Episode #23 Bread Baking Brigade: Food Bank Super Friends Part 2 (featuring Mary Rose)

Show notes:

This past year has brought enormous opportunity for our common humanity.  We’ve seen vaccine volunteers, neighbors shopping for their neighbors, friends walking friends’ dogs, people delivering food to those in need, nurses taking care of loved ones unable to say their final goodbyes, troubadours outside of grocery stores, mask making mobs, and people pitching in to save  businesses crippled by the pandemic. 

This episode's guest tells us about her move at the very beginning of the pandemic from California to Washington State to retire with her wife to a town where they knew no one. Poised to build a new community she would find delightful twists connecting with neighbors and others during a time of isolation, an isolation that would bring her to baking bread for the first time in her life, and while doing so, find a whole community of bakers ending hunger one loaf at a time and making the world “breader”.

Mary Rose, recently retired from heading a business, shares her story of moving and volunteering for Community Loaves, an organization started at the beginning of the pandemic in Seattle WA to put the skills of displaced bakers to work providing home made bread to the food bank.

I’m kneading honey whole wheat to welcome Mary Rose to A Hat Tip For Hands.

Guest Bio: Mary was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and lived there her entire life. That’s significant because as retirement became an option, Mary and her wife, Jackie, were drawn to the abundant forests and waters of the Puget Sound. Mary specifically saw a refuge from the high-stress life she had as the owner of a video and demo production company in Silicon Valley for 30+ years. She was ready to trade the world of high-tech for a “high touch” approach to meaningful projects that would make a positive difference. 

Mary and Jackie found their “forever home” and arrived in Olympia, knowing only their realtor, in March 2020. It was mind boggling to start a new life at a full stop. Beyond figuring out where everything is, how do you network and build a new community during a lock down? It was easier than expected.  The people of Olympia and the neighbors in particular were kind and welcoming. And then came the baking. 

 Mary has enjoyed mastering many and diverse interests. She has been a doula and midwive’s assistant. A community volunteer. A private pilot. An accomplished cook. An event planner. And a boat captain. One thing Mary always wanted to do was bake bread really well. 

Mary learned from her grandmother that to get really good at anything in the kitchen, you have to do that thing over and over and over until you can “feel” the food, not just taste it and smell it. Mary did not attempt bread baking because she did not know what she would do with all the bread. 

Mary read an article in the Seattle Times about a group of home bakers that made bread for local food banks every other week. The group is called  Community Loaves (communityloaves.org).  Mary started baking with Community Loaves and has so 

far donated 62 loaves of bread. Mary feels strongly about the need and importance of addressing food insecurity in our communities. Her enthusiasm and joy are evident as we talk. 

Post Show Notes: Thanks for sharing Mary Rose! I really enjoyed talking with you, and I am grateful to know you!

Resources:

https://communityloaves.org/

https://thurstoncountyfoodbank.org/