Flex Your Humanity Muscle (The Friday Ficks S5 E37)

One afternoon. One team. One goal. One simple but powerful instruction from the supervisor: “Do not sort and pack any food you would not eat yourself.”

With that charge, off we went. In just a few hours, Connecticut Foodshare’s Engagement & Impact Team sorted and packed 16,208 pounds of food - enough for 13,506 meals.

That food will help Connecticut Foodshare, a proud member of the Feeding America network, as it serves more than 25,000 households each month through its mobile food pantries. This effort depends on an extraordinary volunteer army of over 6,000 people, each showing up with time, care, and heart.

On this day, I was honored to be one of those volunteers. The statistics are sobering: over 516,000 Connecticut residents (1 in 7) struggle with hunger, including more than 122,000 children (1 in 6). A few hours of my time won’t solve hunger, but it chips away at the problem.

More importantly, it reminds me of this truth: rolling up your sleeves in service to others is one of the most rewarding investments you can make. It grounds you. It humbles you. And it strengthens what I call the humanity muscle.

As one international charitable organization puts it: “Helping those in need is not charity. It is humanity.”

September is Hunger Action Month - a national call to raise awareness, restore dignity, and ensure no neighbor faces hunger alone. The need is urgent. The invitation is simple: flex your humanity muscle.

Volunteer at a food bank. Join Connecticut Foodshare’s mission (www.ctfoodshare.org). Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

And watch the ripple effect of humanity grow.

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl