When she sees a need, Theresa O’Donnell likes to fill it. When she saw a post on social media by a woman who was upset because community pantry was already empty a short while after she had filled it, O’Donnell knew it was time to act. She’d always wanted to bring the Burrito Brigade to Veneta, her home of the past six years, and she saw that there was a definite need. So, she got in touch with the Burrito Brigade in Eugene, and a plan was hatched.
The Weekend Burrito Brigade, for those who are not familiar, is now in its 10th year of providing vegan meals to the hungry across Eugene and Springfield and has not only expanded to include Waste-to-Taste, a food rescue program that provides food boxes free of charge, but also is now operating in Portland and another brigade is going to soon start in Chicago. Because the burritos are vegan, there is no meat in them nor cheese. Rather, they are filled with roasted vegetables, rice, beans, herbs, and spices. The brigades handing them out on the weekends act as an antidote for a food distribution system where those who are homeless, unemployed, and poor bear the brunt of the burden. “If you want a burrito, you probably need it,” O’Donnell points out. As she succinctly explains her reasons for doing this, O’Donnell states that rents today are high and after paying expenses, people often are left with not enough money to eat healthy but make too much money to qualify for SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. So, they subsist on a diet that is not good for them and oftentimes miss meals altogether. O’Donnell has overseen three Sunday Burrito Brigades thus far, and she is always seeking out volunteers who will be willing to lend a hand. While a fair number of people want to cook, there is also a need to distribute the burritos. On a windy, chilly Sunday afternoon, O’Donnell stands sentry in front of the Service Center on Broadway after first making a trip into Eugene to pick up the Burritos from the Eugene Burrito Brigade who is more than willing to share, and hands out burritos to whomever would like one. She has also been known to visit the community park at the end of Broadway where, on a sunny day, children were thrilled to get a burrito, and the skate park, as well as the small market next to the feed store. During an earlier Burrito Brigade, O’Donnell saw an unhoused man slumped on the sidewalk near the smoke shop at the West Lane Center. When she asked if he would like a burrito, his face, she said, lit up and he told her that he had been without something to eat after someone stole his food card. “A drug addict is a human being, too,” O’Donnell states. “Somebody birthed them and loved them, too.” When she posts on social media about the Burrito Brigade, O’Donnell says the response she receives is 99% supportive. When she does encounter someone she considers an online bully, she will not hesitate to shut them down. People want to help, she says, but they don’t know how. She may eventually switch to doing the Burrito Brigade on Saturday, but not all volunteers are available then due to other commitments. It is O’Donnell’s hope to find a space in Veneta where the burritos can be cooked, but this will take a kitchen with an industrial sized stove as the brigade will need to prepare things in industrial sized pots. She has spoken with businesses about donating supplies and items such as burrito shells, but there is a lot of dynamic involved in finding a suitable kitchen and it would have to be certified by the health department. Once the brigade is firmly established and the necessary “baby steps” have been taken, O’Donnell may then join forces with friend Frances Mays, who runs the nonprofit, Health and Enrichment, for low-income pets. This service of hers assists with flea, tick, and mite treatment for the pets of those who are low or no income and distributes pet coats and blankets for those animals in need. It is the plan that Mays will take care of needy animals while O’Donnell hands out burritos to their hungry owners. It is O’Donnell’s firm belief that it takes a village to help a community and if everyone does a little bit, we can all help one another with our needs. We never know just who among is hungry and what their story is, but if we take time to talk to them, to validate their humanity, we will see that they aren’t much different than us and in fact, it could be us but for the grace of God. We could be wondering when we might have another good meal while trying to ignore the pangs of hunger that seem to want to gnaw at our insides relentlessly because the money no longer stretches the way it once did. We all are one catastrophic illness or injury away from becoming homeless. No child ever dreams of one day growing up to live on the streets, dirty, hungry, scorned, alone. If we can all do our part to make life a little easier for those who struggle, lighten the load even a little bit, it seems like the least we can do for those among us who need it most.
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