FROM THE DIRECTOR

The More Things Change

Later, I would coach her grade school basketball teams, teach her to drive a car and watch her graduate from high school. But in 1988, she was in kindergarten and to a five year old, it just didn’t seem right or fair that some people were hungry while others, including herself, always had enough food at home. Now, she’s 19 and away at college. Things have changed so much, her mother and I are grateful when she comes home with dirty laundry.

Last semester she took a public speaking course. Unlike her father at that age, she has the confidence and poise to enjoy speaking in front of groups. She decided to do one of her speeches on the Boy Scout food drive in St. Louis. She interviewed some of the staff, checked out our web site (stlfoodbank.org) and gathered documentation on hunger. After it was all said and done, she sent me a copy of the speech. She had talked about how "Scouting For Food" started in St. Louis, became a nationally sponsored program of the Boy Scouts of America, and is now an annual event in many cities across the country. She covered all the points, including that the food drive in St. Louis has been, and remains, the largest single day food drive collection of any community. It was pretty good – good enough that I might steal it.

One of her points in the speech was why the food drive is necessary. Why are people hungry? She had research on senior citizens struggling with rising medical and utility bills. She covered the people who work at minimum wage jobs that will never earn enough to cover all of their expenses. She even thought to include the impact of rising unemployment that sends more people to local food pantries.

She ended the speech saying it wasn’t fair or right that some people were hungry while others, including herself, always had enough food at home.

It seems some things haven’t changed as much as I thought.

Sincerely,

Frank Finnegan [BIO]
Executive Director