Because One Day I Was Hungry...
The other day I was invited to attend a Red Kettle Kick Off event in Kenosha. As a guest visiting from Divisional Headquarters, I took a seat at the head table, next to Carl Sanders, President of the Rotary Club of Kenosha.
The event took place at The Salvation Army Community Center, right on 75th Street near downtown Kenosha. A volunteer came in early that morning to prepare a warm meal for the event. Our plates were full of chicken and rice, with a roll on the side. During the lunch Mr. Sanders made mention of this meal being "...much better than the powdered milk I remember receiving as a kid."
I asked Mr. Sanders what he was referring to. He paused for a moment as the memories began to come back in his mind.
"I grew up out of state, closer to the east coast. My mother and father were hardworking, but even the money they brought in was not enough to feed us. So we went to The Salvation Army. We waited in line for some food. We received all kinds of food, milk and eggs and more. That was a long time ago, and I had forgotten all about it. But when I came in through the front doors here this morning, those memories all came back."
When I asked Mr. Sanders if he would be comfortable sharing his #RedKettleReason, he accepted the pen and began to write.
As this gentle giant and local community leader slipped the paper back to me, tears filled my eyes.
"Because one day I was hungry and I was fed from The Salvation Army"
-written by Krachel Greenwood, E-Communications Manager