things to read: november
by Hi folks, I’m taking the week off! No new essay this week. Instead, here are a few things I read recently that I enjoyed a lot. The Unspoken Complexity of …
Tag: food banks
the limits of pragmatism
This post is not about the election. Organizations, for- and nonprofit alike, are averse to risk. Humans have self-preservation on the brain and our organizations are extensions of ourselves. This …
the future of food banks
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? The question may be complicated by surges of fascism and ever-looming climate change. When we’re thinking 5 years ahead, we can be …
written in blood
“Every regulation is written in blood.” I’ve heard this saying in several contexts and it applies to every one. Most rules aren’t written until something bad happens. We require seatbelts in cars because thousands of people died without them. OSHA exists because of the millions of people killed or…
three tales of courage
Last week, I said that our success in a system often means it’s tilted towards us. What I mean to say is that the systems that we live, work, and …
whatever pops up
During the covid pandemic, service providers had to be in a lot of places, fast. We couldn’t rely on traditional models if we wanted to reach the people hardest hit …
food bank 2061
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a pretty well known person. She is also an outspoken abolitionist. Last year she was among the people in power to join calls to defund the police. Ocasio-Cortez answers questions on…
asking for ID in the surveillance age
The vast majority of us have internalized data collection as a fact of life. It feels natural, doesn’t it? I show my ID to get into a concert (those were …
centering people when collecting information
I have a stable job that pays me well. I live in a nice apartment with my husband. We can afford to buy the things we need. My job pays …