Somebody Should Do Something

This appeared in the February 25, 2021 edition of The Fish Wrap.

We are facing catastrophic challenges in our world and it’s easy to feel helpless to stave off the potential disasters. But I recently got vaccinated with inspiration! I met Mary Beth Massey, the Snap-Ed Program Coordinator for the Illinois Extension. Mary Beth uses a combination of creativity, grit and charm to get food to an impressive number of families in our community.

Mary Beth and her colleagues have coordinated 10 food mobiles since the start of the pandemic, serving 125-150 families at each event. They coordinate donations, pack boxes and distribute. To qualify, families must register by phone. Since the Extension office is closed, Mary Beth takes these calls on her personal phone, receiving calls at all hours of the day. Answering those 150 calls makes the difference in families getting a much needed box of food that week or not.

Last year, Mary Beth and her colleague Susan Stollard attended 42 Arthur Produce Auctions and received donations of 24,137 pounds of produce which they distributed to 22 food pantries. Mary Beth cajoles auctioneers to donate surplus food that would otherwise go to waste or to pigs! One week, they received a donation of over 100 cantaloupes. They packed Susan’s personal car to the roof with cantaloupes and made the deliveries. Over 100 families got to enjoy the sweet taste of Illinois melon that week!

I was shocked to learn the extent of food insecurity within our community. We sit on top of some of the richest soil on the earth and some of our neighbors struggle to get healthy food on their tables. I don’t know how to solve the problems of poverty or food supply chain fragility. But Mary Beth shows me that solving food insecurity starts with me getting surplus food to people who need it!