Letter to the Editor: The people who open the bags of onions

Dear Editor: 

In her October 15 column, Barbara Anne Greene described the heavy lifting behind a Food Bank of Wyoming mobile pantry visit: unloading food boxes, sorting produce, breaking down packaging, and even opening large bags of onions to portion them for neighbors.

That image of the onions stays with me. An onion is not an exciting symbol of generosity. It does not photograph like a ribbon cutting. But the person who patiently divides food into useful portions makes it possible for another household to put supper on the table.

Jesus understood the dignity of ordinary service. At the Last Supper, he washed his disciples’ feet. His action unsettled the room because the work seemed too humble for a teacher. Yet the point was unmistakable: love must be willing to stoop, notice the actual need, and do the work.

The Rustler also noted that many volunteers are older adults. That should cause us to thank them and to ask how the next generation can share the burden. A community that appreciates its faithful workers should not expect those same people to carry every box forever.

For families in Basin and Greybull, there are many ways to answer the invitation. Ask the pantry what assistance is useful; bring a young person alongside an experienced volunteer; help with lifting, cleanup, organization, or transportation when organizers request it. The right form of help begins by listening, not assuming.

We should also remember the person who receives the food. A pantry visitor is a neighbor, not a lesson in how fortunate the rest of us are. Compassion protects privacy as carefully as it distributes provisions.

The Gospel’s instruction to love our neighbors is not fulfilled when we admire volunteers from a distance. It becomes real when more hands take up the work.

Perhaps a small town’s finest testimony is not the size of its donation pile, but whether someone is still there, quietly opening the onions, when help is needed.

Douglas Vandergraph

Fort Collins, Colorado