Lexi Rhoads ’26
Who do you imagine when you hear the word change?
Growing up I learned that the world where I lived was in need of change. I did not know what kind of change or how it would happen, but I knew that someone had to do something. My family was constantly moving around and trying to survive off of my dad’s income as a taxi driver. We were relying on food stamps and WIC to make up for the low income we had. Due to this, once the food stamp card ran out, we would turn to the resources in our community such as the food bank and soup kitchen. Hence, visiting and volunteering in the kitchen at Our Daily Bread was a full-circle experience for me.
Since I am a sophomore at Bucknell it has been easier for me to distance myself from my family’s past and current struggles back home. However upon my arrival at the kitchen today, I was blessed with the presence of another volunteer from the community named Marion. Marion is a lovely woman who showed us young people ‘how it’s done’. She was so precise, caring, and quick when it came to serving her community. During my conversation with her, she said something that changed my perspective. She said, “It could be me outside that door any day, it is a privilege for us to be here and serve these people.” It was very clear to me that Marion was a veteran volunteer at the kitchen and that she cared deeply for those who go hungry.
When I imagine change, I have never imagined Marion. I have always pictured political figures lobbying and writing bills as the best way to make change or civil rights activists leading social revolutions. I believed that change must be catastrophic for it to be valid. I thought that a community member on their own could create change. However, after today my mindset regarding activism and organizing has shifted. Marion provided the labor and love that gave people a hot meal and a home for an hour. Marion continues to change hundreds of lives each day, including mine.
