Before A Rescue Feast became a picture book, it was shaped by years of food rescue work, learning, and quiet observation.
This page gathers the reflections I’ve been sharing over the past couple of weeks in one place — for anyone who wants the full context behind the story.
The First Noticing
I didn’t set out to write a children’s book.
Through the work I do in food rescue, I kept noticing the questions asked— about where food comes from, why some of it gets rescued, and what happens when people work together around a table.
Those moments stayed with me. Long before there was a story, there was curiosity.
The Work as a Classroom
Food has a way of teaching without announcing itself as a lesson.
In my day-to-day work, learning shows up through doing — through noticing ingredients, understanding where they come from, and seeing how many hands it takes to turn something overlooked into something nourishing.
That idea — that learning happens while hands are busy — became foundational to this story.
Choosing a Gentle Story
When it came time to shape these observations into a narrative, I was intentional about what the story would not be.
There is no urgency or data-driven framing here. There are no statistics meant to alarm or persuade.
Instead, I wanted to create a story that invites wonder and care — especially for young readers — and leaves space for conversation rather than conclusions.
Who the Story Is For
This is a children’s book, but it is informed by adult systems: food access, education, community care, and shared responsibility.
It’s for kids who are curious about how the world works, and for the adults who cook, volunteer, teach, and show up quietly every day.
It’s for families and classrooms that talk about food not just as something to eat, but as something to understand and respect.
Becoming a Book
At some point, these reflections stopped being just notes in a notebook.
They began asking to be shaped into something shareable.
That process eventually became a picture book called A Rescue Feast.
The title reflects the belief that food rescue is not just about solving a problem, but about creating space for connection, learning, and care.
Inside the Story
The characters in A Rescue Feast were shaped by real moments and real work, across generations and roles.
Seeds, growth, and cycles are woven into the story not as lessons, but as part of the world the characters move through — the way learning often happens in real life.
Science is present, but quietly. Community is central, but never spotlighted.