A reflection from HIP’s Meal Program Manager, Darcy Buendia.

We’ve all heard it. Seen it on a bumper sticker, or maybe a t-shirt. On the morning of a recent prep shift for our Lake City Senior Days meal program (oven “fried” chicken, collard slaw, green beans, cornbread, and apple crisp, just in case you were wondering) a volunteer said that she had brought a radio. She wanted to listen to the impeachment hearings that were happening live while we were cooking. Ultimately, it was too noisy and busy in the kitchen to tune in, but the point is that it was on her mind. I thought to myself, if that’s not thinking globally and acting locally, I don’t know what is. A mind in Washington DC, while your hands dice an apple in Seattle.

And I think a lot of us are in that place. I’ll make a presumption that given your interest in HIP, you are the kind of person whose circle of concern is wider than yourself or your family. We’re all renting little pieces of our consciousness to what’s happening around the world … the protesters in Taiwan, civil unrest in Chile, and to that now infamous call between two presidents. And, at the same time, our feet are planted on this ground. When I meet new volunteers I usually ask what brought them to HIP. This past year, it was not uncommon for the answer to be something like, ‘the news upsets me, and I had to do something, so I’m here.’

You may be surprised to hear that I don’t have the answers to all the world’s problems! That’s a common misconception, and I’m sorry I mislead you all the way to the third paragraph. But here at HIP, collectively, we do know a few things. We know how to create a hot meal that brings neighbors together. We know that kids learn better when they are not hungry. We know that we don’t know everything. And we know that we are stronger in numbers. So thank you for your action.