Today is my last day of work as the Director, Resources & Public Engagement at Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Time to let go of that title, recycle the business cards, and start a new journey.
It’s a full day, with all the packing and wrapping up and saying good-bye. I don’t have a lot of time to process my thoughts or write about them right now, but that will come next week when I’m sitting on my couch, sipping my tea, and letting the transition fully take shape.
For now, I’ll share with you a short piece I wrote as a farewell for our donor newsletter, complete with a picture of me touring a grain elevator in Alberta where generous Canadians had donated grain for the cause of ending hunger. I can hardly tell you how often I was moved by the incredible commitment and generosity of so many. I have definitely been changed by this experience.
As I write this, I am in my last week of employment at Canadian Foodgrains Bank. It is with mixed emotions that I make my departure. The six years I’ve spent here have been truly incredible. I’ve learned so much and met so many fascinating people across Canada and around the world. Though I feel a calling into something new, I leave with some sadness that I will no longer be a part of such an incredible organization.
I will carry with me many incredible memories of the times I have spent with you, the faithful supporters and friends of Canadian Foodgrains Bank. I remember bidding for homemade cottage cheese at the annual auction at Osler, Saskatchewan; gathering pumpkins in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia; participating in a cattle auction in Abbotsford, B.C.; working at the booth at the annual farm show in Red Deer, Alberta; sitting at the world’s largest picnic table at the annual plowing match in Ontario; attending a growing project harvest in Landmark, Manitoba; speaking to a church group in Charlottetown, PEI where they sell Christmas cards as a fundraiser every year; attending an art show in St. John, New Brunswick; and speaking to educators in Montreal, Quebec. How blessed I have been to be part of all of these incredible experiences!
On my first trip to Africa, I slept in a tent on a farm in Kenya near a herd of goats. The farm was owned by the local church, and so it puzzled us where the goats came from. We were told by the pastor that the goats were the tithes of the parishioners. Many of them couldn’t afford to give money, so they gave of their herds. That story has stuck with me ever since as it reflects what I have seen many of you do as well. You might not be able to write large cheques in support of the work of ending hunger, but you give of your time, your energy, your fields, your grain, your handiwork, your food, your commitment, and your passion.
May you be blessed for the way that you have blessed so many others! Farewell and God be with you.