Posted 6/6/01 Survivor . . . who dares to play? By Judy Cochran Family Pathways Food Shelf Coordinator In the TV show, in real life, who really dares to play? We think of the brave, athletic and skilled folks that dare to take on the wilds of the ìoutbackî world as heroic. I would like you to think of how real to life this adventure is for each of us in our daily lives. Who are the real survivors? Maybe the heroes are people we actually know. Maybe the heroes are US. Who dares to leave oneís family and take on the unknown? ï The dad who takes on an over-the-road trucking job to be able to send money home to his beloved family. ï The single mom who starts a job only to leave her ìtreasured possessionsî behind in a day care with children infested with coughs, sneezes and unknown germs. ï The Hispanic families who leave everything to travel north to work in fields to keep the family together and fed. Who dares to eat foods that are far from our customary foods? ï I have seen brave Hmong moms trying to discover how to make our ìforeignî American foods and telling stories of flops and favorites. ï The dad that is newly divorced trying quickly to learn how to cook for his children. Who dares venture to find their way when the unexpected happens? It may not be a tiger or alligator, it may be worse. How do we face the daily monsters when they are right in front of us all the time? ï It may be cancer that wants to devour life. ï It may be losing a job that wants to ìeat upî your familyís security. ï It may be an unexpected medical emergency or serious accident. Who dares have their life story be in front of the world? ï We all seem to need to give out our private information to hospitals, services, etc. in hope of confidentiality to be kept. How many times a day do we give out our name, address, telephone, social security number, e-mail address, birth date and anything else ìtheyî might need to make our life more comfortable or to get what we need. It scares me to think of where my personal information might be and who may really ìknowî me. Do I mind? YES. Who dares to live life with people they donít know or possibly donít even like? ï Dad or mom at work. . . ï Teachers that teach our children daily with hopes and prayers that tomorrow might be better. ï The waitress that puts a smile on her face when she does not have a pleasant customer, but knows she needs that needed extra tip money to make ends meet. Who dares to believe that the outcome of their adventure could bring unbelievable rewards? ï Food shelf clients do. When people come to Family Pathways Food Shelf they get surprised at what more their adventure has for them. Food is why they come in, but they can find ìtreasuresî in the Community Thrift Store right next door. The Family Pathways ìfamilyî cares, not because that is their job, but instead because they love people and listen with an open heart. The clients leave with a full cart of food, a smile on their face and sometimes treasures found from the store. Who dares to watch and see the story progress to the end? ï We do. March was Minnesota Food Drive Month and our community donated 23,000 pounds toward the Family Pathways Food Shelf (calculations are $1=1 lb. of food if money was given). What this means is about three to four months worth of food for the clients. We are all trying to help the story of hunger end. ï You can. The Survivor program may end on TV someday, but it is still a reality in some lives. You can help by remembering to keep giving food to the food shelf. You can care enough to pray for steady reliable employment in our area. You can help get affordable housing in the area. You can make a difference by volunteering. Call Family Pathways 462-7100 for volunteering opportunities. You can be a hero . . .you can make a difference and you can be the ìsurvivor.î ©Post Review