C. J. saw the perfect rainbow arching over their soup kitchen. He wondered how his Nana found beautiful where he never even thought to look.
from Last Stop on Market Street
words by Matt de la Peña
pictures by Christian Robinson
G. P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Group, 2015
winner: Newbery Medal, 2016


    I know some people don’t understand the value of volunteering their time for a cause, for an organization, or for other people. But like Nana told C. J. when they reached their volunteer stop in Last Stop on Market Street, “I feel sorry for those boys.” With her spare words, she showed C. J. the importance of being a helper.
    My family was also a family of volunteers. I learned through their examples that money is not the only measure of success. 
    And, when I discovered Project MKC (Making Kids Count) though the Social Action Committee of my synagogue, I took the opportunity to join with several like minded people every second Monday each month to package diapers, personal care items, and care kits for kids entering foster care. Lots of need being met by lots of helpers.
    And even though many people already know about this wonderful organization, I decided to use my blog to shout a little louder about the great work they do. I asked Jana Coffin, co-president with her sister-in-law Shelly Marlowe, if she would be willing to talk to me. 
    This is the first time I actually conducted an interview with a real person and I thought it was a great idea. But now as I transcribe my notes, you can all let me know how I did.
    In 2009, I was thinking seriously about my retirement. Jana was studying for her bar exam and planning her wedding! Jenny Kennedy, Jana’s future mother-in-law, was looking for an interesting and new way to give back her community. 
    She saw an article about an organization who threw birthday parties for homeless children and decided to bring that idea to Youngstown. She put her own twist to it and ran the idea past her two “girls.”
    Jenny’s determination was the fuel that directed Jana’s and Shelly’s organizational skills, expertise, and degrees. Their idea became an outgrowth of their motto: all children deserve to feel special.
    In 2010, the fledgling group’s first donation, a $20.00 check from a co-worker of Jana’s fiancé, was delivered to their P.O. Box.
    Months later, a client called to tell of their need for a crib. Jana told me, “Project MKC didn’t have one. It was a much bigger item than they could keep on hand at that time.” A couple of days passed and a donor called to ask if the organization could use a new crib. Of course, the answer was yes. “And that’s not the only time something like that happened,” she added.
    An individual thank you note was sent in response. The office staff (mostly family members) continues to write and mail a thank you note to each donor.


    The world works in mysterious ways, I thought to myself.
    A primary focus of Project MKC is their Basic Needs Bank. They’re listed as a member of the National Diaper Bank Network, and now they’re able to provide so much more than diapers.
    Project MKC does not distribute their stock including basic needs items to individuals, though. They work through partner agencies who assess their clients and assess their clients’ needs. The system works to keep the organization efficient and honest.
    If an individual calls with their own needs, the Project MKC staff directs them to an agency or agencies who can help. Here's a link to the thirty-three partner agencies listed in Mahoning County. You can also find their partners in Trumbull, Columbiana, Ashtabula, Summit, Cuyahoga, Portage, Jefferson, and Lorain Counties!
    “Half of all children who need diapers are not getting enough to keep them clean, dry, and healthy,” Jana told me. 
    That’s not a misprint. And the huge problem ripples through our society.
    Here’s how it works: Babies and toddlers don’t have enough diapers to get them through the month. They cannot go to preschool without them. Moms stay home to care for their kids. At best, they lose income and have a harder time providing for their children. Maybe they lose their jobs. 
    And so it goes.
    WIC, the federal government’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, (part of SNAP formerly known as food stamps) provides milk, eggs, infant formula, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. No diapers. no personal care items like shampoo or wipes. No toothbrushes or toothpaste. WIC was set up and continues to meet nutritional needs on a very basic level. 
    There is no government program to help with personal needs items.
    And Project MKC is more than a diaper bank. Click on the “Programs” tab on the Project MKC website to find Hope Kits for kids undergoing chemotherapy. 
    Click on the Comfort Kits tab and find out that Project MKC supplies children entering the foster care system with a duffel bag full of age and gender appropriate items. All theirs to keep, including a new pair of pajamas, a “security blanket” even the duffel. 
    Through the generosity of The Italian Scholarship Foundation, Project MKC’s Best Foot Forward brings boots to students in Mahoning County. 
    Who’s to say which program of the many, many they provide is the most important? Each one, indeed, each person, whether it’s Project MKC and their staff, their partner agencies, the volunteers everywhere, the donors, and the clients themselves, our whole society runs because of the multitude of caring people all around us, quietly doing their best to give a helping hand.
    When I asked Jana for a favorite story about Project MKC, she told me about the family who were the recipients of their Holiday Adopt-A-Family. They were so grateful that they came back the next year with a donation of their own. That’s what I call paying it forward.
    “What makes Project MKC work?” I asked. 
    “The world works in mysterious ways.” Jana mused. “I trust in the goodness of humans. I find gratitude for helpers everywhere.” 
    Real love really does make the world go around. Maybe it’s not so mysterious after all.
I read Anna Quindlen’s memoir, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake (Random House, 2012). Her spot-on vignettes recall the value of female friendships, the importance of family, and the bittersweet joy of aging, all from the “perspective of a woman of a certain age.”  Recommended.


Be curious! (and love your neighbors)


FB: It’s winter again here in Northeastern Ohio. Snow is covering the grass and my solar panels, my daffodils and crocuses are waiting patiently, and I saw a robin the other day. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow. Is that a metaphor?  
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I'm afraid I'm still playing catch-up with last week. Looking forward to later sunsets and warmer temps. See you next week!
                                           --Be curious! (and take time to play) 

“Room for one more?” asked Orange.
        …
None of the games worked for three, but Orange and Little Pear didn’t think to notice.
Big Pear, however, was very bothered.
She was feeling squeezed out, replaced by someone new and zesty.
                                           from A Pair of Pears and an Orange
                                       written and illustrated by Anna McGregor
                                                                       Scribble, 2021
                                                   (accessed on YouTube, 2/9/26)


    When my girls were in high school, my husband and I added football games into our weekly schedule. The girls were in marching band. Enough said. 
    My husband watched the game. I only saw boys running around, chasing a ball, and sometimes hurting each other, or less often, themselves. 
    The injuries were accidental, I’m sure, but the pain was no less for that, I’m also sure. Football is a dangerous game and I couldn’t (and still can’t) see the point of it all.
    The high school half-time show was always entertaining, though, and always too short for my taste.
    But the Super Bowl is big business. From the special coin re-struck in honor of the US’s 250th anniversary, (which will reside from now on in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History) to the $188,000 check each player on the winning team will receive (in addition to their regular pay), extravagance is another name for the game.
    Even though Bad Bunny was not paid directly, (none of the half-time performers are) all his expenses were paid, and the NFL pays the tab for all the production costs, too. The estimate for this year’s show is $17,000,000 (million). Also, the exposure in front of so many fans can only help his image and streaming numbers. 
    And what about the ads? The average cost for a 30 second ad this year was $8,000,000. 
    Putting aside the business aspect of sport in general, let’s focus on the way rooting for a team brings people together. The team spirit, the way we feel when we root for something together, that camaraderie is a real thing. We need that sense of belonging to boost our self-esteem and help us identify what is important to us, what we stand for, our shared values.
    Discovering that humans are social beings and need to identify with a group, deeper study of social psychology was in order.
    Henri Tajfel, (1918-1982) a Polish social psychologist, did pioneering work on how people learn prejudice. It was a relatively short leap from there to defining and identifying group behavior.
    Social Identity Theory grew out of Tajfel’s work and has been popular since the early 1970s. Briefly, the theory explains the three stages of development people grow through to learn where and how to “fit” into our society. 
    First is Self Categorization. We identify with particular groups and not with others. Some of my groups include mothers, women, librarians (even though I’m retired), writers, (even though I have not been traditionally published yet), environmentalists, religious Jews, baby-boomers, you get the idea. I match my behavior to my self-chosen groups. I’m kind, generous, caring, and helpful. I’m also stubborn, impatient, and tend to procrastinate, but we’ll put those aside for now.
    The problem with this type of categorization comes when people see themselves more on a continuum, than on one side of a dichotomy. It puts us in an us/them framework, and leads to the preference of our own group(s) over those we perceive as different. Tajfel discovered this in his work on prejudice.
    Next is Social Identification. As I identify with my groups, I match my goals and values to what I perceive these to be. I’m emotionally invested with my family and friends. That’s where I find acceptance and reinforcement of my behaviors in my self-chosen groups.
    Finally, Social Comparison involves the belief that membership in my group is necessary to my vision of my self. Since it is most common (and most helpful) to think kindly of ourselves, I must maintain a favorable opinion of my groups, including behaviors, goals, and values. This can lead to feelings of superiority, but it doesn’t have to. 
    So, back to the Super Bowl in particular, and football in general.
    In his halftime show, Bad Bunny portrayed himself as Puerto Rican and American. He called attention in a very large way to his own broad and inclusive American identity. 
    Our society is in flux. To be overly simplistic, we Americans are redefining ourselves. We highlight our differences in order to define and distinguish ourselves from those who hold different beliefs.
    I understand the need to belong to a group that shares my values. Even though I don’t identify as a football fan, I am a fan of renewable energy, religious freedom, and democracy.
    But to survive, our values must align. If our common group is Americans, then our values must be what they’ve always been: Patriot dreams that see beyond the years, The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, Liberty and Justice for all. 
    Let freedom ring. 
My next read is Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, 2017). More on that next time.
                                              -—Be curious! (and show your colors)

“It’s dangerous,” warned the mayor.
“It’s scary,” said the city planner.
“Who knows what the Dark will bring with it,” said the lantern keeper.
“But the Dark isn’t scary,” Millie Fleur assured them.
“You just need to get to know her.”
                             from Millie Fleur Saves the Night
                     written and illustrated by Christy Mandin
                                          Orchard Books, 2025
                                 (accessed on YouTube 1/31/26)
    
    Millie Fleur misses her nocturnal friends, so with her mother’s help, they block out some of the city lights that are keeping the night-time critters away. The critters come back and all ends well for everyone.  
    But these days, in this time, I’m not thinking of the cozy, warm dark where we watch the stars blink on when the sun sets early in the fall and winter, and when we cuddle wakeful babies.
    These days are metaphorically dark. It’s a challenge to be hopeful, even to muster up optimism, and not run into Pollyanna territory. Crickets, spiders, bats, and katydids flew around the “sweet smell of moonflowers, snoozing sugarplums, and twilight tulips” in Millie Fleur’s moon garden. 
    The comfort I find in my own midnight garden is a quiet joy to discover, on Monday morning that I was one of over 5,000 people who called our Representative’s office.    
    House Speaker Mike Johnson expects to agree very soon on DHS and ICE policy. Some of what is being asked includes unmasking ICE personnel and requiring them to use body cameras is. A discussion about funding is also included on their agenda.
    An agreement will allow the partial government shutdown begun last Friday at midnight to end. DHS will remain funded for just two weeks. Enough time to reach an agreement? We’ll see.
    Meanwhile, citizens in Springfield, Ohio are gearing up to protect their Haitian neighbors whose TPS (Temporary Protected Status) is scheduled to run out tomorrow (2/4/26) at midnight.    
    Published on the Ohio Statehouse News Bureau's website, we learn that “Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday [1/30/26] it is unwise and a ‘mistake' for the federal government to take legal status away from hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the U.S., including Ohio.” (i.e. revoking their TPS status.)
    The shadow that looms is his statement in the same article: that as a state governor, he will acquiesce to the decision of the President. Does that mean he feels inadequate to stand up for what he knows is right? We’ll see. 
    Haitians began moving to Springfield, Ohio over ten years ago. According to The American Immigration Council “officials say there are anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants living in [Springfield, Ohio], near all of whom have some form of lawful status.”
    In 2010, a devastating earthquake in Haiti left 300,000 Haitians dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. Some came here to Ohio. They helped grow an economy picking itself up after the continued population loss that turned the area into part of the Rust Belt. As conditions in Haiti continue to deteriorate and jobs in Springfield stay plentiful due to the hard work of city planners, Haitians came to Ohio for its low cost of living and availability of good jobs. They wrote home and more came. 
    And Ohioans welcomed them.
    Now, following Minneapolis, MN, and Portland and Lewiston, ME, Springfield may be ICE’s and the president’s next target. 
    Consider this: it’s not the dark we are really afraid of. Maybe we really have a more general fear of the unknown, what we can’t see or understand. And the uncertainty that goes hand in hand with it.
    What happens when “darkness comes and pain is all around”? 
    According to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel who won a Song-of-the-Year Grammy in 1971 for “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “if you need a friend, I’m sailing right behind.” 
    We need to have each others’ backs. 
    We need to be courageous, not foolhardy. Brave, but with a drop (or a gallon) of skepticism. Practical, but willing to share our sense of wonder.
    And, carry a flashlight into the dark.

Revolving around the real story of a real thoroughbred, The Horse by Geraldine Brooks (Viking/Penguin Publishing Group, 2022) elegantly weaves three different time periods into a cohesive tapestry describing the love of a horse, the skill of the artist who painted him, and the dedication of the scientist/historian pair who studied together and tell his story against the ever-present backdrop of the Civil War. Recommended.
                                    -—Be curious! (and neighborly)​