Grassroots Response

There has been so much negativity in the wake of the election. I thought it was bad during the "campaign season" but the 60-plus days leading up to the transfer of power look to be just as bad. People are either ecstatic or scared. If you think one person can change the world, you are right.

It's the person staring back at you in the mirror.

If you want to see positive change, then you, me, we need to do the legwork. It starts in our own backyards, our communities.

When I signed up to volunteer at The Neighborhood Table, it didn't dawn on me that it would fall during election week. But I'm glad it did. It was a good reminder to not think so globally for a minute, but instead think locally. Think of my "neighbors" and what we can do for them.

The Neighborhood Table is a nonprofit, charitable organization staffed by volunteers who provide free meals to anyone in need. Its mission is to reduce hunger in our community, improve quality of life for our residents and create an awareness of needs that exist in our community.

More than 115 community groups have sponsored a meal each year, and tonight was our church's turn. During the course of a year, it takes some 1,500 volunteers to make this happen. That's about 20 – 25 at each meal, plus the ones who aren't there physically but helped with making desserts or doing setup ahead of time.

Do you know why we need so many hands on for this grassroots effort? Because about 280 meals are served every Thursday and about 150 meals are served each of two Tuesday dinners. Helping to serve the meals is sadly rewarding. It's unfortunate that we have that many people in the Rapids area who are in a position to need a free meal. At the same time, it is fortunate that this service exists.

And fortunate, that I had the opportunity to be a part of it. And really fortunate that 20-some other members of my congregation also wanted to help on the front lines instead of complaining about or even completely ignoring the problem.

Thank goodness the dozens and dozens of diners who showed up tonight did not have to worry about who did or didn't win the election. Thank goodness they could count on our community to be there. To simply care.

That type of attitude and response will get my vote any day.