Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Thompson
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Ryan Bozeman and I (the co-founders) worked together in a restaurant in downtown Sanford. Many nights, folks who were hungry and experiencing homelessness would stop by the back door and ask if we had anything to spare. Because of these interactions, two things happened – we became aware of the issue right at our back door and we actually got to know folks personally. We became invested.
We started making meals on our days off to share with our new friends, meeting them where they were – mostly at local parks. This was the incarnation of what would become Picnic Project. Our “picnics” grew larger as word spread, eventually becoming a weekly meal for dozens at Centennial Park.
Over the years, we have continued to grow and adapt as circumstances have dictated. Some highlights include moving into a permanent home at The Neighborhood Co-Op, becoming a Second Harvest partner agency, purchasing a refrigerated box truck, and developing an amazing board of directors.
We now focus on “food shares” where we provide healthy, fresh groceries to anyone in need at our location and multiple off-site locations. We also have a monthly lunch & learn where we have guest speakers, cooking demos and lunch, as well as share recipes and fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, we have an emergency pantry, partnerships that allow us to offer auxiliary services, a backpack program with the local correctional facility, and more. Also, we work on systemic changes to our food system through advocacy and awareness.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has not always been smooth. As we have grown, there have been challenges which have included location, funding, staffing and having to completely pivot programming during the pandemic. With strong community support, we have so far been able to meet those challenges to continue to nourish our neighbors.
Early on, some folks didn’t like us sharing food with our friends in the park and would complain, call the police and reserve the park ahead of us. The church across the street, First United Methodist of Sanford, welcomed us and our friends in to utilize their facility, to avoid any issues.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our core programming is what we call our “food shares”. We host one a week at our location and also multiple off-site events each month. What makes us different is our attention to dignity, our relationships, and our commitment to community health in addition to food security.
Community, dignity and relationship have always been core values for Picnic Project. We try our best to avoid the “transactional” to really connect with our neighbors. We believe that we all have something to give, something to teach and something to learn. We celebrate with our friends and we mourn with our friends. We host parties, holiday gatherings, community days and memorial services.
We also believe that everyone should not only have access to food, but to nutritious food if they choose. We make a point to always have fresh produce to offer at our food shares that guests are welcome to choose from. We also have a monthly Eat Well, Live Well series that features guest speakers from the medical community, cooking demonstrations, recipes, a healthy lunch and fresh vegetables and fruits.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
It’s hard to pick one! But I (Mark) think that some of my fondest memories centered around gatherings with family, friends and food! I’m a big fan of holidays and we always had fun pool parties during the summer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.picnicproject.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thepicnicproject
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/picnicproject
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@picnicproject
Image Credits
All photos courtesy of Picnic Project.
