One of the reasons I adore Twitter so much, is that I make connections with people I might not have otherwise met in real life! 

That isn’t profound or anything, but there’s beauty in the simplicity. 

I was hanging out on Twitter on Friday night, when a Timber’s supporter I follow, Mike, retweeted this: 

@DemonJuice Get a scarf!! Only $20 and all proceeds go to fighting food insecurity!! More info: [email protected] pic.twitter.com/4Y2XnlievP

— Ne Si’Ka (@nesikapdx)

I don’t want to be all “I told you so,” but…. Twitter really is wonderful in this regard. I immediately went looking for more details, and what I discovered was Ne Si’Ka. Which takes the conversation to a whole new level of beautiful. 

Ne Si’Ka is a Portland based initiative raising money to create a “pay as you go” restaurant that both confronts hunger and food insecurity as well as fosters a greater sense of community. 

The goal is to create a completely non-biased and comfortable atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable and has a seat at the table with food and family. Our broader intention is to create and foster a greater sense of community while we help alleviate hunger and food insecurities. via Ne Si’Ka

See, beautiful. 

So, right about now, though, you’re wondering about that scarf. I was too, so I did some emailing and James, the Director of Operations for Ne Si’Ka, was quick to fill me in on the details. It turns out, they have a wonderful volunteer named Rhonda. I’m going to call her Saint Rhonda and you will too when you hear this: she’s making these scarves. By hand. And only charging $20. And then donating the proceeds to Ne Si’Ka

I cannot get my thumbs to talk to my fingers more than just to type, so I cannot imagine being able to knit something (or is it crochet) like this. Much less, be willing to make them for pure strangers! 

And that’s when this whole thing just explodes with beauty. Because, when you buy one of these scarves from Rhonda, you are not only supporting Ne Si’Ka and its mission to feed people and build community: you’re FULFILLING it. You are no longer a stranger to Rhonda. And what she gives to the world, well, you’ll be wearing it. That makes you connected. Through the internet. Via people you don’t know. From the vastness that is Twitter. Mind Blown.

These are tiny connections — but these tiny connections are the foundations of the change that is desperately needed. Oregon is a hungry state. Those of you who read Mireio regularly know how close to my heart these issues are. Any chance I get to speak out on preventing hunger and food insecurity: well, I’m going to use my voice to do.

But now you’re tired of hearing me talk… and want to know, “How can we buy that scarf, already!?”  You’ll need to email Rhonda directly. She can then invoice you via Paypal. She’s not set up a button, because these scarves do require work and she wants to make sure she can actually fulfill your order before taking your money.

You can also support Ne Si’Ka by making a donation directly on their website. And, of course, someday in the future, we can all meet up for a meal and a lively conversation.