LIVE UNITED Y’All!

One of my favorite tunes of all times is the Supertramp song that was re-made several years ago by the Goo Goo Dolls - “Give a Little Bit.”  Yeah, I guess I am showing my age here – the original goes back to 1977, but the lyrics are still relevant.  If everyone were focused on giving a little bit of their time, their voice, and their money to help others, I am convinced that many of the challenges we face would be greatly reduced.

I’ll always remember a three day weekend I spent in San Francisco back in 2004 with my buddy Ernie.  We flew to the West Coast to participate in a leadership development workshop and intentionally arrived early to soak in the beauty of the area and spend some time with the local people.

We headed to one of my favorite districts, Haight Ashbury, so we could walk in the footsteps of so many talented musicians of the sixties.  After we grabbed some ice cream and took a seat on a less-crowded street corner bench, we noticed a gray haired gentleman with very few teeth strumming some classic rock tunes on his guitar and belting out the lyrics with an amazingly clear and captivating voice.   We walked over to get a closer look, made eye contact, and smiled.  Between songs we chatted with him.

John shared his name and a little bit of his life with us.  He was homeless, living in a tent in Golden Gate Park.  He was hungry and was playing for money to buy some food.  He was trying to take care of his daughter who had recently moved to his campsite.  Baked beans helped fill their bellies.

We asked him if we could sing a little bit with him.  Ernie is a talented musician with a good voice.   I have absolutely NO musical talent (ask UPS employees) but still try, nonetheless.  Together, we must have sounded okay because a small crowd soon gathered, voiced their approval, and gave a little bit of their money.

After about five songs, John smiled at us, thanked us for joining him, and said he was going to head back to his camp.  He said his daughter’s stomach had been hurting from lack of food, and he said he had collected more money playing that short time with us than he had made in quite awhile.  He thanked us for spending a little bit of time with him, and he was going to buy some baked beans and bread.

When I reflect back on my life, some of my most fulfilling moments are times when I connected with someone who, on the surface, appeared very different from me.  The memory of being on that street corner a couple of thousand miles from home with John, someone who had obviously endured many losses in his lifetime, will always stand out for me.

My first thought about being a donor to Metro United Way and being a volunteer in our community is having a sense of fulfillement and connection.  Doing something that makes a difference in the life of another person, even something very small like the brief time I spent with John,  makes a memorable and lasting difference for ME.  “Give a little bit” – and gain a lot!

“Now is the time we need to share.”  We all see the statistics – unemployment hovering around 10%, more people in our country living in poverty now than ever before, young children entering school ill-equipped to learn and not graduating from high school on time, if at all. 

In tough economic times, for those of us who are able, we need to reach even deeper into our hearts and our wallets to help friends, family, neighbors, and even “the man with the lonely eyes.”  So join me in giving a little bit of your time, your money,  your love, to make a positive difference for guys like John right here at home. 

“So find yourself, we’re on our way back home. Going home. Don’t you need to feel at home?”

Give to Metro United Way!

Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I’ll give a little bit of my love to you
There’s so much that we need to share
Send a smile and show you care
I’ll give a little bit
I’ll give a little bit of my love to you
So give a little bit
Give a little bit of your time to me
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you’ll be surprised
Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
I’ll give a little bit of my love for you
Now’s the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we’re on our way back home
Going home
Don’t you need to feel at home?
Oh yeah, we gotta sing

General, Giving Giving, homeless, hunger, making a difference, Metro United Way, Volunteer

“I’m starving!” How many times do we say this with out actually considering what it means to truly be starving? Better yet, how many times do we say this while we’re in the McDonald’s drive-thru waiting on our two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun? Don’t forget the fries, diet coke, and yes, I think I will super-size!

My point is that most of us have not experienced true hunger. Most of us have not struggled to scrape together enough money each week to feed our family. Skipped our own meal to allow enough food for our kids. Picked food out of a dumpster or crossed our fingers that the diners we’re waiting on will accidentally leave their doggie-bag behind. That is starvation; hunger. It’s real and it’s all around us. According to Dare to Care Food Bank, “Over 175,000 people in Kentuckiana struggle daily to get the food they need to be healthy.” This number takes a minute to digest (no pun intended).

The good news is that there are organizations working to change this. Today I want to talk about Dare to Care Food Bank and the great work they are doing particularly with mobile pantries.

The traditional food bank model relies on neighborhood food pantries to get food to people needing help. Dare to Care provides the partner church or other nonprofit with food and they then distribute the food to those needing emergency food assistance.

Many families and individuals, however, need help but live in neighborhoods lacking these partner pantries. They may have other issues that also prevent them from accessing a traditional pantry.

The Dare to Care Mobile Pantry is a direct service to reach those in crisis who are struggling to access the help they need. With the Mobile Pantry program, Dare to Care brings the pantry to the neighborhood. Partnering with an agency that wants to help its neighborhood but doesn’t have the ability to operate a regular pantry, Dare to Care will schedule a time when it can deliver perishable and non-perishable food for immediate distribution. Dare to Care staff stay with the delivery truck to assist with the program.

This innovative program has improved nutrition in areas of Kentuckiana where fresh produce and emergency food are otherwise inaccessible.” (This information was taken from the Dare to Care website, click here to learn more.

Since beginning my career with Metro United Way in July 2009, I have had the pleasure of volunteering at five Mobile Pantries. The experience has made me very thankful for the life that I have. Recipients line up early, sometimes before the truck arrives, with old grocery bags, laundry baskets, boxes, anything they can use to carry their food. One Tuesday in December, it must have been 20 degrees, I remember being cold in my thick winter coat, gloves, hat, and scarf. When I pulled up to the volunteer, a least a fifty people were already waiting. Many of them had small children and hardly any of them had coats. These people were willing to freeze to get a few bags of food. This is starvation.

Mobile Pantries are happening each month, click here to help or contact Mary Sullivan at mary.sullivan@metrounitedway.org.

Volunteers setting up at City View Park.

Advocacy, General, Volunteering dare to care, hunger