Dear friend,

A few weeks ago, during a conversation with a funder, she reflected that when she talks about the work happening through Lift UP and CAFE. (The Coalition to Advance Food Equity), what she finds herself sharing is a sense of hope. 

Not the kind of hope rooted in wishful thinking or easy optimism, but the kind that grows when people choose to face hard things together. 

I've thought about that conversation often lately. 

Because if we're honest, hope has not always been easy to hold onto this past year. 

Across the nonprofit sector, many organizations have faced unexpected federal cuts, frozen funding streams, rising costs, and growing uncertainty. Food security organizations have felt this deeply too. Changes to SNAP and disruptions to USDA funding have impacted families, farmers, and fresh food access all at once. 

And yet, even in the middle of all of that, our community continues to show up. 

Volunteers continue packing food boxes. Donors continue giving. Partners continue collaborating. Neighbors continue checking in on neighbors. 

At Lift UP, we have a front row seat to this every single day. 

Recently, one of our team members shared this reflection after a pop-up pantry: 

“At Uptown pop-up today, one resident shared that she is homebound and has probably only been out to grocery stores twice in the last decade. She described how meaningful it is to have access right in her building and said she loves getting to have the tactile experience of shopping for herself since she doesn't get to do that very often.” 

After sharing this story, the team member went on to encourage all of us by saying: 

“I know everyone has been so busy lately and the state of the world feels heavy, but moments like this always bring me back to a deep gratitude for being part of this work in some small way.” 

Picture Above: Pop-up Pantry at Uptown Tower Apartments 

Those words have stayed with me. 

Not long after that conversation, a longtime supporter sent us an article about hope that included a line I haven't been able to shake: hope “lives closest to home and in connections and small acts.” 

Maybe what exists beyond hope is trust. 

Trust built through thousands of small acts of care repeated over time. In volunteers arriving early to stock pantry shelves and pack food boxes. In neighbors helping distribute food at our pantries. In donors and funders continuing to give beyond what's expected. In workplaces, schools, and faith communities rallying around food drives. In ordinary people choosing, day after day, to care for one another. 

The road ahead is not simple. But neither is this community weak. 

And because of people like you, we continue moving forward together. 

Thank you for reminding us, again and again, what is possible when neighbors choose each other. 

With Gratitude,

Stephanie Barr, Executive Director

Food brings us together.