The cold slowly seeped through layers of clothes, numbing
our fingers and toes, as we stood outside the entrance of the Thrashers Corner
Safeway Saturday morning. We were collecting non-perishable food for the
Greater Bothell Parent Resource Center (Food Bank) as part of the UW Bothell/Cascadia
Community College MLK Day of Service. Busy shoppers exited the supermarket,
placing their food donations into large boxes.
One gentleman with his long gray beard paused for a moment
before entering the store and mentioned that, not long ago, he depended on the food bank
to feed him and his family. He returned a few minutes later with a couple of
cans of beans and vegetables. “I’m glad I’m able to give back now,” he said
with a smile as he continued on with his morning.
As we found out during the recent economic downturn, families
are but one layoff away from hardship. During our last class, Maury Forman said
that there is more to economic development than just creating jobs; build
healthy communities so jobs will be created. To me, a healthy community begins
with an awareness of the people around us including those who struggle each day to make ends meet.
As leaders we must do our part to bridge barriers and create
solutions to social problems so we can build stronger communities. Or in the
words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,”An individual has not started
living until he can rise above the narrow confined of his individualistic concerns
to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
