Written by: Brian Burton, CEO & President
Date: December 5, 2020
My life has been marked by seasons of turbulence and calm which varied in length and intensity.
My freshman year in college was an exceptional time of growth. Barely 17, I thrilled over a wide circle of newfound friends and professors who took an interest in me. My sophomore year I struggled. After sobbing on the phone one night to my father, he penned a letter saying, “Look around you. There are others who have less going for them than you do, and they’re making it.”
Even as an adolescent, I knew those trying times had value. I learned to let go of past disappointments. I learned to look back over my shoulder and see pools of grace. Early insights borne from adversity prepared me for life and served me well.
This has been a year like no other, relentless and visceral. Widespread suffering has jarred us to our core. In turn, it coaxed out the best in us. Joining together, we responded to a flood of need with an ocean of compassion.
The clairvoyance 13 years ago to build a national model food bank allowed our community to absorb two monumental shocks: The Great Recession and now COVID-19. Without Three Square and our heroic partners, I cringe to think of how much greater the suffering and unmet need would have been. I see pools of grace.
During this season of gratitude and reflection, I hope you will look around and see others who have less than you who are making it. I hope you will find solace in seeing the stress and anxiety lifted from a family who no longer worries about having enough to eat. I hope whatever turbulence you have personally experienced will transform into something positive, ushering in a new season of opportunity and reclaimed joy.
Generous friends have made it possible for Three Square to match donations till the end of this year. That creates more food, more hope and less turbulence for our neighbors in need. If you’re able, please dive into this growing pool of people who speak, act, believe and know that together, we can feed everyone.