I was first attracted to Camden because of its focus on civic engagement. But part of the reason I’m attracted to work is because it’s so difficult. There are so many power dynamics at play that it is easy for “helping” to be detrimental. Rachel Naomi Remen writes about this in her essay In the Service of Life:
Helping is based on inequality; it is not a relationship between equals. When you help you use your own strength to help those of lesser strength. If I’m attentive to what’s join on inside of me when I’m helping, I find that I’m always helping someone who’s not as strong as I am, who is needier than I am. People feel this inequality. When we help we may inadvertently take away from people more than we could ever give them; we may diminish their self-esteem, their sense of worth, integrity and wholeness.
In my own work, I struggle to understand that, particularly in a world where “Eds and Meds” are the new urban renewal, and I see so many opportunities for Rutgers-Camden to be involved with the city around it. As I teach (and am asked to speak) on the topic, I’m constantly looking for good examples of groups that approach such work humbly, without undermining the very people they are trying to help. I ran across one such example the week of Thanksgiving when I visited the Camden Neighborhood Center. Kevin Riordan wrote about their Thanksgiving services here.
I was particularly interested in their Thanksgiving Supermarket, pictured below:
The Neighborhood Center set up their (new!) gym to be like a grocery store. Rather than give families-in-need a Thanksgiving “basket” of pre-ordained food, they let each family shop (for free) and choose what they needed for their own meal.
I chatted briefly with Christa Galvin, the Director of Volunteer and Community Outreach, who explained the theory behind the program. The idea was to maintain the dignity of those coming for food. There is a simple dignity in being able to choose your own food, of being able to select what you want for family recipes. The Neighborhood Center, by creating a shopping center, was able to provide food while also allowing residents who needed such a service to maintain choice and dignity. What a beautiful model.
I’d argue that the benefits go far beyond psychological. There is a certain practicality to such an approach. Families know best the dietary restrictions of their families. They know what will be eaten and what will be wasted. By allowing families the dignity of choice and empowering them to make their own consumer decisions (even beyond their economic means), the Neighborhood Center actually stretches resources farther.
This gives me hope for institutions like Rutgers that are trying to work on civic engagement. There is an opportunity here. There is the potential to work with partners and communities, not just “help” them, in a way that makes services more effective. The Camden Neighborhood Center is evidence that effective community engagement can maintain the dignity of community and also achieve its short-term objectives. I love seeing that in action, and loving learning from neighborhood non-profits that are setting such a beautiful example.
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