“If you come and you stand on this line you’re gonna get love, you’re gonna get food."
Patricia Burns
Grassroots Grocer
“Last Saturday, one young lady called me over and said “come here please. I don't have no food, I don't have anything.” I said give me five minutes. Not even five minutes, give me two minutes. I said, ‘You come on behind me and I will give you whatever you need for you and your kids.’
Some people are more in need than other people. Sometimes I can look someone in their eyes and tell. I'm not ashamed. I will ask if they need more, because if they need more, I give it.
I never turn nobody back, and I don't ever refuse anyone. I don't care where are you from. I don’t say “Oh you don't live in this development.” If you come and you stand on this line you’re gonna get love, you’re gonna get food.
I’ve been doing work in these projects and other places for 15 or 20 years. But the happiest day is when they told me Dan and Grassroots were coming with the vegetables. They called and told me ‘Dan just called and said ‘I’ve got some fresh vegetables for you.’
So it was like ‘God, you just blessed me. Now I have vegetables and I already have meat and stuff that I can give out to my community.’ I was so grateful that I fed the whole community. My buildings, my residents and the whole community from here, from 104th St. all the way to 112th.
I get very emotional sometimes because I lost my two girls, my twins. They told me that they would never live until they were five years old but it turned out one lived to 18 and other to 23.
“I love doing for my community and I love giving back and it's just in my nature you know.”
So I took care of two disabled children and plus two regular kids. My two disabled children went to go-away camp, they went to Disney World, just like the others. I always think if I can raise two twins, and give back to them, I can give back to the community.
When I was young I used to do things that I had no business doing. I have friends that passed away. But look where I'm at now. But you know at some point you think: this is not your space, not where you're supposed to be.
Then I had to pray to God. I had to thank Him for bringing me this far away. I also had to say: you put me here for a reason. You put these two girls in my life for a reason because the path that I was going down it wasn't the right path.
I feel that that's why they gave me these twins to open up my eyes and realize that you got confidence. That really woke me up.
It’s like this: don't get stuck. Just because you lived in the project, don't think that you can’t make it cause you can. Right! You can!
What happens after Grassroots drops off the food on Saturdays? When Grassroots pulls up, when the people come to line up, I say be patient because my line is all the way around the corner. I don’t want my people to wait, no one should be ashamed.
I'm waiting on Grassroots right now, just as we are talking. They'll send me my peanut butter sandwiches. Oh my God those sandwich races!
I love doing for my community and I love giving back and it's just in my nature you know. Everybody can't be happy but I try. This is what I think I was put on earth to do.”
Grassroots Grocers like Patricia are the beating heart of hyper-local food deliveries. They make sure healthy rescued produce gets to our neighbors…week after week, year after year.
Team up with Patricia to help her get that critical work done. Please give now to Grassroots Grocery.