By John Jarvis

Kind-Hearted Hughes Marino Mini Goalers,

I just returned from seven glorious days hiking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. More on that later, except to say that it was long and hard, and we had all the food we needed to stay strong on our journey.

This isn’t the case for far too many people in their day to day lives. Food insecurity is real and pervasive, and I am grateful to our Mini Goalers for the time and treasure we all gave in July to help those in need.

Heather and Hope Fox supplied groceries for two formerly homeless veterans who were moving into their new housing! Our friend Elena helps feed the homeless in Downtown San Diego once a month with her church organization, and Briana Waris’ donation to the San Diego Rescue Mission provided 20 hot meals to the homeless. If you forgot to share your contribution, it’s not too late! We love hearing all the ways our mini goalers are making an impact on our communities.

For my part, I made a modest financial donation to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.

Did you know that most of the government programs designed to combat food insecurity are set at the federal level, without taking into account the local cost of living? For example, in order to qualify for CalFresh (food stamps), your gross income must be below 200% of the federal poverty level. Currently, that is $40,320 for a family of three. And at that level, families may only be eligible for the minimum monthly benefit of $16. Consider the cost of housing in the Bay Area, then imagine raising a child on $40,000 a year. Brutal. I appreciate the great work of the team at SF-Marin Food Bank and I am happy to support their ongoing efforts.

Now back to the Wind River Range, the high alpine meadows and the towering granite peaks. You may have guessed it, our August Mini Goal is to:

Protect Our Environment

In this era of ubiquitous technology and screen time, it is more important than ever, in my humble opinion, that we take time to get outdoors. Unplug and recharge. Enjoy a little digital detox and overcome nature deficit disorder.

And what can we do to ensure that our environment, including wilderness areas, remains vital and healthy so all plants and animals and people can thrive?

I have a few ideas, and I bet you do too.

Send photos to minigoals@hughesmarino.com.

This is how we grow.