223rd Week Update - Miles Neighborhood One Can A Week Project

Hi Folks,

What Do 40,000 Hungry Kids Look Like?

For the last couple of years I have been using a description of a packed football game at the U of A to help folks visualize what 40,000 kids would look like. That mass of kids—which is all around us—struggles every single day to get enough food to eat.

On Thursday while at lunch at the Blue Fin Restaurant with my friend Bill—a new computer client—we were talking about One Can A Week and he asked what keeps me so motivated. My reply was the kids. I could see that he had no real image in his mind for such a massive number of needy kids. So I brought up the U of A stadium on a fall Saturday afternoon. Bill is a big sports fan and I knew he probably attended innumerable games.

The capacity crowd at the stadium is 56,000 and no matter where you sit on the lower level, the number of folks in your field of vision would be somewhere around 40,000. It’s a sea of red.

Our conversation got quiet for a few seconds and then Bill said, “I had no clear definition of what 40,000 kids looked like. Now I do. That is startling.”

When I first began One Can A Week and heard how many kids and their parents were going without food, that was enough for me. I did not need to be told anything else to jump in to help. I guess being more of a creative type my empathy button rests closer to the surface. If that’s not you, just imagine every time you attend a U of A football game that all those folks looking back at you are kids here in town facing hunger … every single day. That should make you want to do something about it.

The image above works for me…and I will keep on imagining those thousands upon thousands of hungry kids until I feed them all … three solid meals a day like the rest of us.

A Going Away Present

Every year Merv and Judi Wingard who live at the Academy Village spend the Tucson summer in much cooler Oregon. Before they left Judi let me know One Can A Week won’t skip a beat.

“…just wanted you to know that Merv and I will be heading to Oregon in another week. But the Academy Village One Can A Week program continues as neighbors bring cans and cash to our community center. We have six folks in our community who will continue to remind, collect, and take food to the Food Bank each month.

"Thanks again for inspiring our village to help make a difference."

No vacation for One Can A Week and that’s a good thing.

We collected a total of 172 lbs. of food. The money we donated amounted to $32.00, a $25.00 check and $7.00 in cash.

See you Sunday,

Peter