Meet Natalee, Andrew, Nate
Natalee says in this conversation: “When I got to Grassroots I saw that this was the mission. I’ve seen why. I’ve seen it firsthand.” In this blog post, we offer that conversation.
An email from the school
Natalee: I got a email from my seven year old’s school and it read “Volunteer Opportunity in the Bronx.” And I thought to myself, wow. We live in the Bronx, so why not sign up? Had no idea what it was.
I just thought, I'm trying to find something for the kids. They are young, 11 and 7. But I want them from an early age to create an impact. So they can grow up and remember the days when we used to volunteer. It’s all about the kids.
Then I looked at the email again, and I was like, whoa, this is ten minutes from home. So that's how God just worked it out, that it was so close to home. I said to the kids, we're doing this right?
To be honest, to love one another
Andrew: We are a wonderful family. I must say that. And within our family we are instilling that teaching in our children today. And it's the teaching of service. To care, to be honest, to love one another, to love people.
From my childhood days—I would refer to my grandmothers— from a tender age we were taught about care for others, care for each other.
So that is what we are bringing to the table. Why we went to volunteer. We didn’t know what to expect. We said yes!
Nate: I look up to my parents because they're the ones who raised me so. And they've been teaching me right from wrong.
And on this topic, they've been mainly teaching me the right thing. I also have to say Martin Luther King, because I used to grow up always remembering his words because he dreamed of a fair world. And on food insecurity, I think it's a pretty unfair world. It’s why I go.
I've never ever seen anything like this before
Natalee: From the first, that was December 16, 2023, We fell in love…
Andrew: ...we fell in love with the Produce Party. From then, every Saturday that we go, we are looking forward to just serve, knowing that we will serve. We make a connection that is going to reach to the higher heights.
Natalee: Our first day we showed up, we got to the lot and we saw a whole lot of people in the parking lot…we were surprised because I registered on the phone.
We listened to Dan. Our first time meeting him. We said to each other: “Who is doing this? This is amazing. Neighbors helping neighbors.” We unloaded the truck, sorted the goods. And here comes cars loading the food to take into the neighborhood.
I don't I've ever seen anything like this before.
Oh my goodness. I cannot tell you the joy that volunteering has brought into our lives. The kids, they look forward to it. They ask, are we volunteering in the morning?
Andrew: We know that life is being changed from what we are doing. And not just us, but the many other people who showed up. Going forward, we know what this is going to be.
Nate: It's very welcoming, it’s like a whole new community. It's very warm. It's very appreciative of your help. And it's a fun experience to have!
All this would have been gone to waste
Natalee: One of the biggest impacts for me was to see that all this produce would have gone to waste.
I left that first day thinking: “Look at Dan, this guy… this food would have been gone. Gone! Going in the garbage. And he is rescuing all this produce and taking it to people who need it.”
Dan
Natalee: if it wasn't for Dan, people would have been hungry because nobody else cares to do what he's doing. So I think he's just, he's an angel. He's amazing.
Andrew: For me, being at the location for the first time I was observing everyone. And I'm seeing people who literally don't even know each other, but coming together. In one common space to change lives. Just this speaks for me volumes.
What changed me (Natalee): The emergency room
Natalee: One day at work in the ER I was assigned to a young mother, like in her 20s, who came in and said she was suicidal. She came in with two very young kids. They were maybe four and two.
She said, “I would never hurt my kids. I could not see myself hurting them. I came in because I need food for my kids.” That just…it did something to me because this woman thought of suicide because her kid had not eaten all day and they were really young. That just changed me. There was no way that I could have been the same.
When I got to Grassroots I saw that this was the mission. I’ve seen why. I’ve seen it firsthand. The Produce Party is an opportunity that I get to try and change this every week. Why wouldn't I? Why wouldn't I?
What changed me (Andrew): Gabby’s Story
Andrew: What hit me the most is to see …I hate to use this terminology, but to see people—I'm not going to say homeless, that’s degrading a human being—but to see people laying on the sidewalk. With nothing good to wear in the cold.
I'm a part of the health system as well. So I'm going to work and there's a particular lady that I always pass in the morning. She laying on the on the sidewalk whether it's snowing or whatever. And that hurt me so much.
One day, I just stopped just to see if she's alive. And she said something. I asked her, "What is your name?” And she said, “My name is Gabby.” And I say, “Pleased to meet you, have a nice day.”
And I just pushed a few dollars in her hand and she looked up at me and said, “Thank you very much.” I used to make it a point of duty to make sure that each morning I always go and say good morning to her and put something in her hand,
What changed me (Nate)
Nate: So in school we were studying civilizations and social hierarchy. So, I think of the social hierarchy in our area. It's very unbalanced because we have people who have a surplus of money, are rich and have so much wealth, and you have people struggling just to get up one meal.
My dad used to pick me up at after-school. They used to serve sandwiches there for us, and fruit and stuff. So I asked could I take a few more sandwiches. They said you can only take one, but I told them I was going to give them to people on the streets when I go to take the train.
We took some sandwiches and we just gave them to people. That was definitely one thing for me, especially at a young age, I was probably like 6 or 7 years old.
It kind of makes me happy to see that Grassroots people getting what they need to have a healthy life. And I'm honestly crying for them because they have to have a family too.
Nate: I’m thankful
Nate: Some people have no food on the table. I'm just like, every day I thank God for allowing me to have a nice meal every day. A bed to sleep in. Clothes to wear. All that stuff. So I am just honestly very thankful.
If someone asked me about Grassroots Grocery
Andrew: If someone passed by and asked me about Grassroots, I would ask them a question in return. I would ask: “Do you know the meaning of community?” And I would say: “Just show up. Just show up at the location. You can judge by yourself what's going on. You will see the meaning of family.”
That's what it's all about. Community, family and the love that it just shows right in front of you.
Work until everybody else is gone and the place is clean. Clean up. It's just still love all around. Speaking on behalf of our family, that speaks volumes. To Dan and Sheri, the rest of the staff, Debs, Randy, it's awesome. It's a beautiful organization.
And so, with hearts full of hope and hands ready to serve, this family knows that together, they can make a difference—one laugh, one smile, one cauliflower at a time.