to give others a hand up but it's quite another to pass that on to the next generation. By handing down those same values, we ensure that the legacy of service is continued long after we are gone. 

I was blessed to not worry about my next meal or if I was going to have a place to sleep at night. It is because I was blessed and given so many opportunities that I am passionate about helping others have those same opportunities. And because I was shown, firsthand, to believe that everyone should have the opportunity to succeed. 

Going to Bed Hungry ...

I don't know about anyone else but I have this really bad habit of wanting to eat before I go to bed. I'm trying to break it and if I just HAVE to eat something, I try to make it healthy. So last night as I was thinking about NOT eating before bed, I thougt about why I eat before I go to bed. I sleep better. I don't sleep well when my stomach is growling at me. If I do manage to fall asleep despite that little growl, I wake up in the middle of the night. So either way, I don't get a good night's sleep.

So what about those individuals, children and adults alike, who go to bed hungry every night. They most likely don't get a good nights sleep and that effects the entire next day. Again, when I don't sleep a few things happen. First, people really don't want to be around me, I am not a happy person. More importantly, my thinking is affected, my ability to learn is affected and my eating and exercise habits are affected. If I'm so tired that I can't think straight, I certainly do not want to cook. I want the quickest and easiest food available to me. That generally tends to be fast food and well, that doesn't help my mind think straight either. I certainly don't want to exercise when I'm that tired. Yet, exercising helps me sleep (and work off that fast food I just ate). It's a vicious cycle that once started is hard to break. The cycle of poverty is much the same. Without the proper nutrition, people don't get a good night's sleep, then they can't function to their best ability during the day and most likely don't eat healthy or exercise and the cycle starts all over when they, once again, go to bed hungry.

By helping people get three healthy meals a day, you are helping break that cycle that keeps generations of families in poverty. The shevles are low this month at the South Plains Food Bank and the number of people coming in are high. Next time you go grocery shopping, think about buying a few extra cans of food and donating them to the South Plains Food Bank.

Thank you for all you do!

Stuff the Bus: School Supply Drive

For 19 years, the Lubbock community has been providing school supplies for children whose parents are not able to purchase the supplies themselves.The need for school supplies is no different this year, although we are expecting an increase in need.

The first day of a new school year should be exciting for students, the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil, new crayons, a new classroom, new locker. As a child, I took all these items (and more) for granted. I approached each school year with much anticipation! It breaks my heart that for some the start of a new school year is simply one more reminder that of what they do not have. They will get a new classroom and a new locker, they just might not be able to fill that locker with school supplies. If they are lucky enough to have school supplies, they are most likely hand me downs or scraps from home. HOWEVER, thanks to your participation in the Stuff the Bus school supply drive, we are able to provide thousands of children in Lubbock County with new school supplies. Last year, we handed out ~4,000 sets of basic school supplies. This year we are expecting to serve 4,500 children.

Starting August 1st, every United store in Lubbock and Slaton will have barrels for donated school supplies. Please help us fill the barrels daily throughout the entire month of August!!

Another Way of Life

I wrote earlier about how humbling and refreshing it was to work with people who genuinely care about the individuals they serve but I don't think I really put into words what I wanted to get across. As humans we all want to be a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. We want to be a part of something good; something that helps others. Even more than that, at the heart of it, we want to serve others.

I'm re-reading a book titled My Grandfather's Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. Dr. Remen is cofounder and medical director of a Cancer Help Program and has counseled those with chronic illness for over twenty years. Her perspective on life is both wise and thought-provoking. She contrasts serving with helping and fixing.

"True service is not a relationship between an expert and a problem: it is far more genuine than that. It is a relationship between people who bring the full resources of their combined humanity to the table and share them generously. Service goes beyond expertise. Service is another way of life." (p. 198)

She goes on to say that when one "helps" someone, they often feel superior because they are using their own strengths and gifts. Yet when one serves, they give of themselves. When we give of ourselves, there is no feeling of superiority which leaves the other person feeling small and cheapened by life's circumstances. Dr. Remen goes on to talk about how when we give of ourselve, our entire wholeness, we are often humbled to find that "the thing that serves best is not all [our] ... knowledge but something about life [we] may have learned from ... a child" (p.199).

What a way to live life -- serving others by giving of our selves, our experiences and our hearts.

Grateful

As summer starts to wind down, I think of all the vacations many families enjoyed this summer. I am sure that some families skipped vacation this year because of the recession. Yet, I can't help but think of the families who have sacrificed food this summer because of the recession. When my thoughts head in that direction, I find myself grateful. Grateful that I have a job and I don't have to go hungry. Grateful that we live in a country where we are able to help one another out. I'm grateful for you and for your continued support of the South Plains Food Bank. Finally, I'm grateful for the hearts of the staff members I get to work with everyday at the SPFB.

To be in a staff meeting where people are brought tears because of hard times that have hit a family in this community is not only humbling but refreshing. We may not agree on everything (who does) but we agree on one thing: that sometimes people need a helping hand. Who hasn't needed help at one point in time or another? Again, thank you for your continued support.