North Texas Food Bank’s Post

On May 25, 2020, the nation was shaken to its core by the brutal murder of George Floyd, a stark reminder of the deep-seated racism that continues to plague our society. Amid the chaos and pain of the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers like myself, Donald Collins, were tirelessly helping our communities navigate these unprecedented challenges. Yet, even in our most vulnerable moments, racism reared its ugly head. I was appalled to encounter such blatant discrimination within the nonprofit sector, where I had dedicated so much of my life. The president of a white-led nonprofit, Don Cox, openly targeted me, treating me as if I was stealing from him simply because of my race. This pattern of racism was not isolated to one individual or organization. At the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) 2024, Brian from the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) wielded his white-led authority to forcibly remove me and my team from the event, declaring, "I want them (Blacks) out." His actions were a disturbing display of power meant to belittle and undermine our efforts. The complicity didn't stop there. Freeman and Diversified Communications joined in on the discriminatory treatment, reinforcing the racist behavior flamed by Brian from GBFB. It is shocking and disheartening to see organizations with immense resources—worth millions of dollars—retaliate against a Black-led nonprofit like Wrigcoll Enterprise Inc., particularly when I have a history of contributing significantly to the community, including five years of service with Food For Free. This story should shock and appall corporate executives and the general public alike. The privileges of whiteness continue to overshadow the insidious racism that still exists, even within organizations purportedly dedicated to serving the public good. It is imperative that we confront and challenge these injustices head-on, ensuring that no one is subjected to such degrading treatment based on the color of their skin. My experience is not just a personal grievance but a call to action for systemic change in how we address and eradicate racism within all sectors of society. #NoMoreRacism #SocialJustice #StandAgainstRacism #Freeman #DIV #FoodForFree #GBFB

So many of us want unity and feel distraught over increasing US versus THEM divides - in the United States government, in the Middle East and more. Most of us are in no position to influence big conflicts. But we are ALL in a position to foster UNITY in our own lives. The good news is that you don't need special powers to bridge an US versus THEM gap. Anyone can make a positive impact if you are genuinely interested in building UNITY and you are willing to TAKE ACTION. Try the F.R.E.S.H. framework 🌟 **Family** 🙏 **Religion** 🍽️ **Eat** 🛍️ **Shop** 🎨 **Hobbies**  It starts with one small gesture. 🌟 **Family** – look for opportunities through family, including children, friends & pets, to connect with people who are different. Action: At a school or community function deliberately sit near someone new and look for an opportunity to talk. 🙏 **Religion**– leverage current religious affiliation as a mechanism to expand encounters with a more diverse population that shares the same faith. Action: Research common faith congregations and attend a service in a different location. 🍽️ **Eating** – use food as one of the great unifying factors. Action: Research a culture-specific grocery store or restaurant and go there for a meal. 🛍️ **Shopping** – think about where you spend your money and expand your circle of merchants. Action: Select one shopping need this week and go to alternative location.  🎨 **Hobbies** – utilize current interests including sports, music or other activities. Action: Research the activity you already enjoy (soccer, choir, cooking, volunteering) and find a group outside your current homogeneous circle. Visit that group. 🌐 Repost this message and share the F.R.E.S.H. framework with your network. Small gestures, big impact! 🤝 #unity #takingaction #FRESHframework #webuilding

Join us as we highlight the societal work of the Harlem Children's Zone, an organization that empowers our scholars, families, and communities with the opportunities needed to achieve life-changing social and economic mobility. CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse has built upon the foundation of the programs in Harlem and launched HCZ’s transformation into a truly national organization; spearheading efforts to scale its place-based model to under-resourced communities across the country — most notably catalyzing HCZ’s National COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Effort to support Black and brown communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. 🤝 Learn more about the mission and resources: https://buff.ly/3OyS5YM • • • This #BlackBusinessMonth, we're proud to spotlight organizations that are making a real difference by supporting and investing in black-owned businesses. By embracing diversity and authenticity, we are paving the way for a brighter and more inclusive future together! #CollideOnPurpose #BlackBusinessMonth #CelebrateBlackBusinessPartners

Stories of Inclusion to enhance community participation💜💜💜 I haven’t known life without pain. I was run over by a car when I was 3 years old and spent the next 18 months in a coma. I had a lot of injuries from that accident including losing a side of my face and my scalp ripped off. It was a miracle I survived. Add to that I have liver cancer and have already outlived the months they gave me to live. I take every day as a bonus. My mobility is a scooter, my Assistance Dog is named Ozzy and my life is what I make it as best I can. I’m a happy and positive person but I have to admit going grocery shopping really gives me the sh!ts sometimes. If I don’t have a Support Worker it’s almost impossible for me to even grab the basic bread and milk. My scooter can’t get around boxes left out. I don’t have the capacity to stand for long or walk around big shops. It’s much too hard for me and yet what can I do? Starve? When I heard about Cérge I wanted to give it a go at my local IGA. I recently used it and explained I need to be able to get around the store on my scooter. The staff made sure there were no boxes and that I was able to manoeuvre about. Staff member Bec walked with me with a basket and grabbed items which helped tremendously. Have you ever thought about how hard it is to carry a basket and grab items on and off shelves from a scooter? It’s the pits. I have trouble remembering things, but can use Cérge to put my list of items and the staff then also know what I need before I arrive and can grab the items for me with ease. Cérge is excellent and so are the White's IGA Mt Coolum staff for caring. Finally, I actually got help in a way that truly helped! Life changing! 💜💜💜 Follow Cérge for more or check out the link in the comments to our ever expanding Stories of Inclusion Library. Make sure you tag your favourite business to learn about Cérge. White's IGA Metcash IGA, INC. #inclusion #customerservice #grocery #empathy Matt Stoeckel Chad Anderson Patricia O'Callaghan Michelle Blancato

Organizations are nothing without their customers! Community should be at the heart of any customer-centric business. And so when a community is going through a crisis, it’s down to the organization to offer help and support. Here are 4 simple (but effective) actions your organization can take to support your community after a crisis: 1. Listen The foundation lies in asking a simple yet profound question: "How are you doing?" Actively listening to the experiences of those affected is paramount. You don’t need to solve anything, just listen. 2. Provide resources Organizations, especially those focused on a particular cause, can provide tangible and emotional resources. For example, in the wake of the George Floyd murder, when a lot of concentration became focused on supporting African Americans, a local chamber of commerce could have put out a list of African American-owned businesses in that community that supporters could frequent. Just stay within your area of expertise. 3. Highlight the issue Consistent narrative building creates awareness. Social change organizations are crucial to keeping essential topics in the public discourse. Right now, I’m happy to see that a light is being cast on the homelessness crisis in America. It’s heartbreaking to see, but it needs to be seen in order to be changed. 4. Make the problem human Beyond highlighting issues, putting a human face on them is transformative. Sharing real stories of individuals impacted by a problem bridges the gap between the abstract and the personal. It makes complex issues relatable. Communities are strong, but they are only as strong as the sum of their parts. And organizations have the opportunity to play a big part. I’d love to hear about a time when you witnessed an organization going out of their way to help a community in need 👇 #community #leadership #storytelling #socialchange

We’ve been to the pizza parties, we’ve heard the HR statements about how we’re one big happy family, we may have even genuinely liked our supervisors and coworkers as people. But when care and humane practices are not valued and embodied at an institutional and cultural level, as well as operationalized in tangible and meaningful ways, it becomes performative at best, and perpetuating oppression at worst. I am sure that if you’ve stayed in the nonprofit sector for any amount of time, commitment and passion to the work and your organization’s mission has never been a question. But the truth is that living within a Capitalist society that prioritizes productivity over care means that the majority of the workforce will experience exploitation, depleting work practices, and inhumane expectations — and the nonprofit sector is not exempt. Even though it might sound frivolous or unnecessary, a lack of care within our institutions is costing us a lot and keeping us from truly achieving our goals toward equity and inclusion. We can expect communities to trust us to meaningfully care for their stories, experiences, needs, and visions if we cannot embody that care internally — with our teams, in our systems, and in our work practices. So what can that actually look like? Click the link below and we’ll show what some of it has looked like here at OF/BY/FOR ALL. https://bit.ly/43JRIBS #Nonprofit #Equity #Inclusion #CareCulture

The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They're full of eagerness, zest, productivity. You can be, too. #91dayyear #liveonpurpose #HaveyourBestWeek #HBCUbiz #HBCU #Blackbusiness #GrowYourBusiness #4GChallenge