Three Things for Your Friday #001
Welcome to Three Things - a Friday update before we head off into the weekend.
I want to use this space to tell you about books I am reading, as well as introduce you to some of my favorite nonprofits or fair trade organizations out there.
One way we work towards a more equitable world is by caring about one another. One of the greatest ways we can do that is by how we use our dollars.
Every dollar we spend is a vote toward the kind of world we want. It is our way of coming alongside those we will never meet - either by supporting companies that pay their people fairly or by partnering with groups that retain the dignity and humanity of those they work with.
Either way - it is on us to understand how we spend our dollars matters. Every purchase counts.
Today I want to tell you about World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen (WCK) was started in 2010 after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Chef José Andrés felt compelled to go make food for those who had lost everything. As he says, “Food relief is not just a meal that keeps hunger away. It’s a plate of hope. It tells you in your darkest hour that someone, somewhere, cares about you.”
WCK has been all over the world feeding people after the world moments of their lives. There is an amazing documentary on Disney+ - We Feed People - that covers Andrés and WCK’s work.
“Cooking and eating together is what makes us human.” - José Andrés
They are currently in Ukraine, Afghanistan, at the McKinney Fire in California, and in Kentucky (among other places). They show up with food - that’s it. It sounds so simple but giving people food they want to eat vs. just handing someone a prepackaged meal can do so much.
I firmly believe that heaven will be one long picnic table with all of us sitting down to a meal we love. Sharing a meal makes us human. You learn about people as you eat together. It is restorative.
During Covid, Andrés mobilized people and went to feed those living on reservations. He utilized his kitchens all over the U.S. and cooked food for those who needed it. Time did an article on his efforts during the pandemic.
I love how simple WCK (really Andrés) mission is - feed people food they want to eat.
It’s not his cooking gourmet meals you’d get at a restaurant in D.C. to a group of people who really just want black beans (cooked how they love it) and plantains. It’s treating people, at moments of intense vulnerability, as human beings - giving them a small taste of comfort (literally!) and letting them know they are not alone.
Watch We Feed People. Check out WCK’s website. Sign up for Andrés substack. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Watch We Feed People on Disney+. It will leave restore your faith in humanity! It is also an excellent primer on best practices within the nonprofit world.
My friend and writing mentor, Shawn Smucker, is letting you into his process of editing a novel. He sends out a weekly free email, but trust me - the really good stuff is in the process only paid subscribers get to see. Check out his substack.
Pearls Before Swine is a definite fav. As we get closer to football starting again, I could not refuse:
Twentieth-century priest and spiritual writer Henri Nouwen said, “That is our vocation: to convert the enemy into a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced.” (from Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals)
Journal Prompt: Who in your life gives you pause? Who do you tend to turn away from and avoid? If we are to welcome (love even) our “enemies” we first need to acknowledge who we do not love. Without judgment, ask God to reveal who (whether a person or a group) you have a hard time with. Ask that He would soften your heart and help you find a way to see everyone around you with God’s eyes.
Be well friends,
Amanda