Making an Impact in a Socially Distant World
When the hard, unexpected and just plain bad comes, there’s almost always some good to be found in the midst of it all. We talked with three people from our community that, when faced with a worldwide outbreak of an unexpected disease that has affected millions, decided to not wait to find that good but be the ones who create it. Read stories from those behind Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, Good Karma and a food pantry box in downtown Opelika below:
Interviews by Sara Rodrick
Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers: Katie Kirk
Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, a local bookstore on Magnolia Avenue in Auburn, has been holding virtual storytimes via livestreaming as a way to connect with their customers while their doors have been closed.
HC: What was the inspiration for the virtual storytime livestream? What about the takeaway - did you learn anything significant about yourselves as a business or about the community from this experience?
KK: We've always loved partnering with local authors, and creating space to do so digitally proves that we're able to be extremely versatile as a business as well as a community hub. No matter what, we can create a space for people to gather around good stories.
HC: Aside from virtual storytimes, are there any further steps you have taken to connect with customers and community members?
KK: Our social media presence has definitely ramped up, as we've shared and created tutorials to order off Bookshop.org, displayed our offerings visually and tried to keep morale up! We've also been mailing gift cards in hand-wrapped packaging, wrapping folks' orders for curbside pickup and hosting a bookseller hotline during the hours we're open where people can call to get recommendations from a human person. For me personally as social media curator, I've focused most on keeping the human touch at the forefront during such a digital and distant period.
HC: What keeps you inspired during such difficult times?
KK: Our next-door neighbors at Taco Mama have left us notes through the window saying they can't wait to see us face-to-face again, and that's been the message we've received from our whole community. We are so excited to be able to get books in y'all's hands, both through this and in the future.
HC: What message do you want to spread to the community right now?
KK: In this time of isolation, I like thinking about a quote from “Inkheart” by Cornelia Funke: "Books have to be heavy, because the whole world's inside them."
Opelika Pantry Box: Anonymous
An Opelika resident (who wishes to remain anonymous) has established a food pantry right outside of Mama Mocha’s on 1st Avenue in Opelika. The community is invited to come and donate or take what they need, no questions asked.
HC: What was the inspiration for the pantry?
A: Thanksgiving morning I was waiting on the parade to come on, and the Today Show had a feature story on a lady that had just started a little free food pantry in her front yard! They may have even interviewed some of her neighbors and they talked about how food insecurity is such a real thing and how it’s our jobs as neighbors to help each other.
I’ve always wanted to do a soup kitchen but never had the will to actually make it happen. But when I saw this adorable little wooden box I KNEW this was something I could do. So I texted my favorite woodworker that same day...and asked him to build me one. I sent him pics of some of my faves and told him I wanted it Bulldog colors to represent Opelika, and he told me he could have it done just after Christmas, maybe before, as he had other Christmas projects he was working on. He sent me pics of progress along the way and I started making calls to get it put up, and the disappointment started. Civic organizations weren’t interested because of the potential liability...or because of potential vandalism. These are the only two reasons they could give. It didn’t matter that they would be providing a service the community needs. ...Many places simply wouldn’t return my phone calls and emails. Sadly, most of these were churches.
So I turned to friends and neighbors and started asking, “Where else can I go?” A neighbor of mine told me about Mama Mocha and how when she was a member of 40 Under 40 she wanted this idea to be her “project” and it didn’t get selected. So I reached out to her, and after about three weeks...we had the go ahead! ...I pledged to keep it full and clean and check for vandalism daily for the first 90 days. It took about three weeks before anything ever got taken out and about five weeks before a new donation came, but it did! Now it’s getting more attention! I’m so pleased! It was packed full the other day. Even with hygiene products! It makes my heart so happy.
...One Sunday we loaded it with bottled water, and by the next Sunday they were gone... Who is it reaching? Anyone that finds it! It’s an amazing opportunity to give and to receive based on your need for today. I LOVE that it’s here for our community.
HC: Where is it located?
A: The pantry is located on 1st Avenue in downtown Opelika next to Mama Mocha’s Coffee -just next to the recycle container! Anyone can give or take to/from the pantry and be blessed!
HC: How has it helped the community?
A: I don’t have a clear answer because we will never truly know. I know it helped me to do something that was placed on my heart. I know it helped Mama Mocha that she was able to see an idea of hers bloom into being, and anyone that takes or gives is blessed–just as the sign says. The person that built it is blessed because he got to see the story Mama Mocha did on her Facebook page and knew that beauty was his handiwork! I bet in six months there will be many more stories to hear, as we will keep it going!
Good Karma: Sunny Merchant
Good Karma, a restaurant on South College Street in Auburn, has a “community board” where customers can sponsor a meal, allowing those who are food-insecure to get a free meal when they're in need.
HC: What was the initial inspiration for the community board? In what ways has it shaped the community? Any specific groups of people it has helped?
SM: The initial inspiration was an article I saw online about a pizza shop in New York who sold dollar slices and gave customers the opportunity to pay it forward by letting them purchase an extra slice and put a sticky note on the wall. I loved the concept of the community looking out for each other, and I wanted to incorporate that into Good Karma. The way it works is that anyone can come in and ask to sponsor a bowl. The cost of this sponsorship is $10 and they get to put a pin on to the board. We understand that sometimes people want to help yet $10 can be a lot for people, and so we have adopted a policy that all of the tips that Good Karma receives also goes towards the community board. For participation, any person may take a pin or sponsor a pin. We want to encourage anyone who is hungry to come use this service. There are always no questions asked for anyone who comes in to use the board. I think this board is still shaping the community. As we get the word out about the board, we have seen an increase in both use and sponsorship, which is an amazing feeling for us. We hope to inspire other restaurants to focus not only on profit but on helping the community as well. It has helped college students who are food insecure as well as the less fortunate members of our community. We hope that we will be able to help more people soon.
HC: How has Good Karma responded in the face of this pandemic?
SM: We have closed our dining room and started offering frozen Good Karma entrees to encourage people to stay at home more. We are also cleaning and sanitizing more frequently around the store to make it as safe as we can. We are offering curbside pickup and are looking for more opportunities to serve our Auburn/Opelika family.
HC: What keeps you inspired during such difficult times?
SM: My inspiration during these times has definitely been my customers. They are my light in these dark times. It is a special feeling when you start to recognize the people coming in to order the food and getting to know them and hear their stories. The idea of regular customers never entered my mind when I opened Good Karma, and so to have so many people who I see coming in multiple times a week is a real blessing on us. I think the best example I can give is when we had a special on my birthday and I had some of my regulars bring me gifts. I got cupcakes, Cadbury chocolates, a balloon and an amazing handwritten card, to name a few things. The feeling of so much love from the community is indescribable.
HC: What message do you want to spread to the community right now?
SM: I want to remind people that we are all family. Whether you are from the area or not, we as people are all one big family. I also want to remind people that it is okay to ask for support and help when you need it. We need to support and look out for each other during these incredibly stressful times and put our differences aside. Stay strong, help each other and we will get through this together.
Leaning Into Community
Essay By Sara Rodrick
