I have the privilege to work for the world’s first food bank, St Mary's Food Bank, here in Phoenix. Every year we have the honor to be the recipient of the National Association of Letter Carriers yearly food drive. It is a one-day national drive that originated here in Phoenix and spread throughout the country. Another first for Phoenix. This drive is celebrating its 24th year. That’s 24 years of your mailman picking up your food donations on the second Saturday in May so others can be nourished.
And every year, food bank staff go to all 30 postal stations and do what is called a standup. In five minutes we speak to the carriers before they leave on their routes. We do what we can to help them understand the need. To understand why it is so important for them to take the time to put out the collection bags and announcement cards. Who benefits from their efforts picking up heavy bags of cans and loading and unloading them from their truck in the Arizona heat. No overtime allowed.
The last thing they want to hear are facts and figures, so I told them a story. It was a real incident that occurred during one of our Thanksgiving distributions – the Celery Story. It culminates with a van full of children wolfing down celery because they hadn't eaten in three days. I have never had a response from the letter carriers as I did after telling that story. So many carriers came up to me and thanked me. There were tears and most of all a renewed determination to collect as much food as possible despite the obstacles.
Story carries within it the power of truth. The truth of the human capacity to feel, to strive, to love. Story can invigorate a stalled psyche or a tired cause. It can rejuvenate a disillusioned work force.
It is up to us as storytellers to discover new ways to utilize this wonderful tool in a modern world that spins so fast it has lost its ability to listen. This wonderful gift that has been passed down as oral tradition through the generations before us now has an opportunity to open the hearts and minds of so many. It's up to you now. Take some time. Tell a story.
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