Meet Sheri
The energy we bring to every moment matters. We're creating an environment where everybody is welcome and everyone belongs. There's enough fighting, division. We stand for something: neighbors helping neighbors.
Sheri Lyons has been at the heart of the growth of Grassroots Grocery. Here, Sheri shares her journey of wholehearted dedication to Grassroots, an organization and movement that, in her words, has reshaped her life.
In speaking to her at the family’s home on the Long Island coast, it became clear to me that Grassroots Grocery holds a special place in Sheri’s heart. I was deeply moved by her insights on the social role and power of a movement where neighbors help neighbors, especially focused on youth and families.
Q. How did you first hear about the Grassroots Grocery Produce Party?
A. We heard about Grassroots Grocery through my daughter Caroline, who was participating in Fordham University’s Serving the City Program. Caroline was an intern for Grassroots Grocery. It’s kind of funny, you know, Caroline said “mommy, dad, would you like to come and participate in a parking lot in the Bronx?” We’re asking ourselves, is this one crazy idea?
Caroline and Sheri
Keep in mind, we live on the beach on Long Island where June is a great time to be here. It's going to take us an hour to get there. It’s 85 degrees, which is 95 in a parking lot. We had 101 reasons why it didn’t sound like such a great idea. But as a parent, you know, when your child asks to spend time with you, of course, it’s always yes.
Also, as it happens, the Bronx is very special to us. Larry’s parents were born and raised in the Bronx. Larry was born in the Bronx. His father is quite a legend, having played basketball and is in Fordham’s Hall of Fame.
Q. So you just up and went.
Yes. It’s just so ironic that this turned out to be an incredible experience for us.. . something we love, and identify with, because it had all the boxes checked.
At first, this was a thing a parent does, right? But it became something we all love, something we identify strongly with. So it's funny that it started that way and then remains in our lives as a very important thing.
Q. What did you think when you and Larry and Caroline came to the Produce Party for the first time?
Left to right: Larry, Sheri, Nate, Andrew
A. There was a palpable energy, just generous people, an eclectic group of eighty, a hundred people, all choosing to be there. Everyone’s a volunteer and everybody is just working. Working hard. It takes a lot of effort to produce…and it’s happening on the ground live.
At the time, Grassroots was two employees. That’s it. Everyone else was a volunteer. Just like any startup, operationally, we were still working out the kinks and figuring out how to build efficiency. It was very different from how it looks now.
That first day, man, I remember I didn’t move for like four days after, I was so sore. So was my husband, so I didn’t feel so bad.
What did we do? We got there. We helped set up all the tables, set up all the tents, got the pallets organized, sorted the produce. I remember, I found some peaches in compost bags with stickers still on them. Well, you can’t compost stickers, right?
At the end, I found myself sitting on the steps with the most wonderful woman. Her name is Veronica; she and I sat in the sun, and it took us an hour and a half to go through all those peaches. We didn’t want to just throw them away. We're serious about respect and dignity at Grassroots. Respect for people and planet.
Q. You have told me that you and Larry celebrated your anniversary at a produce party.
A. Yep. We were having our 29th anniversary, and trying to think of something to do to celebrate, something that was different.
At that point, we had come to the Produce Party every Saturday, June, July, August. And we thought it might be a neat fundraising opportunity for us and for our community and our friends to celebrate 29 years of marriage by giving back.
Dan’s team set us up with our own fundraising page. We invited our friends who were in our wedding party that many years ago and some close friends and said “come celebrate.”
Folks were very generous and made donations, but the real fun was letting them see this work, letting them experience the awesomeness of this work. We got dirty together, and then we went over to Arthur Avenue and had lunch together just to celebrate. I forget how much we raised, but, you know, $1000 or $2000 or something for Grassroots.
Q. Tell us about some of the people you know around Grassroots that, maybe you especially want to talk about.
A. There are many. Patricia Burns is one of the community partners. I'm a volunteer. But the community leaders…if there are heroes to be had in this story, they are extraordinary. They're the people on the ground mobilizing their community with respect and dignity.
I had met Patricia Burns, but we hadn't really sat and had a conversation. I was struck by so many parallels between my and her story. She's deeply faithful. She's a proud mother. She's very well educated herself and very proud of the fact that all of her children are, too. She just cares deeply about her community, starting with her family and then moving out to her broader community.
I felt like we were kindred spirits and it was just an instant connection. It was really nice to connect and to hug. There were tears shed. There's a commitment to the greater good, and it comes across so loud.
Sheri and Patricia Burns
Patricia and I had another moment in that visit. Here was a delivery of sunbutter and jelly sandwiches. Wait…part of Grassroots’ core programming is what are called sandwich races, where we go into companies in New York City and people at the companies race each other to make sandwiches.
As we were sitting with Patricia, a car came with the delivery of sandwiches from a race. Right then! The playground lit up, the kids coming to get their sandwiches. It struck me that we were in Harlem and these sandwiches came from Wall Street. The world is not so big.
Q. You are friends with Natalee, a regular Produce Party hero. Here’s a question for you: I asked Natalee why the Produce Party was important to her. She said, “It's all about the kids.” What do you take from Natalee’s answer?
A. I think we all want our children to have a quality of life, a future that achieves peace and love and community but…we can't create it. It's up to them. It's up to our children to choose to create that kind of a world.
“Youth are a huge part of the mission. It’s showing them a different picture. Yes, it’s possible to come together with a group of 100 people you never knew. Eh? It’s safe. It’s accepting. Everybody’s welcome. You belong. ”
That’s why I love what I see at Grassroots Grocery where youth are a huge part of the mission. Let's face it, it's early on a Saturday morning, and it's so exciting to see the kids show up ready to work, right? School groups, sports groups, service groups - it’s great to see their energy.
It’s just so easy to get lost in our technology and to have it consume our days. Here everyone is connecting!
And it's a training ground, right? They learn to lead. And they have a sense of agency that they can make a difference in the world.
This is showing them a different picture than you see all around you. Yes, it's possible to come together with a group of 100 people you never knew and find common ground. It's safe. It's accepting. Everybody's welcome. You feel like you belong. You do meaningful work. You're doing crazy dances. The kids, they knock my socks off.
Q. When you speak and also in outreach from Grassroots Grocery, we never hear words about conflict. Never about fighting, or resentment. But aren’t you “fighting” hunger?
A. When people ask that, I use the phrase “Yes and…” This phrase is really a way of saying that there's a way to hold two things in tension that are both true. Yes. It's heartbreaking that there are so many who are hungry. Yes. It’s unjust. At the same time, we can create a positive community of neighbors helping neighbors. There is no shame in needing food. Food is life. Food is home.
The more we can hold two things in balance, the more we can make change.
We're creating an environment where everybody is welcome and everyone belongs. Anger does not produce that. There's enough fighting, division. We stand for something: neighbors helping neighbors.
Sometimes all that negative fighting is just hopelessness, disguised. We focus on what is within our span of control, what we can do. We like to say we stand for something positive. We're creating food security and food justice, as opposed to fighting against something.
Q. You've been a consultant and executive coach at the highest levels of the corporate world. How does this long experience carry over to what you do with Grassroots Grocery?
A. What I do as a consultant, business advisor, and executive coach is help people and organizations break through to new levels of performance, relationships or well-being. It requires them to change. A great idea or strategy doesn’t execute itself. It only gets done with and through people. It takes the engagement of a lot of people to make it happen.
Engagement requires purpose and progress. You see the food move from the truck to the pallet to the car to the community. That’s engagement. That’s change-making real time!
“I try to promote leadership as service. We clear the path. The people closest to the work–any work– understand it best. Seeking first to understand and to listen and learn is at the heart of leadership.”
I try to promote leadership as service. We clear the path. The people closest to the work–any work– understand it best. Seeking first to understand and to listen and learn is at the heart of leadership. Listening to our community partners, understanding barriers to access, and designing the right solutions to be implemented at the front lines are crucial.
Leading doesn’t mean doing everything; it means creating conditions so others can show up and use their talents to do meaningful work. Great leaders serve. Our job is to help people be successful, engage in our mission, and have everything they need to contribute.
Q. You’ve told me you are now volunteering in a different role with Grassroots.
A. I’m volunteering starting in September with AmeriCorps and Grassroots Grocery. How does that work? Well, Americorps is a federal program to enlist civilians like me to serve in communities to address areas of need. There is a New York Civic Corps that’s part of AmeriCorps, in which they recruit people from all levels of experience, all ages, anyone who’s willing to come in for ten months and provide a volunteer service, just putting their skills to use for the greater good.
You join the larger AmeriCorps program, and you have host options. Grassroots Grocery was an option: on the application it said, “Please list your top three places you would like to serve.” I wrote “Grassroots Grocery, Grassroots Grocery and Grassroots Grocery!” I was accepted. Woot!
My focus at Grassroots will be elevating the corporate engagement strategy and building out corporate partnerships and programs. Teams who serve together strengthen their identity and shared purpose. I’m excited to help organizations do well by doing good.
Q. Is there anything about food insecurity in New York that you wish people knew, but mostly don't?
A. I was blown away by the stats, learning that only 1 in 4 who need help here can access it. That’s like leaving 3 of the 4 plates on the table empty when less than a mile away, the Hunts Point Produce Market is overflowing with beautiful, healthy produce. It’s about that last mile!That’s one thing. And also: it’s true that food security and food justice are crowded spaces, lots of good-hearted people trying to make change but its still leaving three plates empty.
The magic of Grassroots Grocery: it is focused on connecting that last mile, right to the people left out. I encourage people to think differently about food insecurity. It’s not just about providing food but doing so in a way that provides dignity. Seeing neighbors help each other rise up is beautiful.
Q. If you can put it in a nutshell, what do you want people to know about Grassroots Grocery?
A. Every Friday, we rescue 12-15 thousand pounds of beautiful healthy excess produce that makes its way to over 1,200 families by Saturday afternoon. When I lay my head down Saturday night, I know our neighbors were cared for.
There are very few opportunities to give of yourself and instantly see the impact. It’s about the people we're serving and serving with, not just the fun in a parking lot. It’s a food justice revolution.
Coming on Saturdays has become a very special thing that Larry and I share together - especially now that the nest is empty. We look forward to seeing our fellow volunteers and delivering into the community. It’s part of our weekly routine.
I’ve been battling cancer this year so we missed a few Saturdays. When we weren’t there the notes, pictures and videos would come from volunteers and community partners and this website. The love and support was incredible.
It’s a very special community we’re building. I’m so grateful to be a Saturday regular again!
That’s my talk with Sheri. I can only say: join this movement! It's a song of passion and purpose, weaving through the streets of New York. I can say from experience, it's something special, and it’s impossible not to be swept up in the awe of it. - Mitchell