Fear. Laughter. Joy. Sadness. Desperation. Anxiety. Laughter. Exhaustion. Hysteria. Chaos. Panic. Uncertainty. And quite a few tears.
It's hard to know where to start, since the world changed a few weeks ago.
Since late last year we've been running a Surplus Food Grocery at Cre8, but since all this started a couple of weeks ago, the Grocery has really come into its own. We're out 3 days a week now, delivering hampers of donated 'waste' food to as many people as we can. Roughly 60 households a week. The food is all surplus to requirements from supermarkets, shops, restaurants, charities, schools etc. The amount of food we're having donated from all different places is incredible.
For me, that's been one of the hardest things to get my head around. There is so much food out there - an almost obscene amount - but there is such a disparity and so many people are struggling to get basic food to keep themselves well. The tragic story of a man from Wigan who died after having no one to go out to get food, brings this home.
The response at every household when we turn up with a hamper full of random, delicious food is life-affirming for me. People are always so grateful. They think they don't deserve it. It's such a privilege to be able to tell them that they absolutely do deserve to have food to keep themselves and their families alive, healthy, and happy. The flowers we deliver alongside food are always the thing that brings out the tears. People think a bunch of flowers is such a luxury and it's usually the thing that breaks down the dam that they've been keeping all of their emotions, worries, anxieties, and fears behind. Flowering daffodils have the power to make people know they are blessed. That they are perfectly loved just as they are, and that they're doing a good job.
Its really hard going in these unusual times. Worrying if you're doing the right thing by keeping going. Worrying about people you can't see; the kids from Cre8, the families, our volunteers, the rest of the team, your family and friends, and all our awesome supporters. Worrying about the forgotten people. But the kindness and thoughts, prayers and messages from all different places has been incredible. And the rainbows in windows make us smile on our deliveries. We love them!
We can't do everything, we can't really do much, but we can do this little bit. Small but mighty!
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