On a cool February morning in 1998, I volunteered for my first time for Care to Shop, aka, “The Chicken Soup Brigade.” It was a crisp, bright morning on Capitol Hill in Seattle, and folks came back from the store with all sorts of food items for the Lifelong Aids Alliance. In March of that year, I brought Care to Shop to Vashon.
Lifelong Aids Alliance (LLAA) wasn’t called that back then; it was the Northwest AIDS Foundation. Their function was and still is to serve the needs of those in King County who are living with AIDS. Counseling, case management, Meals on Wheels and a “second harvest” food kitchen are just a few of its many programs. Many people in the area have brought their talents to the group to offer even more to these folks. You can get a hair cut or theater tickets, obtain taxi rides to doctors appointments, shop at a “Granny’s Attic” type store, enjoy group outings and more.
One of the most successful and beneficial programs is Care to Shop. This offers a chance to participate in a most fundamental way: Feed the hungry. On Vashon, we have taken this effort to a higher plane by adding non-food items to the shopping list. These basics are not funded by any government program, so those items must be bought with supplement checks. When you start with $500 a month, simple items such as aspirin or shampoo become very expensive very quickly.
On Vashon, we have the distinct honor of outclassing Seattle by heads and shoulders. When they gather 800 pounds, we collect 1,000. When they gather 1,200 pounds, we do 1,800. This is significant, given that Seattle has more than two stores and far more than 11,000 people to volunteer and/or shop for this effort. Vashon’s participation in Care to Shop has raised the bar so high that the foundation decided to give us an award for this in 1998. There was a problem at the time, though: The group didn’t have a category for, as they put it, “a one-man show.” I pointed out at the awards ceremony that I’m hardly a one-man show and that I’ve managed all of this with the help of the caring hearts here on Vashon. They all laughed, I shook the governor’s hand, and we had a great time.
Recently, the folks at LLAA have decided to laud us again. They’re now saying that our work has raised the bar in Seattle to such a height that they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs as well without our food and cash contributions. With our contributions, we’re helping to sustain these sterling outreach programs to a community of health-challenged people. With a jar of peanut butter, you might ask. Certainly! With food stamps and financial assistance checks being so small in the first place, your help afterwards makes all the difference in the world to some.
Volunteering for Care to Shop involves a two-hour commitment one Saturday a month. This commitment on your part can make a big difference in someone’s life. What’s more, you also get a chance to see a lot of your friends. So if you would like to volunteer, would you call me and give a little of your time to help out? There are many who would be grateful to you, including me.
— Larry Flynn is a long-time Islander and a Metro bus driver.
