Kindness and Gratitude
Why I love the IGI Food Pantry
Every Friday I volunteer at the IGI Food Pantry, as I have done every week since they opened their new space in Oak Bluffs. I love this job because I’m energized by being around people, and there are so many enthusiastic volunteers working alongside the dedicated employees there. With R&B blasting in the background, we hustle to get everything ready in time for the first clients to come through the door. An hour before we open, the line begins to form, with regulars sitting on the benches, talking or claiming space with their shopping bags. Some wait in their cars.
For nearly two hours we welcome a steady stream of shoppers. It’s amazing to me how many of the volunteers know the clients by name, offering warm greetings. (There’s a lot to be said about the kind hearts of the individuals who work here, but I’ll have to save that for another article.) The people who come to shop on Fridays are all seniors like me and vary dramatically in appearance and apparent need — it’s really true about the book and its cover. Everybody seems grateful for the generous food assistance which is provided with kindness and diligence by the team there. I’m not going to go on a political rant, you’ll be relieved to hear, but I will say that nobody in this country should ever have to go hungry. Ever.
Once inside and checked in, each person gets a shopping cart for their bags and a helper to assist with selections while guiding them through the space, single file. During the short time we spend together, they sometimes tell me stories as we wait for the line to move along. I doubt that I will ever record any of these, but there are many compelling stories, some unforgettable.
More than a few have talked about their childhoods on the island a long time ago, or what it’s like to lose the opportunity to work and feel productive because of injury. One 77-year-old woman recently told me about working two physically demanding jobs to make ends meet, laughing about the over-the-counter remedies she keeps in her bag — BenGay is her favorite. An exhausted-looking man was hoping for pop-top cans of soup because he doesn’t have a can opener. (We found one for him.) Some people have no oven, just a hotplate and maybe a toaster oven. Or they have only a tiny freezer or share a kitchen and have very little space to keep the food they come for every week. Nobody is complaining, but you don’t have to be a genius to see how very hard some people’s lives are.
No surprise in a grocery store, a lot of clients like to talk about food. I would love to interview everyone who has ever shared their favorite recipe with me: how did they come up with that and who taught them and why is that their favorite food? One person’s beloved combination is incomprehensible to me, while another’s approach will inspire me later in my own kitchen. That’s one of the great things about food. It’s both a necessary and creative exercise, something everyone can make their own with what they have. It is said that food is better when shared, but I’m guessing a lot of our clients live alone.
I’ve read that a sense of purpose is important for well-being, and after retiring that can be a stretch. This job not only makes me feel useful, but it also reassures me that people are generally very good by nature, and that we can do a lot in small ways to help each other. There is much kindness and gratitude all around.
Island Grown Initiative is an important organization on our island. Here are two screenshots from their recent flyer.
This page tells more about IGI, and gives you an easy opportunity to donate, if you’re so inclined. https://www.igimv.org/donate
Another wonderful resource is the Community Freedge at the West Tisbury Public Library. You can learn more about it by following the link.
Beautiful and inspirational. It’s easy to forget how generous and giving most people are.
Beautiful!