More than a Coder - David Fletcher

The times we are in are incredibly stressful. Like many of you, I am going through a lot of fear, stress, anger, frustration, and anxiety. I found myself waking up in the morning, logging on to social media and news sites, and just starting my day off with stress. I needed to do something to break that cycle. The only thing I could think to do was to reach out to my community and see I could help out. I want to share my journey with you not to brag, but in hopes to help you cope with these uncertain times.

About two months ago, I saw a posting on Nextdoor about a man, Jose, who was parking his truck in random neighborhoods with a homemade sign asking for food donations. Immediately I was inspired. It was simple and effective: make a sign, park the truck, collect food, and deliver food. Before I started, I reached out to Jose to ask him where I could take the food after I received it. He gave me a phone number of a woman who started a non-profit called She Believes In Me. This organization’s mission is “to empower girls by providing life skills and hope to those who come from diverse backgrounds, difficult socioeconomic conditions and/or traumatic experiences.” I gave her a call, and she said that her organization would take as much food as I can bring.

The first time I parked my truck in the neighborhood, I left it there from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. When I came back to the truck, it was so full that I had to call for reinforcements! Ever since then, I have been doing this week after week!

What has my journey turned into?

Renee, the Founder of She Believes In Me, is a counselor at Hutchison Elementary School in Herndon, Virginia. Hutchison is a Title 1 school that serves low-income families who are very vulnerable to food scarcity. Macedon donated some of the coats from our coat drive to this school! To date, I have delivered truckloads of food to this organization, and now I am delivering items directly to family’s doorsteps. Knocking on their doors and giving them food is the best blessing that I have received so far. Many of the families do not speak English, but we all understand the language of love.

What can you do?

Always remember that you do not have to do big things to make a difference in someone’s life. Here are some suggestions for giving back:

• Donate to and/or volunteer at a charity of your choice.

• Next time you see someone asking for help, stop, and find out how you can help.

• Buy non-perishable food items and take them to a nearby homeless shelter or a food bank.

• Do a food drive in your neighborhood or apartment complex.

No matter what you choose, it will make a difference. We cannot fix all the world’s problems single-handedly, but we can make a difference right in our communities. If this story inspires you and you want to help, you can always reach out to me directly at David.Fletcher@macedontechnologies.com.