A New Chapter
Hello friends of the Pantry! Today I wish you all a fond farewell, as I prepare to leave my position with the UM Food Pantry and journey across the country. It has been an honor to serve alongside folks on the frontlines of fighting hunger & basic needs insecurity in our community for these past two years.
An AmeriCorps VISTA, I was instrumental in creating the UM Pantry’s summer garden distribution program, as well as facilitating our weekly grocery rescue operation in partnership with WinCo Foods. My efforts have helped to secure various grants and partnerships for the Pantry, allowing us to purchase a greater selection of food and personal care products, and serve hundreds of new beneficiaries.
I am also the author the UM Pantry’s Hungry Student Cookbook and these monthly newsletters- both of which have been a fun and creative outlet for me to communicate with you. I hope you have enjoyed them, too. :)
This experience has been a defining chapter of my life- one which I will look back on fondly. Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of our customers and supporters, and witness true resilience and compassion in the face of adversity. This work has been emotionally challenging, stressful at times, but also uplifting and deeply rewarding. I will surely miss all of our interactions in the Pantry, which have been truly the highlight of my time here.
My work will be sustained by the amazing team at ASUM Bear Necessities, Kat Cowley (Director), Chance LeBlanc (Pantry Coordinator), and a NEW Program Coordinator, Kenzie Carter.
Kenzie is a former UM student who also happens to have been ASUM’s first-ever Student Group Coordinator! In addition to supporting the Pantry, Kenzie will provide resources and case management for UM students facing basic needs insecurity. Thus begins a new chapter at ASUM Bear Necessities & the UM Food Pantry- one that is broader is scope, and ready to take on some of the most pressing issues affecting UM students today.
Before I go, I just want to share a quote which was shared with me during a recent conference that I attended (I apologize in advance for not giving due credit to the originator of the quote):
“To sacrifice is to be uncomfortable on behalf of someone else.”
This quote has stuck with me throughout my service and I will carry it with me wherever I go. I hope it will stick with you, too, because times are tough and we’ve got important, UNCOMFORTABLE work ahead of us. Sit with that discomfort, then channel it into something positive. #Service
Be kind. Help if you can. Ask for/accept help if you need it, and pay it forward later. Community is everything, y’all.
With love,
Hilary
