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Live United by Erin Haag

Thursday evening, after a long day at camp, playing with friends at the softball field while his sister played, my son was done. My husband and I were tucking him in, and he told me, “Three bad things happened today!”

To be honest, I had to dig a little deep for this, but I gently asked what happened. He told me, “My toothbrush timer broke!” “It’s OK buddy, we can get another one.”

“I messed up on my envelope for Canada.” His dad told him, “but we can fix that.” Oh. “well then it rained on me!” “But you like the rain. You were outside washing my truck in the rain!” “But I had my swimsuit on!” We snuggled our boy and tucked him in, and sent him off to dreamland. I wish I could say his world is right side up today, but it’s a good thing it’s the weekend, and some long lazy days at home with family time is just what that little boy (and his mama) needs.

She came through the door looking hot and frazzled. I had been walking the line, answering questions, handing out flavored applesauce pouches to little children, and doing the loop. Right away, I knew she was stressed. I gave her the scoop, but she asked questions I couldn’t answer. How long will it take? I told her I didn’t know, this was our first week. Well, OK, but how long would it take for the number of people in line right now? I told her again, there’s no way for me to know, that we were doing the best we could, we would keep updating her. She was not happy with us, with the situation, with life. Later, a member of my team told me she had been very hostile when attending the Resource Fair and pre-registered. She made it though, and as I circled through the pantry I asked how she was doing. She held out her hands to me and took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry. The older I get, the more irritable I get. It’s been really bad lately, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

One of our volunteers is also a shopper, and he told her, “it’s OK, we all get that way sometimes.” The woman told us, “I just need this for a few months and when it gets better, I want to come and volunteer. Maybe in like three months?” Our volunteer said, “you can come anytime. You can shop and be a volunteer, too. That’s what I do. I like being here. It’s like being with old friends.”

Sometimes grownups aren’t so different from little boys that need a hug. I wasn’t about to hug this prickly pear of a woman at the start — she wouldn’t have welcomed it! — but with a few heartfelt words, she was a shining example of why we’re here — fight irritableness and anger with comfort, gentleness and compassion. The old adage, “Treat others the way you want to be treated,” well, it can be pretty darn hard sometimes. Sometimes that gets translated, “Treat others the way they treat you,” but that’s not the case.

So while my nerves are still a little shot from all the anxiety this week, I’m holding onto that reminder — that irrefutable truth that what you put out into the world comes back to you. The Welcome Pantry served 89 households on Monday evening, translating to 233 individuals that received good, fresh foods. Thursday evening, we served 52 households, translating to 144 households served. We didn’t have to turn anyone away the first evening. The second evening, I invited two households to wait and see but let them know that we were pretty much at capacity. They were provided with food resources, and understood, and plan to come next week.

In true form, on Monday morning, the day we were supposed to open, we had a call from a trucker that asked if we’d like to have some asparagus. Sure enough — three pallets that had started to tip over of wonderful, fresh asparagus. We distributed it out into the community, getting it on to another food delivery truck that was going to spread the love to the food shelves even out to Wells and Blue Earth. We filled our refrigerators and called Semcac, Senior Towers, Senior Center and the YMCA. The team running the meal program at First Lutheran came and loaded up, as did Loaves and Fishes.

Fourth of July weekend is historically a weekend for our first responders to have an increase in calls, and it’s not just because of the fireworks. It’s the crowds, the heat, the frustration that can bubble up underneath the joy of celebrations. This weekend, I encourage everyone to remember grace and patience and to truly treat others as you’d like to be treated. Thank our first responders and be compassionate and consider those who might not enjoy the holiday weekend.

If you’re interested in volunteering, give us a call at 507-373-8670. There are plenty of opportunities over the months, especially for younger youth groups that can help us carry groceries out. We’re so appreciative of our volunteers who jump in, handle changes with grace and meet people with joy and compassion. As one volunteer says, “it’s like being with old friends.”

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.