This Chinese proverb says, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” In life, we should all do our best to be those who embrace the change and try to make the best out of it, no matter how scary it looks at first.
One renowned chef is an example that we should never give up on our dreams, even during this pandemic that changed our lives completely.
Chef Millie Peartree had been running her own restaurant in Bronx until 2019, but someone messed with her gas lines and she was forced to close the place indefinitely.
Having to find a way out, she turned to the catering business, but then the pandemic struck and she was once again left jobless. However, Chef Millie was then contacted by the InStyle magazine and was offered to prepare meals for USPS workers and hospital staff on behalf of the magazine. She was more than happy to accept this offer, and soon after, she prepared 6,000 meals.
Once this project was over, this incredible woman decided to go on with it, but his time, her focus was on the children of Bronx.
Speaking to Today, she said: “I would pivot my efforts toward feeding children because I knew that some of the city’s food distribution programs had been canceled or reduced due to the pandemic. I created Full Heart Full Bellies to provide prepared meals for children in grades K through 12, from July 6 to Aug. 28, in the Bronx, which is the poorest of the five boroughs.”
Each week, Chef Millie’s organization prepares 1,800 nutritionally balanced meals. She’s doing all this with the help of huge companies such as Audi, Coca-Cola, Amazon, Barilla, and local business and non-profit organizations. Through the GoFundMe she started, Chef Millie was able to raise over $60,000.
Her project is still ongoing and she’s urging others to help feed the hungry and vulnerable as well because that’s the only way to cope with the pandemic. “When we talk about social justice, we often get hung up on the hashtag instead of the actual work. You may not march, but maybe you can feed a protester. After the money is donated, what can we do in the community to change things?” she says.
Take a look at her interview with CBS New York below.