Thanks, Kim And Kyle: Photo Journal - Anatomy Of An Amazon/Army Of Good Food Delivery At The Campbridge Food Pantry

“Bless you for the work you do,” Margaret P, The Army Of Good.

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This is the story of an Amazon Cambridge Pantry Army Of Good Food delivery on Wednesday afternoon.

The Army of Good is now committed to supporting the Cambridge Food Pantry. Your ongoing support is crucial as the pantry works to become one of the best, most humane, and empathetic pantries in an ever-hungry America. It is impressive, a story of love and commitment and the love of neighbors for one another.

This is the heart of America, the part that often goes unnoticed, the one you don’t see on cable news or in the media. It’s the real America, full of people with big hearts, like you, who are making a difference in their communities.

( Above, Amazon messages: Please write to Kim and Kyle if you wish; they work day and night to process the food you send. I believe they would appreciate it. Kim and Sarah, and Kyle read the messages. I admire their empathy and kindness to the families that need food help.)

Army of Good Amazon deliveries are so regular and crucial at the pantry now that Sarah has created a particular unit to receive them, unpack them, take them to the food room, and put them on the shelves or, if possible, in one of the storage rooms in the back.

They receive the boxes and work throughout the day and again in the morning to get them to the shelves and out to a desperate family that needs them.

Kim and Kyle are the Amazon unit at the Cambridge Food Pantry.

I spent the afternoon with them on Wednesday, following them as they unpacked an order that arrived yesterday afternoon, opened it, recorded it, and read the notes from the donors (I am putting a quote up from one of the receipts every day).

Being poor, says Kim, means always balancing life between what one wants and needs. The food pantry, she says, is in the middle. I’m struck by the Pantry Volunteers and their compassion and sensitivity.

These are among the volunteers who devote enormous amounts of time to the needs of people who need their help. It takes a lot more work than I ever imagined

“Enjoy your food, Becky L...”

Kim and Kyle are at the pantry almost daily, working into the late afternoon and evening to open the boxes and get them where they belong. Along with the Army of Good, they have made the pantry experience richer, happier, and healthier.

We get the things that no one else will give or bring. We have filled a big hole, and Kyle and Kim are in the middle. The photos will show this is hard work, done almost every day, and again in the morning and whenever the shelves are empty.

Kim also greets every one of the families when they arrive, writing down their names, making sure there is as little paperwork as possible, and telling the often anxious patrons that no one will grill them, make them ashamed, criticize them, or make them feel unwelcome in any way.

I’ve seen a terrified young mother who was so shamed at another food pantry that she was afraid to enter the building. Kim insisted she had all the paperwork needed, and she assured her that she knew she needed no complicated paperwork, just her name and address.

Kim says lots of people are afraid of being shamed in that way. Under Sarah’s leadership, no one is treated poorly or without sensitivity.

What follows is the life of the food and other items sent by the Army of Goods as they arrive and find a permanent and final home with a needy family. Thanks for taking this trip with Kim, Kyle, and me. You’ll see a lot of both of them and what they do. They work hard to make them comfortable and feel safe.

Kyle and Kim work seamlessly together – they get a lot done quickly.

Kim knows about my Tide campaign and held up the Tides for me.

They know how to open boxes quickly and neatly. While Kim writes down the contents, Kyle gets the cardboard to the waste disposal bins. Opening boxes goes on all day at the pantry.