November 23, 2015
Written by Krystina Kohler, United Way Employee
As a child, my family wouldn’t have gotten by without assistance from our local food pantries. Young parents of four hungry kids, my mom & dad did the best they could to attend college and raise us. The small act of individuals donating to food drives gave my parents the ability to feed their family on a limited income.
After I earned my Bachelor’s Degree, I worked multiple part-time jobs but still lived at or under the poverty line and struggled to pay for my most basic needs. In my mid-twenties, I often skipped meals after having to choose between buying enough gas to drive to work or buying food for dinner.
Food systems – and our relationships with food – have always interested me. I focused my graduate studies on agrarian development and food security and am so proud to work for a non-profit that cares about strengthening the dignity of our community’s essential needs. As an adult I do my best to Live United and pay it forward by organizing support for strangers, the same way strangers once organized support for me.
A few weeks ago, I shared my story with coworkers and asked them to join me in a Thanksgiving Food Drive. Our internal staff rallied together and brought in 539 non-perishable food items within a two week period. This filled United Way’s Volunteer Van and I was able to hand-deliver the donations to food pantries in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.
Food being delivered to The Salvation Army in Waukesha.
Food being delivered to the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center.
I am overwhelmed with thankfulness that I am surrounded by great co-workers, neighbors and friends. This Thanksgiving, think about the people (oftentimes strangers) that have allowed you to have a good quality of life. Be that supportive stranger that so many families in our community need. You can never be sure who has benefited from or will need the services that you support. The children whose problems you alleviate often turn out to be the impassioned adults that choose to champion the causes that touched them dearly.