In Times of Crisis, Community MattersPC: Mario Tama

I’m an American mom. I believe in helping my neighbor, and I believe that sometimes a little neighborly help can go a long way.  I imagine you feel the same.

So when I hear stories from the Appalachian areas following the recent hurricane, I am inspired.

  • I hear about people who lost almost everything.  But they are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work.  They are expressing gratitude for being alive, and they are doing the back-breaking work of digging out of the mud (literally).
  • I hear about people being resourceful and downright ingenious – constructing bridges, repairing roads, rebuilding homes.
  • I hear about mule trains carrying supplies where our modern equipment can’t reach.
  • I hear about local business – little mom-and-pop places – pitching in to help their communities.  Tiny local restaurants giving free meals.  Those-who-have-lost-some giving to those-who-have-lost-more.

I cried when I heard about the devastation.  I’m an American mom.  My heart hurts for those who have lost family and friends.  My heart hurts for children without parents, and for parents without children.  The loss is inconceivable.

When I heard about the situation, I wandered around my house, thinking “what would I want to have if I was suddenly homeless?”

  • Diapers.  Wipes. Baby bottles.
  • A blanket.
  • Food – easy to open and not too messy to eat.  Something I wouldn’t have to keep in the refrigerator.
  • A baby carrier – you know, one of those wearable baby slings so I could carry my baby with my hands free.
  • Matches.  Candle.  Sterno can for heating water or food.
  • Hair comb.
  • Batteries.  Flashlight.
  • Backpack
  • Tarp
  • The list goes on…

But I also realized that I have never been in a situation like the one that my North Carolina friends find themselves in.  I can’t assume to know what they need.

But thankfully, they are reaching out with their lists.  Reminding us that

–they need to clear their homes and roads.

–they don’t have anywhere to store supplies, other than what they can carry.

–they don’t have access to electricity or potable water.

–it’s getting cold there at nights.

And their lists will be changing for the next several months…maybe years.  Maybe they don’t need shampoo yet – nobody cares if your hair is oily when your house is at the bottom of a gorge.  But there will come a day when they need shampoo again.  Maybe they don’t need a laptop yet, but they will once they have a place to live again.

But I’m an American mom.  I understand that this is how we help our neighbors.  This is how we support each other, in the short-term and the long-term.  This is what community is, and this is what community does.

What about the big organizations, you ask?  Why not leave the aid in their hands?

First of all, let me say that there are some organizations doing great things in North Carolina.  And an organization that has training and resources specific to this type of situation is vital.  You can hear from the locals in the disaster zone about which organizations are doing a great job in their area.

But even a big organization needs donations.  We are what fuels those organizations.  They can’t do it without us.

And a big organization isn’t as personal.  It doesn’t build community in the same way.  And community matters! If your daughter were to give a treasured toy to a little girl in the disaster zone, there would be genuine love sent with that toy.  If you were to give your spare coat to a mom in need, you might spend the rest of the winter with only one coat, and your gift means more than a warehouse donating its surplus.  We don’t live in a society that is so sterile and disconnected that we rely solely on our government for tender loving care.  We are neighbors.  We are community.  We are friends. We are Americans, and we look out for each other.

We are American moms.