Multiplying Chicken

COVID has affected so many of us in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry, in many different ways. Restaurant closures, supply chain disruptions and overall restrictions have blocked many from making a living. Team reductions, furloughs, reduced salaries and benefits have been felt throughout foodservice. Retail has seen increases due to at-home dining vs. on-premise, yet their teams have also been impacted. Throughout all of this, we’ve done what we do best, serving each other by being a sounding board, giving words of encouragement, and sharing and breaking bread together.

Being in F&B for over 20 years, my family’s finances have not been spared during this time. While we have been blessed to have enough, we have had to put extra holes in our belts as we tightened them and learned to live on a very strict budget we hadn’t known since before we had children. Through this, we’ve counted our blessings to still have an income stream, to have family, friends, shelter, health, and food. Yet, moments of anxiety creep in, that I’m sure many of you can relate to. The anxiety that creeps in feels like the lyrics from Casting Crowns that say “But life hits you out of nowhere and barely leaves you holding on.”

Last Wednesday I had one of those moments of feeling like we’re holding on, when the itty, bitty negative committee crept into my mind. It was 7:45 a.m. and I asked my kids, who were sitting at their makeshift classroom in our family room, what they wanted for dinner. Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice) they answered in unison. I opened our freezer which had some steak, pork, ground turkey and one last pouch of chicken. As I pulled out that pouch of chicken I thought how we would now have to replace it on our tight budget, and that’s when the negative committee started their chatter. Instead of focusing on everything else we had, I focused on what we would now “not” have. I questioned everything we are all going through, how long this will last, how much more our industry will suffer, you get the picture. There was a flood of emotions and negative thoughts walloping me when I stopped and asked God to take this burden from me. I told Him I needed His help, He had put me on this path and I asked that He make it clear. It was a Carrie Underwood moment of saying “Jesus take the wheel.”

Setting the chicken to thaw, I went about my day. I spoke to many who were reaching out to see what opportunities may be available that they could apply to. I coached those looking for a guide and sounding board. I also reached out to clients to see how they were doing. By 5:30 p.m. the chicken had thawed and I was cooking it when there was a knock at my door.

My neighbor Marty was standing at my door with a big box. I wondered what it may be as we had not ordered anything. He told me that his church had handed out a ton of donations to those in need, they had their freezers full, and they had this one box left over that didn’t fit in their refrigerators and he didn’t want to throw away. He thought of my kids having to school from home and brought us this extra box. Marty had no clue about our financial situation, he doesn’t even know what industry I’m in. When I opened the box it was full of milk, fruits, veggies, butter, cheese and 5 POUNDS OF CHICKEN! 

That itty bitty negative committee was replaced with thoughts of gratitude. Gratitude to Marty, his church, an industry that continues to feed its own without knowing it, and to God for listening to me, multiplying, and letting me know, He is making the path clear for you and for me.

I choose to believe. I choose to believe that together we are stronger. I choose to believe that this is a season, yes a hard one, but it too will pass. I choose to take an optimistic view vs. one of scarcity. I believe we will all be amazed at our resilience when we look back and we all will have learned lessons we would have never taken the time to learn. I’m not ashamed to be vulnerable with all of you, an industry that has put food on our table for years, and continues to do so. I share this because, even though we have enough, and we are enough, we need each other to get through this. Let’s not be distracted, let’s be determined in helping each other come back stronger than ever. Thank you F&B, let’s do this.

#foodandbeverage #gratitude #chicken #arrozconpollo #leadership #castingcrowns #carrieunderwood #laurabonich