I started volunteering at Arizona Food Bank Network a few months ago. I’m retired and I thought I might be able to work for a few hours to free someone up for more important work, like finding food for hungry people! As part of my volunteering effort, I was asked if I wanted to write ablog and share what changes I would like to see in Arizona Here are twothings that I would like to see happen, although my grandson, not I, is more likely to experience them.
First and foremost, I would like to see people being kinder to one another. The way people so far in this century treat each other and the ideas that don’t conform to their own is terrible. We all need to realize that we’re on this planet together and must tolerate (if not embrace!) each other, if we are to survive as a species.
As we say about politics, all donation is local. I would like to see people giving back to their community if at all fiscally possible. I didn’t donate much my whole life because I wouldn’t have been able to support myself and donate too. But now that I’m retired and don’t have the same expenses that I used to, I feel it’s imperative to give back to my community.
What do these things have to do with my decision to volunteer at Arizona Food Bank Network? Everything! When I see someone that I think is not appropriately dressed, I want to let go of the feeling of judgment I have about them. When I do a task that gives another person more time to fulfill their more important duties, I hope that someone out there who’s experiencing hunger will be helped better. I hope that my help, big or small, also allows someone else to work more efficiently at distributing food that otherwise could go to waste.
I also donate monthly to AzFBN, which perhaps helps them reach more people struggling with hunger and convert them into more people with food security Although I also donate to national and international causes, I believe that donating locally is important for someone who wants to make a difference, even a small one, in their own community. We are all members of the world community, of course, but to really feel like you belong to your own small community is the goal. The donations I make to each of my causes are not large, but they are consistent every month.
Giving my time and money to my local food bank may not change the world, but I’m convinced that if each of us does a little, the cumulative effect will surely change our world for the better!
– Judith
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