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Lisa Goddard is the Capital Area Food Bank’s advocacy and online marketing director. For the last few years, she has spent a good portion of her day blogging. Her entries jump from poverty awareness to upcoming food bank projects, to New Year’s, to the power of strong coffee and to the occasional comments on the cuteness of her children. Born to parents who emigrated from the southern Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago and raised in Queens, NY, she is now embracing an Austin organic foodie lifestyle. When not online, Goddard’s hands are in dirt, transforming her new backyard into an organic garden complete with chicken coops.
1 On Travel
When I was 25-years-old I took time off to travel. I chose places I did not know anything about like Bali, Thailand and Morocco. It was an incredible learning experience. I saw poverty in a way I did not know existed. It made me realize how sheltered I was and what opportunities I was given. My parents emigrated to New York and because of that I was afforded opportunities not available in other parts of the world.
2 On Social Media
I always used social networking in my personal life. I was always on MySpace, but at first I was hesitant to use it for work. I didn’t want to start something I could not follow through with. Now I would say 25% of my job involves blogging on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. The power of social networking is amazing. It is so easy to connect with individuals. I will twit about a concern and someone always seems to know someone who can help. The efforts multiply so quickly through social media.
3 On Being Effective
One of my favorite quotes is from Bertha Knox Gilkey – a famous housing rights activist. “There is big money in poor folks. There are millions of people that benefit. They eat because I am poor. They never want to eliminate poverty. They just want to control it. The day they eliminate poverty, they go out of business.” I keep that in the back of my mind any time I attach myself to an initiative. I ask myself – does this make me busy or does it work to solve the problem? I want to be effective.
4 On Hunger Awareness
Hunger has to be a priority. We need a mental shift that having hungry children in Texas is unacceptable. When Mothers Against Drunk Driving first organized, public perception about drunk driving was not that bad. Now it is held as unacceptable behavior. We need that same mental shift with hunger.
5 On the Lasting Effect of Hunger
My father grew up poor in rural, post-colonial Tobago. He often went without food or was limited to a diet of eggs. He recalls the embarrassment of passing out in school because of his diet.
There is a lasting effect from experiencing poverty and childhood hunger. He still cannot eat slowly and exhibits disordered eating from time to time. He still watches how his family eats. He still exhibits an anxiety about having enough food for those unexpected guests dropping by.
6 On Feeding the Community
I have been on the Board for the Sustainable Food Center for a year. Our goal is not just to feed the community, but feed it well with local food. We provide organic food gardening, cooking classes and nutrition education. We want to see parents fill up their grocery carts with fruits and vegetables instead of chips and soft drinks.
7 On Keywords
I met my husband a few years ago online. When I was searching for people to date I used keywords to narrow my search and find exactly what I was looking for. When we met we had an instant connection. We are both the type of people who grab life by the horns. We have also both seen real hardship in our lives, so we knew a good thing when we came across it.
Never underestimate the power of keywords. It helped me find the love of my life.
8 On Motherhood
I have two sons. Alexander is 22 months old and Thelonious is three months old. Both were born at home with the help of a midwife. Motherhood has taught me that when things are really important, you will rise to the occasion. It’s a lesson I probably could have learned earlier, but it took being pregnant to figure it out.
9 On Yoga
I was a founding member of Hotjobs.com right after I graduated from college. It was exciting, but I left in 2000 because it became too crazy for me. Shortly after, I discovered yoga while I was looking for something to help me de-stress. I studied for a while in New York with a famous Yogi and once I moved to Austin, I became a certified Yoga Instructor from YogaYoga. I don’t practice as much as I would like, but I do remember to practice the art of breathing. It puts everything back into place.
10 On the Most Important Lesson
I guess the most important lesson I have learned over my lifetime is to treat everyone with kindness and respect.
More Info:
Capital Area Food Bank
www.austinfoodbank.org