Winter/Spring 2007, Volume 11 Number 3

Table of Contents

After more than 30 years of feeding the hungry, I often get asked how I found my calling, how I got the idea to start a food bank, and how I have managed to stay in the work for such a long time.  I like these questions because they give me a chance to look back and reflect. 

I feel very fortunate that I have been given, and have taken, the opportunity to follow my passion to make things better - to take the stuff of life and transform it to serve those most in need.  I have come to understand my life’s work as that of transformation, and I’ve learned that food can be an essential tool in transforming lives.

The path wasn’t always easy, and it hasn’t always followed a clear line.  It took me more than 10 years of adulthood to know myself well enough to set my own direction – to be confident enough to put my vision into action.

In 1976 I helped start the first community kitchen in Atlanta for the homeless at a local church.  Over time we were feeding more than 400 people a day. I learned patience, the art of facilitation, and the need to take the long view for the work ahead. And then came the idea for a food bank. I was aware that 25% of the food produced in this country was being thrown away. And I was working with people who had little access to nutritious food. My idea was simply to create a bridge between the surplus food and the people who didn’t have enough to eat. 

I was naïve enough that I didn’t even stop to think I couldn’t do it. This began a whole new phase of my education on how things work.

I began asking the kinds of questions which did not endear me to those representing the status quo.   Why do we have hungry people when there is so much surplus and unmarketable food?  Why is there homelessness when we have plenty of homes?  Why don’t people have access to health care when there are plenty of doctors and hospitals?  I couldn’t understand why the haves kept getting more, while the have-not’s continued to get less. These are questions that have continued to guide me through a life of service.

In choosing to feed the hungry and work for those who have “no voice” I have had to constantly adjust my thinking and my strategies. I have had to work against the odds and against those who said it couldn’t be done.  I have had to learn to understand and speak the language of business, of government, of academia, of the faith community, of the mass media, and of the community of people I serve.  I have had to be willing to learn some of my greatest life lessons in places I first feared to go. 

I wouldn’t trade anything for the experiences this work continues to bring – I thrive on both the challenges and the rewards of working with many different people from many different sectors of community. This connection with others helps and informs me in my life and work. It is a life full of grace, hard work and strong ties to community.

Ultimately, it really doesn’t matter which door you walk through or which opportunity in life you decide to pursue. What matters is that you stay awake, stay engaged, and keep questioning the status quo.  Be open to discovery.  And remember that you can make things better exactly where you are. It doesn’t require special circumstances, a secondary education, great wealth, or special powers.  As Martin Luther King has said, “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.  You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.” 

In our society, individuals and groups often misunderstand and distrust each other. Building back trust in institutions, in government, and in each other is essential if we are going to realize our highest potential and move forward. We must embrace change, be the change, follow our passions, and face our fears of failure.  And know that we never have to work alone.  There are others with the same questions, the same passions, and the same commitment for change.   

I would suggest that real freedom is not having more choices, but in knowing what we are called to do and having the courage and will to do it.

Bill Bolling is the Founder and Executive Director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. He may be reached at bill.bolling@acfb.org.

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