It's race week, so that's very exciting. But I want to take a minute to talk about something else...
I'm a sucker for a good cause. I like finding ways to make a difference. It's not about getting accolades, it's not about winning an award, it's about making a difference in society. Last year I organized a 5K fun run through my work affiliation, benefiting HopeWorks, a Housing Hope Affiliate. It's a lot of work, I mean a lot. But I feel like we made a difference, we had an impact, and that's important to me. It's easy to just go about your daily life and get up in the morning, go to work, come home, eat dinner and do it all again tomorrow. We tend to focus on ourselves a lot and we really only "see" the tiny part of the world that directly affects us. We rarely focus on what is going on outside of our little "world". So, doing something that has no direct reward for ourselves isn't really something we even think about. I'm not big on global organizations. I like things that directly benefit my community. I'm a firm believer that you need to start local. If we all focus on our own communities, then the global community will take care of itself.
I want to introduce you to the "Food Is Free Project - Tacoma". these guys are doing amazing work to bring food directly to the community. they have an urban farm at the hub of the whole operation, and partnerships with farmers around the state, often making trips to Eastern Washington to collect product to bring back to the Tacoma area, all to give away for free. They have "tables" set up all over town, each with a small bounty that you can stop by and grab whatever you may need, or maybe you have something you want to leave at the table for others -
I urge you to check them out at https://foodisfree253.com/. Their website has a map of all tables, you can also purchase some t-shirts, hats, etc. and (since we have to have them) face masks there as well. This group is working tirelessly and they could use your support. Feel free to contact them to make a donation, they are now an official non-profit, recognized by the State of Washington.
I'm not ranting about all this because I want some reward. I just want to bring awareness to this group. I work in an industry that allows me a unique peek at the amount of food waste we truly have in this country. It's staggering. This group is doing what they can to help fix that. I've helped them unload boxes, I've delivered goods to tables throughout town. I've even benefited from the work they do by taking a few items home for dinner myself. Maybe you know someone who needs a little help stocking the pantry, maybe you are that person, maybe you just need a couple ears of corn or something for tonight's dinner. Give them a look, the work they are doing is amazing. And if you can, lend a hand, maybe donate a few dollars. Every small impact we can make on our communities adds up. It is my honor to run the Food Is Free Project - Tacoma sticker on my racecar. Feel free to ask me about it if you see me.
See you guys at the track!
Comments