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Human Beans Together Presents...
Human Beans Together       
Cool Beans!

We have no membership or hierarchy, so everyone who has ever participated is an official "Human Bean" and our selfless volunteers come and go. We see people every week for years and then they disappear. Some move, others have new responsibilities. Some find time to come one week, but can't ever make it again. Regardless, every single one of our volunteers has been truly appreciated, so we thought we'd start a collection to recognize as many of them as possible!

Thus is born this incipient collection of our "Look! Cool Beans of the Month.* !kooL " The intent is to maintain a "rogues gallery" of folks who have participated in our efforts to alleviate hunger, homelessness, and hopelessness by sharing our resources with those in need and to give them a big "Thank you!".

(*I know myself too well to think that this will really be a monthly feature, but "Cool Beans of the Whenever I Get Around to It" just didn't sound right...")
Cool Beans! Mary-Beth Heine
Mary_beth

Mary-Beth Heine, who (*sob*) recently left us to relocate to the midwest, began volunteering with Human Beans Together in 2013, and brought with her a drive and enthusiasm that so exemplifies our band of people who come together every Sunday to share their food and resources with those in need.

She received our very first “Super Human Bean” award from Human Beans Together in recognition of her selflessness and commitment.

She began volunteering with us in Raleigh’s Moore Square the Sunday after August 2013's infamous “Biscuitgate,” when we were threatened with arrest for offering a meal to our hungry friends who are without homes or who are under-housed.

Mary-Beth showed up the very next week with peanut butter sandwiches. She had done her research, and found there were no alternatives for our friends to have a meal on weekends, when the Raleigh soup kitchens are closed.

Her social media and communications skills soon became evident, as she quickly secured fundraisers, and numerous in-kind donations of food, clothing and toiletries to bring to Moore Square. Her “little white truck” became an icon and we knew it would arrive full from her friends, neighbors and colleagues at John Deere.

Mary_beth
Mary-Beth brought "a few" friends along from John Deere's Turf Care Unit to help serve the food they'd prepared: They served over 200 hot meals that day!

Through her efforts, other groups also jumped in to assist – the Raleigh Durham Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota has conducted Food and Clothing drives; Worldwide Clinical Trials, Tau D Province of SAI, John Deere Turf Headquarters in Cary, NC, the John Deere Turf factory in Fuquay-Varina, NC, Quarter Frenzies of North Carolina, Premier Jewelry, and the Bella Casa neighborhood of Apex have all participated in collections to assist the homeless and under-housed.

Mary-beth and Rick Miller-Haraway
Mary-Beth with Rick Miller-Haraway, Director of the Oak City Outreach Center where we serve meals

Mary-Beth tells us: “I remain completely inspired by my wonderful cousin, Susan Bridges and that Dude who has been following her around for nearly 40 years, Jeff. I could never begin to do all they have done to alleviate hunger. My goal has always been to make my own little corner of the world a better place. I hope I did that for awhile in Raleigh, and that I have left a few people behind to carry on after I was moved on by Deere.

“The documentary A Place at the Table is one that completely changed my life in 2012 and I encourage everyone to see it. Telling the story of several families in the US who work hard yet struggle to eat, it became apparent to we all need to do better by our children.”

Mary-beth with the Bridges
Mary-Beth abiding with her cousin Susan Bridges and Susan's husband, Jeff

At the picnic and award ceremony held in her honor, Mary-Beth was asked for “the secret to her success.” “It’s simple,” she replied. “I tell everyone I know. It’s on my Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram – any and all social media. It’s not to brag about what I do. It’s to let people know that there are people–right in our backyard–who are hungry. People who are cold in the winter and hot in the summer. I remind people that three people in Raleigh died out in the elements last winter.

Mary-beth with HBT Co-Founders Donald Zepp
Mary-Beth and HBT Co-Founder, Donald Zepp



You can help out by making a cash donation, which can be made by visiting our “$cashtag” or via the PayPal button to the right.  Please note that using our $cashtag results in our receiving 100% of your donation, as, unlike PayPal, Square Cash charges no fees.