THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED & PHOTO CREDITS BY: ANDREA DIALECT
Cover Photo: Alyce & Brehal West
“Statistically, hunger affects 828 million people in the world!”
During the time that we met, I and the off-springs were trekking to their elementary school. She’d clear paths and guard our way. Now all these years have gone by, but occasionally in passing when I see her out there just as before she maintains that unwavering position of commitment when it comes to all of our children’s safety and the big bonus is aiding in their development during those brief moments.
Although mine are all grown up now those that I see out there trekking to school technically are not my biological children but mine and ours for certainly. Her presence sets my mind at ease, and I smile at her because I know that they are in good hands.
Back then when we’d chat, I can vividly remember some of those brief convos that were laden with Alyce’s dedication to service way back when and just to think that after all these years she is still very committed and going strong no matter what hat of service she opts to wear at that moment. Bravo and thank you Alyce West for everything you do; we appreciate you. Thanks to you I can truly say that we have been properly served.
EACH ONE FEED ONE…
I serve to give back what had been given to me. I came from a village; a village raised me. – Alyce
“I do it because I enjoy it. I give from the heart, and I serve from the heart. I want to serve as many people as possible who are in need who don’t have the resources or can’t find the resources. I came from a village; a village raised me.
“As a kid growing up my father and mother worked and the neighborhood parents who were home took care of me. If I needed somebody to watch me when I came home from school my mother would ask our neighbor to help out until she came home from work. I was able to come home and be home and not in the streets running around. But, be home and the rules that were instilled in me things like making sure my homework was done so when she got home from work all she had to do was make me dinner and put me to bed. Put us to bed I was the youngest of three. A village did that. I lived on Rhode Island Ave. in East Orange over there by Elmwood and V.L.D. Back in the day, it was Elmwood Elementary School now it’s Langston Hughes.
“Service is a family affair. My girls Crystal and Brehal are a big part of my team and have been all their lives. My team which consists of Andrew, Iesha, Khalil and Luis is also like family and they play a big part in our efforts. Service is of great benefit to our lives. Community service has become a requirement for many of our high schooler’s which is great. So, I let the kids come in and do that community service.
“I have been a crossing guard in East Orange for twenty-two years now and I have spent twenty of those years at the same location. Giving resources and information to parents, students, guidance counselors, or whomever and encouraging our high school students and every student is something else that I love to do. I have been doing service for quite some time. Presently serving also consists of my being an Auxiliary Officer and a first responder. I’ve been a first responder since around 2004.
“I started with the food distribution with my church in outreach ministry. We have a community outreach service, and I began working with them slowly, then I went to one of our sister churches and started helping them with the Farmers market. They wanted to do a Farmer’s market at our church and with the help of Pearl Haley and her sister we started a free Farmers’ Market at Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church in Newark. Once we started the free market it just took off from there.
“We were doing a free farmers market every summer, and the community could come and get fresh produce from the church which consisted of cabbage, butternut squash, tomatoes, etc. from July to November. So, I decided to start implementing different things. For instance, in September along with giving out the produce, I started giving out free book bags to the community, and close to winter time I’d give out coats and for the Christmas Holiday toys. It just kept growing.
“Each year it grows. When we first started out we started with 25 kids and as far as the book bags are concerned we moved up to 150. We moved up to 300 coats for the children and 125 toys at Christmas time. This effort is still going strong but since Covid, we’ve been distributing outside instead of inside which was a blessing in disguise because we are now servicing Essex County as a whole.
“It’s not about just Newark, Orange or East Orange, or wherever. I don’t care where you live at. If your child is in need or your family is in need you can come. In September we put out flyers and set up things online so that the families can sign up and can pick up both the book bags for the children and the produce.
“I have six months to plan every project or event. If book bags are needed in September I’m already planning June for my book bags in September. I am already looking for who’s going to sponsor book bags. How I’m going to get the school supplies? Where are the book bags going to come from? Where am I hosting it at? I’m already in Christmas and we’re in Thanksgiving.
“By the time we finish the Christmas stuff, we’re already in January and February. I try to plan ahead because there are resources that we have to look into. Companies don’t want you to wait last minute to ask for that turkey. We are allowed to service these communities. Because of those donations, we are able to help. Some of our donors are organizations such as America Grow A Row, The YMCA, Joy’s Angels, Tree House Cares, and many others.
“There are also other community leaders, programs & organizations that we are affiliated with like those captured here. We support one another. We are very grateful for that. The support that we get from friends, family, and the general public is also very beneficial mainly because we can’t do it alone. It takes a village!”
DID YA KNOW THAT…
What is the true meaning of serve?
A verb (used with object), served, serv·ing. to be in the service of; work for. to be useful or of service to; help. to go through.
Food Bank – A place where stocks of food, typically basic provisions and nonperishable items, are supplied free of charge to people in need.
828 million people…
Yet as many as 828 million people still go hungry.
There is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet. Yet as many as 828 million people still go hungry.
Facts about hunger in America
According to the USDA, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure.
*GOOGLE THAT!
DO YOU KNOW ANY OF OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS CONTRIBUTORS?
If SO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY’VE MADE THE CUT AND THEY ARE THE TALK OF LOCAL TALK THIS WEEK!
PASS IT ON!
LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE.
