December 2022 - The Director’s Corner
Mike Ricketts, the first annual recipient of the fisherman’s hat award!
It’s the end of November and I’m watching the rain fall outside my window. It dawns on me that there is just one more month left in this year and I’m astonished at the movement of time. Is the planet spinning faster or do we all just need to slow down?
Writing this piece does allow me to slow down and reflect on what happened, what is important to take forward from the conversations and experiences from this month. I’m appreciative, even proud, that we successfully executed a trifecta of events: our annual board meeting, donor celebration gathering, and the kick-off of our end-of-year giving campaign (MC Gives!).
The party was of course my favorite time because I finally got to meet many of the Trust’s supporters and partners face to face. Mr. Al Siekert, the magical chef and heart behind Al & Friends, a 10-yr and running food assistance program in Monterey, shared his story and an appreciation for our Community Seafood Program that allows his team to serve fresh local seafood to their clients. I was honored to introduce one of my ocean heroes, Julie Packard, who is a champion for the Trust.
From left to right: Melissa Mahoney (MBFT), Rick Richards (President of Al & Friends), Julie Packard, Al Siekert, and Shelley Dearhart (MBFT).
Another special guest was Congressman Jimmy Panetta, fresh off his re-election campaign. He talked about one of his childhood friends, Joleen Lambert, a commercial fisherman on the FV Pioneer. He relayed what she had told him about why she loves fishing, that it requires a state of “constantly being aware… of the intensity of being out on the ocean, your senses going all the time”. His respect and admiration for our fishermen and farmworkers here in the region was authentic and heartfelt, and I look forward to hosting another community meeting with him and fishermen next year to keep him connected to key issues facing our fleet.
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, I got to meet members of the Monterey County Food System Coalition. This amazing group of folks come together monthly to plan for a resilient local food system and equitable access to healthy food for all residents. With so much negativity in the world, I am inspired by those in our community who are acting locally.
Reflecting on just these few memories from the month, I am filled with gratitude. I hope this note finds you slowing down, finding your breath, and thinking of a couple things that you are grateful for, too.