The Trauma of This Season

Why we're supporting The Rainbow Project this month

Good morning bread friends!

Something I’ve talked about several times is the logistics of running Bread & Justice as a philanthropic enterprise. You’re already familiar with the fact that I give away 100% of our profits each month to a nonprofit that is working to make the world more just. One thing that I’m not sure that I’ve shared before is how our nonprofit partner gets selected each month.

At the end of each month, my wife Melissa and I have a conversation about what organization Bread & Justice can support next. We occasionally get solicitations from nonprofits, but we don’t really start from that list. We begin by reflecting on the season of life, and simply try to listen to what communities or issues are on our hearts to support that month. Then finally we try to identify organizations that are already doing the work of supporting justice either locally or nationally for these communities.

Reflecting on the hardships of this world with your spouse each month can be emotionally heavy… but concluding these conversations with a concrete plan for how we’re going to take action to try to improve people’s lives is the highlight of my month.

This month as we were identifying which nonprofit to support, I was really moved by Melissa during our conversation about the importance of helping children during this time. And I was delighted when she agreed to share some thoughts on the subject in this week’s newsletter.

So, for those of you who are here to pre-order bread 🥖 for Thursday pickup, you can do that now… but you don’t want to miss out on Melissa’s letter below about this month’s nonprofit partner.

Thanks,
Mo

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I wonder: where has the nebulous trauma of an ongoing pandemic settled in our bodies, and how will it affect us- especially the youngest among us?

My son was 1 when the pandemic began. He will turn 4 in a few months. Most of his life has been lived in the shadow of a global pandemic. It has been difficult being a parent. Nothing has gone the way that I expected- and I think any parent would tell you the same thing. Thankfully, we have a safe, stable home for our children. Mo’s job was not affected, and I was already a stay-at-home parent. But no matter the family dynamic, I know parents are struggling- we all wonder what our kids will remember, what their minds will have to work through, and what trauma their bodies will instinctively hold onto. 

Sadly, not every family home is a safe place. Any hardship that exists in a home is only exacerbated by the stresses that the pandemic places on it. It is hard to know what children will carry with them from this difficult time, but we are already starting to get an idea. 

Last week, the Surgeon General came out with an advisory, warning us about the alarming trends in youth mental health: In distinct ways, the young generation is changed forever. Beyond the tragedy of 757 US children passing away from COVID-19 is another crisis- more than 140,000 children have lost a primary or secondary caregiver in this pandemic.

This time of year, losses are felt even more tangibly. The holiday season brings many of us joy, but I was reminded today through the words of writer Shannan Martin, “our experiences are not THE experiences”.

Referring to the holiday season, Shannan wrote, “I learned over time that two weeks off can financially undo a lot of people. I learned that people at work release (from prison) dread holiday shutdown because it means they don’t get out of the building.” She also noted that for families of addicts, idle time is bad news. Lastly she writes, “Are we watching for those who wait to teach us about the ways this warm world burns people? Are we near enough to listen? Humble enough to learn?” 

My mind drifts to: what happens to the children caught in the middle of all the brokenness of this world? Children are not just the future of our society, they are part of it, right now. We cannot ignore children’s experiences or diminish their trauma- we need to move toward it.

This relates to why I was so encouraged when I learned about The Rainbow Project. This organization in Madison seeks to provide “restorative healing and hope for young children and their families who have experienced trauma, helping them build a foundation for the mastery of life-sustaining skills.” They serve primarily children under age 10, and 65% of people they serve are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) children and their families. This is a stunning statistic if you consider that 84.9% of the Dane County population is white. 

There is an array of programs under The Rainbow Project umbrella, including crisis support, prevention programs, education for families, and community support groups. A longer list of programs can be found here, but I really appreciate knowing that no one gets turned away because of an inability to pay for services. I’m glad that we get to donate to support this important work.

I remember early in the pandemic, my kids loved visiting part of the Arboretum that was a desolate patch of stumps. Invasives had been chopped down and all that remained was the “patch of little trees”, as they called it. They were the perfect size for little legs to hop onto and leap off. The mind of a child is beautiful in its flexibility.

Listening to, supporting, and building up children is something we all can participate in, whether you’re a parent or not. The most impactful people in our children’s lives are the adults that notice them, ask them questions, and listen genuinely for answers. There is so much opportunity to care for one another well- let’s not lose anyone in the shuffle. Including the little ones.

Thanks for being on this journey of learning and taking action together. And thank you for joining us in supporting children as they try to make it through trauma this season by supporting The Rainbow Project.

Always,
Melissa