Damn.  It’s been 946 days since I sat down and wrote for fun.  And that was only motivated because Bed, Bath & Beyond was closing. All these days later, it still hurts. Their online attempt to reinvent themselves is a blatant indignity to the words Fine Egyptian Cotton.

For me, the past 135 weeks have been filled with tremendous joy, a few significant challenges and the culmination of a seven-year volunteer project that was undoubtedly the most gratifying experience of which I’ve ever been a part. The new Christ Child House opened last month on Joy Road in Detroit, and the boys who call it home and the staff who provide for their care couldn’t be happier. (www.christchildhouse.org)

I had planned to put my feet up for a bit, but was presented with an opportunity to participate on the Alumni Board of my alma mater, Marquette University, and couldn’t say no.

At a recent meeting in Milwaukee, we were invited to learn more about Marquette’s Backpack Program.  And – because every time I step foot on that campus I regress to my 18-year-old self – I had done zero reading about the program beforehand and went in blind.

In her introductory comments, Christine Little, Assistant Director of the Arrupe Center for Community Service and Social Responsibility, used the term “food insecurity” which, I must admit, I had never heard before.

Not gonna lie. What first popped into my head upon hearing those words was the panic I feel at a buffet when realizing my plate is so full that I’m not going to be able to stop at the omelet station, and I instantly regret wasting so much surface area with a bagel and lox.

Even as she continued to speak, I was creating definitions of food insecurity from my own lifetime.  Like the time I was dining with a large group and someone announced, “Who would ever order the mussels?  Gross.”  I was forced into an immediate tailspin searching the menu for any other option and brokenhearted that I wouldn’t be dipping my bread into white wine and garlic sauce any time soon. Did I suffer from food insecurity those countless times when I looked up from my Clean Plate Club winning dish only to notice everyone else had most of their meal remaining?  Is it food insecurity that keeps me from admitting I’ve never tried Indian food?  Or Thai? Or most Middle Eastern?

I was snapped out of my culinary reverie by Christine’s statement that as many as one-in-five students experienced not having enough food to eat during the past school year.

What? WHAT?? How is that even possible?

That statement might lead me to be called ignorant or entitled or living in a bubble, and perhaps I am all those things. What I truly felt was shock and sadness. I remember the care packages my mom used to send me…they were truly legendary.  I remember the Sunday dinners my roommates and I would cook together and share over laughs and academic procrastination.

I had no idea this tremendous need existed or how far it reached.

But now I do.

The Backpack Program is Marquette’s confidential, on campus food pantry providing groceries and necessary toiletries to any Marquette student who is having difficulty accessing affordable, nutritious food and other essential household items. After registering in person, students can shop for a few days-worth of groceries including fresh produce, frozen meat and non-perishables and additional personal products. There are no requirements to use this free and confidential resource, and no student is ever turned away.

The program space also houses a Career Closet where students can find appropriate interview clothing. Our Board was invited to write little inspirational messages that are tucked into the clothing to encourage the students as they prepare to interview.

I invite you to click here and watch this video to learn more about the program, and, if you can find it in your heart to support this endeavor on Give Marquette Day, I can guarantee your investment will have immediate impact.

I left that meeting and walked to the center of campus where the word GRATITUDE sits in front of Joan of Arc Chapel.  No other word can capture what I feel for Marquette University and the impact it had and continues to have in my life.  Grateful for the inspiration admitting my ignorance can provide and beyond grateful for a school community aiming to make a difference to the whole person…mind, body, soul and spirit.

We are…Marquette.

xo kmp