On this International Women’s Day, some reflections on the important contributions of women in and to the work of AmpleHarvest.org.
Gary Oppenheimer, Founder and Executive Director of AmpleHarvest.org
By Gary Oppenheimer, Founder and Executive Director
Today is International Women’s Day! And on this day, we want to acknowledge the value of women in our society and world.
We know from experience that in the world in which AmpleHarvest.org operates, the majority of home/community gardeners are women (although among millennials, that gap is closing), the majority of people who visit a food pantry to help feed their families are women, and a majority of food pantry managers and volunteers are also women. Here at AmpleHarvest.org, all but one of the staff (me) happen to be women.
Most of our social media followers are women, and nearly all of AmpleHarvest.org’s stakeholders are also women.
On this International Women’s Day many women are participating in a nationwide “Day Without Women” strike. In solidarity with other women around the world who are not able to take the day off, and who feel their contributions to society are not being valued, our female staff members have taken the day off as well – with my blessing.
In many parts of the world and across our nation, women who grow food can’t take the day off. Women who feed their families can’t take the day off. And many women around the globe would be fired for participating in a strike. Fortunately for all, the technology behind AmpleHarvest.org never takes a day off, so those who rely on it can continue to do so.
A Day Without Women reminds us that women who face economic or social challenges just because they are women, are entitled to a level playing field, and we should all be working towards that.
This is a good time to remember that the people who need help feeding their families, the people have an overly abundant harvest to share, and the food pantry managers that help distribute that food—all of whom are likely to be women—are in effect, helping each other via AmpleHarvest.org where women are helping make those connections possible.
The women working here at AmpleHarvest.org make the major decisions on a day to day basis which is why AmpleHarvest.org is as important and impactful as it is.
Simply put, within the AmpleHarvest.org, women rule the day.
Today, I stand in solidarity with them. Happy International Women’s Day!
#IWD2017
