Last Thursday, I spent my evening at the Feeding Hope: Living Democracy event, a celebration of four decades of the food movement.  Sponsored by many organizations, including the Small Planet Institute, the event featured Frances Moore Lappé and Vandana Shiva, two women who have worked tirelessly for many, many years to bring changes to our food system.  Having read Lappé's book Hope's Edge, I was familiar with how these women have contributed to changing the lives of thousands of people throughout the world thanks to their hard work.  Frances Moore Lappé has written 18 books, providing insight into how our actions contribute to our food system and how we have the ability to make positive change.  Vandana Shiva, who Mary previously wrote about, works to defend people's rights to save their seeds through her organization Navdanya International.  

What I appreciated most about the evening was the opportunity to hear these women speak on a personal level.  Being in a small space, it felt like we were having a conversation with each other.  They offered their opinions and advice on what we can each do to be a part of this movement.  What still stays with me from the evening is a simple phrase from Lappé.  She told us that we are all storytellers.  How great is it to be reminded of this?  We won't all be authors of 18 books.  And we might not all be founders of an amazing organization.  But that doesn't mean that we can't bring change in our own way.  By sharing with our friends and family something we experienced or learned, we can pass that knowledge to someone else, and on and on it goes, until before you know it, real change is happening.

So when you're feeling like you're not making a difference, just remember that we are all storytellers.  By sharing with each other our personal experiences and taking this role seriously, we can create change.  That's what I'll tell myself.
-Marina Morrone