open. “It allowed me to understand that the pain of others was separate and deliver it, along
also my pain, and that my desire for spiritual liberation from with donated freshly baked
the world ultimately prevented me from making true spiritual breads, to individuals and
progress,” he explains. Bucko’s second insight was equally sig- families who are without
nificant: The goal of spiritual work is not just to experience God transportation. Surplus fruits
but also to bring God’s presence into the world, so that we, as and vegetables are canned or
well as the world, can be transformed. frozen. The project has already
Today, this former monk is the spiritual driver of the doubled in size, now regularly
Reciprocity Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that enables serving 60 recipients.
homeless and high-risk youth and young adults to permanently Impressed by the enthusiasm
exit the social services system and start meaningful, sustainable McCabe Coolidge of the 100 community volunteers
careers in the creative economy of fashion, design, marketing who have eagerly joined the
and public relations. Bucko, who is also a trained sociologist effort, the duo explains their modus operandi in simple terms:
and veteran homeless youth program coordinator, says the foun- “We pay attention to a problem and address it.” That’s evident
dation aims to build a national network of programs. Expanding in Day and McCabe’s initiation of three more local projects un-
from its current base in New York City, he has his sights set on derway in the past five years to help feed the hungry of all ages:
cities such as Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle and Healthy Snacks for Hungry Kids, Souper Douper Soup Circles
Austin, Texas. and a local chapter of Empty Bowls, a national initiative. “We’re
all about addressing problems when they are small, so that only
Contact The Reciprocity Foundation, 100 Church St., Ste. 1604, small, manageable solutions are necessary.”
NY, NY; 347-546-2670;
ReciprocityFoundation.org. McCabe cites Dorothy Day (1897-1980), who started a
soup kitchen in New York City in the 1930s as his inspiration,
Karen Day and McCabe Coolidge, Activists for Feeding as well as Catholic Workers Communities, where he was active
the Hungry in the 1980s. Day’s activism began with an internship at Faithful
Fools Street Ministry in San Francisco, inspired and co-founded
While the reces- by Rev. Kay Jorgensen, a Unitarian minister.
sion whittles away at
household budgets, Contact Portable Produce, Wildfire Pots, Winter Sun-302, S.
Karen Day and Mc- Locust St., Floyd, VA; 540-357-5657;
PlentyLocal.org.
Cabe Coolidge work
to expand the ancient Susan Eirich, Animal-Human Interaction Activist
tradition of gleaning
in their Floyd, Vir- Susan Eirich, Ph.D., has been in love with animals for as long
ginia community. They as she can remember. Her motivation
explain that in biblical for rescuing them, however, arrived
Karen Day times, the edge of a unexpectedly. First, an unforgettable,
farmer’s crop was left scrawny kitten was dropped off at a
unharvested to provide food for the poor. Through their Portable farm she was renting in Kentucky; then,
Produce project, begun two years ago, overplanted crops, as she made friends with a wolf-hybrid
well as bruised or marked produce that can’t be sold, find new dog that led her to Jean Simpson, a
purpose. wild-animal trainer who shares her
During growing season, the qualifying produce picked and deep connection with animals.
donated by local farmers graciously appears on the doorsteps Together, the two women estab-
of Coolidge’s ildfire PW ots pottery studio. There, volunteers lished Earthfire Institute, a 40-acre Susan Eirich
March 2010 33
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