How volunteering at my local food bank fulfilled my heart with gratitude.

Each year there is a sudden and hard stop to the work I do as a wedding officiant once the famous PNW “big dark” and rain descend upon us. No one wants to get married at this time of year so those of us in the wedding industry shift to other life and work streams. As this transition happens I often feel a bit displaced and distressed about not having a steady stream of income and opportunity to be creatively engaged.

I have often spent time imagining the life I would lead if I had all the money I needed NOW for the rest of my life. The first thought that always comes is “I wouldn’t have to work!” I feel relief and then I I get a little restless. “But what will I do with all my energy and desire to connect and contribute to the world?”

I always end up decided, “well, I would volunteer.”

I began my career aspriations as a fire-in-the-heart social worker, determined that I was destined to change the world by uplifting the downtrodden through social service work. What a shock I received as I was hit with the overwhelm of need, the disasterously “broken” systems and the utterly depressing cycle of suffering that was so embedded in generations of people caught in the conditions that require support just to survive.

Within just a couple of years, I determined that I did not have what it takes to be boots on the ground and on the front line, so I pivoted to the path of inner transformation for myself and the people I serve. My mission now is to transform one heart at a time and know that as each person heals their trauma and learns the self care and empowerment they need, that they will have the resources to also evolve their personal and social circumstances.

I know I am doing what my soul is meant to do in this life and yet I am always accutely aware of and achingly aware of wanting a better life for those who are still in need of social care.

So this year, instead of sitting home, nursing anxious thoughts of my own insecurity ( totally imagined and not at all real) I decided to practice what I preach – ACT AS IF IT HAS ALEADY HAPPENED!!!!

“I am completely and profoundly provided for now and always!!!” is the mantra I draw on when my own anxieties get hold of me and I decided to put my words into action.

I have been hearing of the extraordinary efforts of my local Edmonds Food Bank for a few years and two weeks ago I went in for my new volunteer orientation. With the recent government shut down and withhold of the federal food stamp program called SNAP benefits, there was a huge surge in food insecurity and the Food Bank put out a call for more volunteers to help.

The Food Bank operates out of a church social hall and over the years has turned into what looks like total chaos on first sight, yet is a well oiled machine of pure love in action. The volunteer coordinator took us around to each of the stations and explained all the steps of the process. Receiving massive shipments of food from federal and state suppliers and local donations, the screening to ensure it is all health code approved, storage in refrigerators and freezers and then the shopping set up that looks very much like a grocery store. Volunteers receive the orders from recipients, the forms are collected by other volunteer “shoppers” who snake around the “store” with the oders and fill shopping carts with all the bounty displayed according to their requests. Another team of volunteers is out in the parking lot, signalling to cars when their oder is ready and keeping the constant flow of supply going for several hours even in the dark and rain – our famous big dark and rain may stop weddings but it sure does not stop the Edmonds Food Bank.

Yet another team delivers oders to people who are not able to come, to the local college and eldercare homes and other community service projects.

There is an entire team that just breaks down boxes, moves carts and bins and cleans up as the whole system operates around them.

During the orientation, I found myself moved to tears and could hardly take it all in. All these decades later, from that youthful inspiration to try to uplift the suffering in my world, I had found a place for myself. I began as a shopper and felt complete joy getting to pick out each item and fill my cart knowing the name and the size of each family I was serving. As I passed off each cart to the delivery team I added a silent blessing. “May you always have everything you need and thank you for giving me the gift of serving you today.”

This past week we were preparing for Thanksgiving and the volume of private drive up donations surged. The receiving station is on the sidewalk, thankfully under an awning to keep the rain off the donations (and us) For hours at a time the small team received truck and car loads of groceries, donations from high schools, from police departments, from local businesses, from Amazon Grocery delivery and from precious families with children learning the art of giving. Again the tears were flowing. I am not sure I have ever seen such generosity! Yesterday the volunteer team was diminished as many were away preparing for their own Thanksgiving gatherings.

By the time arrived for my shift, only one evening since my last shift, I was greeted by a line up of at least ten overflowing carts filled with even more donations and a continuous stream of cars still dropping off their offerings.

Inside the building the hallways were filled with stacked banana boxes with the received donations waiting patiently to be added into the storage and distrubtion process.

In all my years of playing with the imagined state of being totally and completely provided for NOW and ALWAYS, never did it ever occur to me that the way I would feel the truth of this would be to receive and distribute bountiful food to others and to be part of a beehive team of people all working for free just for the joy of getting to give.

There is a very small team of paid staff who manage this entire operation and they are everywhere. No one is too “high up” in the system to not be out on the floor or out in the parking lot greeting guests and helping us volunteers do what is needed. The volunteers, many who have been there for years, all thank each other continuously. “Thanks for being here today!!”

There is even one gentleman who is 98 years old. He comes for both of the weekly distrubtion days and is a total wonder. The team makes sure he takes breaks and he naps in his car until he is ready to come back in for more action.

One last piece of this remarkable operation is the annual Christmas toy drive. One fairly modest size room begins to fill up with toy and book donations early in November and another entire team organizes the gifts according to age and boys/girls, type of toy etc.

One magical day coming up, December 13th this year, the main hall is cleared of all the food shopping crates and is step up as a Christmas wonderland. Each family is given tokens according to number and age of children and they get to come in and shop for themselves.

I have signed up to be there and I am not sure I will be able to keep from sobbing. Just thinking about it makes my eyes start to water.

If anyone in Edmonds or anywhere in our region is reading this that needs food or personal care supplies, please please come to the Food Bank. You are all welcome, you don’t have to be an Edmonds resident. If you can’t get there during the distrubtion times on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, let the Bank know or ask a neighbor or even post here on your local community facebook page. There are so many kind people who are just waiting for the opportunity to help. There is so much food available, especially right now as we enter the holiday season. Please come and receive what you need, no one should ever go hungry in such a bountiful country and city. And just so you know, even some of the volunteers shop for their own needs. There is no shame or exclusion happening in these hallowed halls. We are all community and family here and just want to ensure all the amazing supply gets to where it is needed.

Thank you to the Edmonds Food Bank for giving me the best Thanksgiving I have ever experienced. As I gather with friends and enjoy the food that is shared, I will be thinking of those immense stacks of food and filled to overflowing carts of gifts, the long lines of recipients and how full of gratitude my heart has become from this simple act of volunteering.

Home

Blessings to you all.

Love Grace

ps – come volunteer if you can – come receive food if you need