Dispatch - 2-01-07

A Funny Thing Happened

The little boy with the dark curls and the liquid, green eyes pointed to the bean bag chair. “You sit there and be the audience,” he instructed his buddy Alex. “Clap when I come out and then laugh really loud when I tell a joke.” Alex flopped into the chair as Josh hid behind the drapes that framed the living room window. “Ladies and Jellybeans,” Josh announced his voice muffled by the curtains, “straight from Mrs. Cohen’s second grade class, the funniest kid EVER…Joshua D.!” Alex picked at a scab on his left elbow. “Hey, knuckle head!” Josh hissed. “This is the part where you clap.” Alex jerked upright beating his hands together wildly and cheering loudly. Josh emerged from the draperies and climbed up on the coffee table that doubled for a stage. He held a slotted spoon in front of his mouth like a microphone. “What would Superman say if he were Jewish?” Josh queried his crowd. He waited. “Up, up and oy vey!” he cracked with innate comic timing. Alex guffawed as hard as he could like a good buddy should. Scenes like this one played out between the two friends throughout their early school careers at which time they attended the same school. Despite being sent to different high schools, the boys managed to keep in touch. When college distanced them even further, they finally lost track of each other.

Food Runners volunteer, Sarah D., joined “The Force” this past September. Sarah D. is Josh’s mother. She began doing various food runs as soon as she signed up. In November, Sarah informed me that she felt ready to take on a regular weekly run. Her timing was perfect. Long time Food Runners volunteer Frances V. had just let me know that, while still available for occasional runs, she needed a break from her 19 years of picking up food every Friday afternoon at Green’s Restaurant and Williams Sonoma Bay Café. The location and timing of the run fit well for Sarah. Sarah arrived at Green’s for her first run on the prescribed day at the prescribed time. She parked in the alley as per her instructions and entered through the kitchen door. She flagged down the first person she saw wearing a white uniform. “I’m here to pick up the donation for Food Runners,” she told the tall, handsome chef. He looked at her quizzically. “Are you Sarah D.?” he asked. “Yes,” she replied wondering how he knew her name. “I’m Josh’s old pal Alex,” he said. “Remember me?” Sarah searched the young man’s face for that of the boy she once knew. It took a moment, but she caught a fleeting glimpse of it beneath the crags of the grown man’s countenance. “Of course I remember you,” she said, “but I didn’t recognize you. I haven’t seen you since you were...” “Twelve,” Alex interjected. “Yes, well,” Sarah went on, “you’re all grown up now and I’ve gotten old and gray. How did you know it was me?” “I recognized your voice, Mrs. D.” Alex replied, “besides, you don’t look so very different as you think.” After a few minutes spent catching up, Alex led Sarah to the day’s food donation and helped carry it to her car. Green’s donates their excess food to Food Runners on a thrice weekly basis and has been doing so since Food Runners was 20 years ago. Sarah waved good bye to Alex. “See you next week,” she sang out with a smile. Her smile got even bigger when she delivered the donation to the happy folks at Next Door on Polk St. The funniest things happen on the way to a food run.

Food Runners picked up 109,500 pounds of food in the month of January. Volunteers performed 643 runs and the truck did 200. Please welcome the following new donors: Out of Time Catering, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Costarella Seafood, Peet’s Coffee on Howard, Buy Rite and Canyon Market who donates on a weekly basis.

Don’t forget to help get the word out to your local restaurants, grocery stores and businesses that they never need to throw away food.

Tell a Friend About Food Runners

Arranging a pick up is only a phone call away at 415-929-1866. A volunteer like Sarah D. will arrive in a timely fashion to whisk their donation away to a San Francisco shelter or food program in need.

Happy Trails,

Nancy

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