I’ve been meaning to do a blog post on a specific subject ever since I encountered it on Day 4 of my 30 Day Zip.  Fortunately for me, I did not encounter it again, so I want to touch on it here before I end my 30 day adventure.

Day 4 of my 30 Day Zip was the first time I had to miss a meal because I didn’t get a bid from a Zipments courier to deliver the meal to me.  Since then, I’ve only missed a total of 3 meals (due to no courier bids) over the past 28 days.  On Day 4, I was still very early into my 30 Day Zip and I had no idea how well the Zipments service would work.  I knew we had great couriers in our marketplace, but would a courier really be available every time I needed one?  Furthermore, would those couriers be willing to purchase meals with their own money and agree to be reimbursed 24 hours later through Zipments?  At the time I started my 30 Day Zip, we had just launched a new service within the Zipments marketplace whereby Zipments customers can request Zipments couriers to purchase items on their behalf, then have those items delivered at the time and location requested by the customer.  We knew the Zipments couriers were awesome at performing deliveries…but we did not yet know whether or not they’d be willing to make purchases too.  My 30 Day Zip was certainly a risky experiment both for me and for the company since I agreed to blog about my experiences daily.

By Day 4 of my 30 Day Zip it was still too early to know whether or not the “purchasing” service would work so when I did not get a bid on my breakfast zipment, I began to get very anxious.  A bit because of the business implications, but more so because I didn’t know how and when I’d eat again.  This is what I want to highlight in this blog post. 

Like most of us fortunate Americans, I have never in my adult life had to face the sense of helplessness I briefly felt on Day 4.  I would guess that most of you reading my blogs have also never had to wonder when and how you will get your next meal.  Yet millions of Americans (and hundreds of millions of others around the world) face that terror each day.  I use the word “terror” because any lesser word doesn’t quite describe it.  While many who struggle to feed themselves are forced to adjust to that way of life, it is no way to live.  I feel foolish to even suggest that I found myself sharing the same feelings as those who have far less than I do; however I can say that I did briefly feel a sense of helplessness (and even shame) at the thought that perhaps I would not be able to eat through Zipments.  Zipments is an extension of me…along with my team, I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into it, so the thought that service would not sufficiently work to provide my meals caused me to temporarily question my own abilities. 

Over the past 28 days, I’ve met many incredible Zipments couriers who kept me fed each day.  My weight loss has been due to the fact that the 30 Day Zip restricts snacking.  Though I’ve had to miss a few meals, my weight loss is not due to starvation.   Thank God I have been given many blessings in my life.  Others are not so fortunate.  Each day millions of people wake up wondering how, when and what they will eat.  I can only imagine the fear they must feel.  As a father, I know the desire to provide the best for my children.  How devastating that must be for those who can’t even provide the basic necessities to their children.

I don’t have a solution to the problem, but I do think it starts with developing an understanding of those who face this problem each day.  I’m vowing to get more involved with resources in my local community that help those who go without proper meals each day.  There are great resources in nearly every community around the country.  I would like to thank those who have already made it their mission to wipe out hunger and malnutrition in our world and I ask the rest of us to find ways to lend support to this extremely important cause.  If the 30 Day Zip has taught me anything, it’s that we often need help from others to survive and to thrive in this world!