April 2026 Newsletter - Stories
Hello Folks!
Once upon a time…
Our kid’s book section is filled with all kinds of magical fairy tales, swashbuckling adventures, and instant classics. Each child we serve gets a bundle of those books, donated by a neighbor, then organized, selected, and packed by volunteers. In their comfy new bed or chair, kids explore all kinds of new stories. That has us thinking about tales of all kinds, and how a good story can bring into focus the connections between seemingly unrelated things.
As an example, this past Saturday on a delivery day, in the span of about 60 minutes, I witnessed these stories:
A grandmother who spoke a different language than I needed no words to tell us how she was feeling watching her empty apartment fill up with furniture (and excited grandkids!). She simply handed us a tray of cookies and candy, and with a hand on her heart and tears spilling down her cheeks said, “Please, take.” We did, and they were tasty.
A delivery volunteer who recently moved his mother to an assisted living environment and donated decades of her things (including a table he had scratched up nearly half a century ago as a child) was asked to load up some artwork for a recipient. In a serendipitous twist, one of the pieces he held had just 2 weeks prior been on his mom’s wall.
A different delivery volunteer (a regular) shared with me that a total chance connection made a few weekends back with a volunteer who was getting a PhD in chemistry has led to her son (another regular delivery hand) getting some expert help in his homework.
There can be no complete telling of the story of our work, in part because there’s not enough paper or attention in the world. But also: the resilience, belonging, and community that we are building together so often transcends description.
But this month we’re releasing our annual report out into the community as our best attempt to tell that story. I hope you take a moment to check it out HERE, and when you look at the big numbers all throughout the pages, remember that each one is a beautiful, unique story. Don’t believe me? Look in the mirror! If you’re reading these words, then you are already in our 2026 tale.
Together we make it home.
See you out there,
Ian