As a kid I remember spending many summer day’s staying at my grandma Carol’s  place in North Everett.  Grandma was a cook for the Everett School District.  While many of her school district partners were able to take some time off during the summer, grandma kept working.  It was an imperative to her that kids be fed regardless of the time of year.  So she created the free school lunch program at North Middle School and permanently changed her community for the better. 

I recall spending summer mornings in the school kitchen at North Middle watching grandma and her kitchen colleagues work their magic, preparing hundreds of meals.  She prepared those meals with the same love and care as she did when she used to prepare special birthday meals for her loved ones.  She cared about each kid as though she were feeding her own.  It mattered to her deeply that each kid who showed up to be fed also received a generous portion of love.  Love was at the very core of her legacy and food was her primary means of delivering it.  Grandma was famous for her homemade cinnamon rolls and she added them to the menu at North Middle.  I recall kids asking for them when they came for their lunch.

Grandma knew kids struggle to excel with their academics when their bellies are empty.  Grandma knew not every kid has a fridge or pantry at home stuffed full of food.  She knew many kids in our community go to sleep at night hungry and malnourished.  She also knew not every kid has a mom or grandma at home to prepare them a home cooked meal from the heart.  So she worked tirelessly over the course of her 35 year career doing her best to change all of those things to the better.

Grandma Carol’s daughter Lori (now a grandma herself) continued in her mother’s footsteps devoting much of her life to feeding other’s.  As far back as I can remember, mom was involved with volunteering at food banks and at her church’s food pantry.  She has been on the front lines getting folks fed and has been an advocate for eliminating hunger.  I had the joy of working alongside mom at the Canyon Hills Community Church foodbank in Bothell,WA for many years.  I’d get off work and head over to the foodbank and mom would always be there, working hard, with a smile on her face.  Every week.  She never seemed to take a day off and had a reputation as being sweet and caring, often making special handmade cards, bags and other item to bless the food bank clients with.  This food bank had a lot of children as clients, and it was always obvious mom would give her last ounce of energy and resources to make sure those children were taken care of.  Grandma would be proud.  I am proud of you, mom.

There is no other like Baba Nina.  A Russian speaking immigrant of the Soviet Union, who came to America during a time of severe religious persecution of Protestant Christian’s by the Soviet government in Ukraine, found her way to Snohomish County.  Shortly after coming to America – with few material possessions and no money, with limited to no ability to read or write English – her husband passed away.  She somehow managed to learn English and obtain full time work to provide for her family while raising five kids on her own.  Throughout all of those hardships she found solace in her love, feeding people.

In the Slavic culture food is a big deal.  While many American households serve a couple of dishes that come together as dinner, many Slavic cooks put together a smorgasbord of cuisine that often leaves barely enough room for plates on the table.  Baba Nina spends hours every week putting these table’s of home cooked food together for her many loved ones.  The pastor is coming over?  That’s like eight hours of food preparation.  Your daughter is engaged and her fiancee’s family are coming over for the engagement party?  You might need to outsource the event to a caterer (who also happens to be related to you because Russian families are deep.)  The prodigal son has returned and agreed to stay for dinner?  There might be a couple day’s of menu preparation and cooking involved for that.  The Russians are a very serious people and it shows when it comes to eating together.  You better take your hat off before sitting at the table, and stand when you pray.  Oh, and make sure you kick your shoes off before you enter the house or babushka will not hesitate to pound you on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

Baba Nina is a special person.  She has never had much money, and owns few possessions.  In her mind her wealth comes in the form of being among those whom she loves.  And she shows them how much she loves them by ensuring they’re well fed.  While there is a lot of hard work involved with making home made meals on a daily basis, she passes the time talking on the phone (very very loudly) with her sisters and other family members and friends.  She often has Russian language cooking shows playing on Youtube for inspiration.  And while there are a lot of traditional dishes that Russian people like to prepare, Baba Nina puts her own spin on it, adding ingredients and seasoning by eye in lieu of using exact measurements.

Her food has a special effect on people.  When you sit at her table to eat, people tend to laugh and smile.  Behind the Slavic stoicism are passionate, hard-working, family oriented people who love to eat, together.  And even if the dish doesn’t look like something you’re familiar with and you’re hesitant to try, you still want to try it because you will catch a glance of Baba Nina, looking over, hoping from the bottom of her heart that her food has brought happiness into your day.

Cindy, the executive director of the Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe, WA is a local hero.  A retired detective sergeant who had an amazing career with the Monroe Police Department and is well known and respected in the Sky Valley area and food bank community.  She is a kindhearted person who cares deeply about others.  She sees the good in people and gives folks a second (and third, and forth) chance.  She believes in people and it shows in her management style at the food bank, trusting in her colleagues to run their departments with minimal interference (but always willing to provide backup or support.)  Many of the volunteers respect and admire her and feel appreciated working for her.

At her core Cindy loves her neighbors.  No one who shows up at the foodbank is turned away empty-handed.  Show up asking for diapers?  Here’s a giant Costco pack, oh and hey, if you stop by in a couple weeks I will give you more.  Can I give you some baby wipes to go with that?  How are you on food? Do you need an emergency supply to get you by for the weekend?  Fryeland’s Elementary is handing out school lunches to kids during the Covid-19 crisis?  I need you to take a van packed full of 2,000 lbs of good food and bring it over to the school to fill those kids fridges and pantries.  Grandma Carol would be proud.

Empathy, compassion and selfless service permeate through every inch of the Food bank, and Cindy’s character is comprised of these very same attributes.  She isn’t in it for the glory.  She’s in it because she genuinely cares, and it shows in the quality of service to the clients.  Getting folks fed is imperative to Cindy and the community as a whole is better because of her work.

Four amazing mom’s (and grandma’s) who’ve collectively fed thousands of hungry people and changed their communities for the better.  That is a lot of love.  Happy Mother’s Day!