What can we be thankful for in 2020?
This year has been unlike any other, and in many ways that has been for negative even gut-wrenching reasons. And thankfully, some of those reasons are being addressed head on - by vaccines, legislation, elections and community service. Some of the things that I’ve witnessed that give me hope:
Now this one has to be first, because of course: the birth of my first baby, my baby girl, Fayla. Carrying her and then giving birth to her during this insane year gave me something beautiful to hope for and to dream about - and now that she is here a delight and joy unlike any other. MilkCrate will always be my first ‘child’ - the creation that I poured everything into and molded as best I could into the best it could be. And Fayla is teaching me that there’s more that I can create and that just like MilkCrate, it is not even remotely all in my hands!
On that note, I am so deeply thankful for the people who have come into my life to help shape and nurture this first child, MIlkCrate, into a product and company that puts impact at the core of what we do. Employees who have taken on double work loads when need arose, to philanthropists who are investing in technology for their grantees to help them grow as organizations instead of just survive, and to our clients who took the time to talk with us for hours about what they liked (and sometimes what they didn’t) so that we could more deeply understand our own value and path towards serving more organizations and in a better fuller way.
I’m the member of a Buy Nothing group on Facebook - in it neighbors can post things they no longer need, or request things of their neighbors. In the months since the pandemic, I have seen many instances of neighbors looking to obtain food or clothes for a family in need, and these posts earn dozens and dozens of responses of people looking to help. The impulse to serve others is as strong and as innate as any other.
Both of my parents and my father-in-law all had COVID-19 early on this year, back in the late spring. It was a terrifying time, especially with my parents as they both got quite sick. I was worried that my dad might actually die from the disease he was so ill. And as awful as that was, and it really was, the light at the end of that tunnel was a deep appreciation for them and the preciousness of our time together, especially with the arrival of their granddaughter.
And one last one that is about work. I am immensely grateful for the role we have been able to play supporting nonprofits that are supporting our community. In the early months of the pandemic, a nonprofit reached out that was struggling to manage the demand for their volunteer program that delivers food to seniors stuck at home for their own safety. That organization, calculates that we are saving them over $40,000 a year in staff time by streamlining their previously burdensome and time-intensive volunteer management and tracking processes. That is a lot of money. And it is a lot of time and energy that is now going where it needs to go, to helping people in need.
I realize this is both an untraditional post from a CEO on a company blog, it’s not going to help our SEO, and few will make it this far down the page, but I woke up full of these thoughts and was compelled to share. Perhaps an impulse from years of Quaker Meeting for Worship where I would sit in peace and quiet with my Friends and contemplate, well everything, and occasionally someone would be moved to speak - in hopes that the spirit of their words would hold value for those listening. I am thankful for the opportunity to be present enough to realize and appreciate these gifts while also being painfully aware that there is so much more that needs to be done, that must be done to help our communities heal and come together in the spirit of generosity, compassion, and service. Thank you for reading. Thank you for the kindness you show others.
I wish you a healthy holiday season of peace and love,
Morgan Berman
Founder & CEO of MilkCrate
Mother of Fayla
Child of Marvin and Nancy
Wife of Edward
Teammate to Miranda, Sebastian, Brandon, Alli, Tomas, Federico, Christina, and many more.