Ready to Move with Moveable Feast

   

     Upon learning I would be volunteering with HIV patients at Moveable Feast, I was first apprehensive about what it would be like to work with a selection of people that society tends to relate with a negative connotation. When one meets an HIV victim, they may begin to wonder about what doesn't matter: their backstory, instead of what really matters: their health. Regardless of how they ended up with the disease, one must realize that these people are humans and relate to the human condition, just like anyone else. People with these diseases can feel, aspire, and grow as individuals, just as a healthy person would do. As an active volunteer, I came to terms that it was my duty to help those affected prosper.


     Could you imagine delivering 400,000 meals within a 17 year span? It seems nearly surreal, but the volunteers at Moveable Feast have teamed up and made it happen. Nearing their 17th anniversary, as they starting delivering meals on October 3rd, 1998, Moveable Feast continues to increase aid within the Lexington/Fayette counties to HIV victims. The idea sparked from AIDs activist, Michael Thompson, after the unnecessary death of his friend, a Lexington artist, who suffered from HIV. Sadly enough, his friend did not die from the disease, but of starvation. This tragedy inspired Thompson to conclude that one death from starvation was one death too many. Thompson paired with friend and fellow HIV/AIDS activist, Carol Farmer, to begin to resolve the issue. The duo began salvaging leftover meals from restaurants to deliver to people in need, but soon the organization blossomed. With aid and fundraising, the program soon had it's own headquarters and kitchen to send out food directly to the volunteers, making the process of getting the nutritious meals to the patients, quicker and easier.

     I won't reveal the whole backstory-just yet. However, if you would like to do a bit of research in your spare time about this wonderful organization, click here. The information is pretty neat. :-)

     As I explore Lexington and learn more about Moveable Feast, I will update you as readers throughout my journey as a volunteer driver. I will keep you updated on the places I see, people I meet (generically, to preserve confidentiality,) as well as the learning obstacles and "fun facts" I will acquire on this journey. My goal is to make you as the reader feel as if you are sitting in the passenger seat as we tackle this mission together. As my wheels turn, we drive one mile closer to stopping hunger within affected HIV patients.