By Karen Secord
How do we create change? Is it better if change is slow, measured and proceeds only incrementally, or should we “rip the bandaid off” with confidence and face the consequences?
One thing is for sure: no change happens without making people – at least some people – uncomfortable.
Perhaps this is why so many of us have done so little about the injustices that have been right in front of us. Why, I find myself wondering, has it taken a worldwide pandemic to open our eyes to the gaping holes in our failing social safety net.
What will our society look like when we start to reintroduce ourselves to each other; when we begin to move about more freely, embrace with abandon, kiss cheeks with European flare, hold hands, sit beside each other at meetings, gather in a park for a picnic?
Parkdale Food Centre has always been committed to working within a human rights framework when it comes to food security. Good food that nourishes your body is a basic human right. We have questioned food charity and what kind of society we are when more and more people find themselves without the means to feed themselves or find adequate housing.
I would say that Parkdale Food Centre is a “Community Influencer”. And if you are a donor or a volunteer or a supporter in another way, then you too are likely a “Community Influencer”.
To me, a “Community Influencer” is someone who is not afraid to ask: why? They are interested in conversations that tackle root problems and explore new ways of seeing an old problem. An “influencer” is willing to take a chance on a new way of doing something as long as it fits with their basic values; in the case of PFC those values would be kindness, health, community, caring, and equity.