Good people deserve some headlines, too
There’s so much hate in this country. In just the past week, 11 Jewish congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue were gunned down, allegedly by a man who authorities say was driven by hate. And this happened days after someone mailed pipe bombs to critics of the U.S. president. That suspect, authorities say, was fired up by the fear-mongering and hate-spewing rhetoric of our leader. Sadly, those events overshadowed the story of the killings of two black people at a grocery store in Kentucky, allegedly by a white man who had first tried to enter a black church. That case is being investigated as a hate crime.
Please join me in taking a deep breath. I’m using this space to tell you that there are people out there who want to help, not harm, others.
I figured we could use some good news for a change.
Renee McGhee keeps a gratitude journal, and every morning she writes a sentence or two of appreciation. These days, she’s got a lot to be thankful for. But five days before we met early last month, she wrote this in her journal: “I’m tired of being in debt. I’m tired of being late. I’m tired of not having enough. I can be trusted with more.”
I interviewed McGhee for a column on Josephine, the online marketplace that let home cooks like McGhee sell meals to nearby customers who paid around $12 per serv-
ing and picked up the food at the seller’s place.
McGhee, 62, was able to afford the $750 rent on her one-bedroom Berkeley apartment by cooking and selling meals once a week through Josephine. But when the Oakland startup shut down in February because of pressure from health regulators, McGhee struggled to make ends meet as a substitute teacher and part-time nanny.
When we met, she was $370 short on her October rent. Just a month later, her situation has dramatically improved: She’s paid her rent through February because of the generous donations she received from The Chronicle’s readers.
“This past year, every other month I was late,” McGhee told me on a recent Sunday afternoon. “I never want to be behind on a bill again.”
After my column was published, a lot of readers emailed me inquiring about a GoFundMe account for McGhee. She didn’t have one set up, so, with McGhee’s permission, I shared her email address with readers.
McGhee said about 20 people sent her messages. Some people shared stories about their lives. One woman told McGhee that her mother raised five children alone and there were always people coming and going from their house because her mother supported the family as a seamstress. McGhee’s story reminded her of her mother.
A San Francisco man whose wife died a few months ago had his daughter, a Berkeley resident, reach out to McGhee because, the daughter told McGhee, her father wanted to give back.
As the recent domestic threats and attacks further darken the mood of the country, this is your reminder that people still care about each other. And, yes, people are still willing to help strangers in need.
We do so much better as a community — as a country — when we treat each other with kindness and empathy.
McGhee’s rent is covered for the next four months, and she also opened a business banking account. In September, California became the first state to legalize the sale of home-cooked meals. That law goes into effect Jan. 1, and then cooks like McGhee can legally sell food they’ve cooked in their homes to the public.
One man gave McGhee a $5,000 cashier’s check, which she used to open the business account. Another man and his wife gave McGhee $750 for rent and $1,000 for her business.
A woman who didn’t want to contact McGhee directly asked me to deliver a cashier’s check to McGhee. It was for $800.
“It just keeps happening,” McGhee said as she held her hand to her mouth after opening the card from the woman.
McGhee told me she’s going to have a launch party for her business in January, and she’ll invite the donors.
“I can’t tell you how many people have said, ‘When you’re up and running, let us know,’ ” she said.
I’ll let you know, too, because McGhee’s delectable, oven-baked bread should be tasted by more people.