Volunteerism Obama Style

In January, a small group of residents answered the call by then President-Elect Obama to honor the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday through a national “Day of Service” first introduced by the Clinton Administration in 1994.  The group, Central Coast United for Change (CCUC), decided to conduct a food drive from January 17 to 9, but it wasn’t just any food drive, it was a “community-organizing style” food drive. This is the type of grassroots activism and action that elected President Obama—regular folks making a difference.

CCUC approached Wendy Lewis, Volunteer Coordinator of the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo with the idea of a door-to-door food drive throughout the County. The neighbor-to-neighbor appeal had worked in developing relationships and empowering people to action during their work for President Obama.  The target was set and CCUC committed to organize and coordinate the event for Lewis. CCUC also approached Kathy Hayes, the Director of Operations of the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County, with the same plan of action.

The results were over 25,000 pounds of food and $4,000 in cash donations collected for the Food Bank in SLO. In Santa Maria over 2,000 pounds of food and $1,000 in donations were donated.  Volunteers working on the ground put in an average of just 4-6 hours each.

According to Lewis, the Food Bank Coalition had never experienced this type of result in such a short period of time and with very little effort on their part except to receive and stock their shelves.  It was significant that the community had approached them with the idea rather than the organization trying to engage the community. This type of organizing, mobilizing, and empowering people around a specific cause is an example of how effective working at the grass roots level can be.

Central Coast United for Change is a model for community organizing that helps ordinary people become empowered via resources and training to help others and to evoke real change.  Community organizing can also bring various existing organizations together to work towards common goals, such as the alleviation of hunger.

In the coming months and years the model of community organizing may very well become the popular method for people to connect and help each other during these trying times. Our dependence on the government and non-profit sectors will no doubt have to subside, as funding for those various agencies becomes increasingly unable to meet the rising demand for resources and services.  So, step up, get involved and feel the power in helping others. The rewards are great for you and your community.

To learn more about Central Coast United for Change visit their website http://www.centralcoastunitedforchange.org.