Whenever I watch an elite musician or an athlete, I often contemplate the level of dedication to their craft—the discipline, the commitment, the grit it took to perform at their level is always inspiring. But I confess, I also attribute their success to a good deck. They were dealt a hand that predisposed them to success in their field. They were simply built for it.
Our Neighbor Services Team was meeting in late October to prepare for the effect SNAP changes are going to have in our community. They were being trained on protocol shifts, new ways to serve, and other resources we can call on. I came in at the end of their meeting, leaned against a wall, and watched them with a smile on my face. The room felt familiar. We’ve been here before. We’ve practiced this. In fact, GraceWorks is built for this.
GraceWorks knows how to pivot, and pivot quickly. But what I love most about GraceWorks when we pivot—we do it smartly. We stay informed, deepen collaboration, try not to breed the fever of chaos, and we think about effectively serving the neighbors experiencing the most vulnerability. We want to ask for donations honestly and steward them accurately.
In the fear and fever of SNAP going away, we want to be a voice of calm, planned consistency for neighbors. When we have a plan, they can have a plan, and a plan can calm anxiety.
I think watching GraceWorks in action is even more inspiring than a musician or an athlete because we are built for this—a group of people—some employees, some volunteers, and thousands of community supporters come together to achieve something incredible. Together, we are built for this. It’s time to love our neighbors, and we’ve done this before.
Thank you for being a part of this beautiful testimony,
Alicia
It’s an honor to be a small part of the food pantry volunteers. I’ve been there for 3 1/2 years and NEVER have I been more proud of our group these past few weeks