A Decent Beginning

Starting a new organization is never easy.  The timing, never quite right.  Obstacles abundant.  And, we never could have expected our beginning was going to be in response to a global pandemic.  But, inside of the COVID tsunami, we have launched The Decency Foundation.

Long before the world shut down, we had a mission and understanding of what needed to be accomplished.  Before the school closings, shuttered restaurants, sheltering in place, hoping our jobs are safe, and before the gut wrenching fear and anxiety - Before all of this we saw the challenges of a society lost in its quest for corporate profits.  We saw the need to return to a more balanced economy built on quality of life measurements that focus on “decent” behavior.  Do we believe in profit?  Yes.  But we also believe in being “decent” to employees.  We believe in “decent” farming and food supplies.  And, we believe in community and friendship.

But right now – in the current crisis -- we believe in “decent” restaurant owners who are standing in the face of ruin and those in their communities who are fighting to put food on their tables, fighting to keep all of our services and utilities running, and fighting to keep patients stricken with the virus alive.   The food we supply is fueling this collective fight to overcome.

The Decency Foundation launched 5 weeks ago with our Working Meals campaign.  Simply put, Working Meals...is working.  We are funding the delivery of food baskets to those employees ineligible for unemployment and out of work.  We are funding restaurant owners who are producing food and delivering it to frontline healthcare workers. 

We are just beginning.  The economic crisis and ongoing pandemic will be affecting us for many months ahead.  Unlike many “pop-up” GoFundMe campaigns, Working Meals and The Decency Foundation are going to be sustained and ongoing - supporting businesses at the very heart of our communities - restaurants, farmers, and the local markets that feed us. 

In the coming weeks and months ahead, you’ll be learning about our Working Meals heroes in the restaurants who are putting their lives on hold and helping to serve others for the greater good.  In the meantime, think about ways in which you can be more decent in a world now focused on what is truly valued - quality of life.  It’s ironic that this virus has brought us to a reflective moment in time about the urgent need to eradicate our chronic cultural disease of greed and selfish behavior. 

Let’s be sure our “New Normal” is infused with decent behavior. 

We’d love to connect if you are a restaurant owner, food distributor, processor, or farmer.  Or, if you’d like to help us build and grow.  Feel free to reach out and say hello.