Food is necessary to survive, and some people deal with daily food insecurity. We are not all created equal. The circumstances we are born into and the life experiences we live along the way shapes us all differently. What is the same is we all have hearts, and some people have bigger hearts (literally and figuratively). Being kind comes easier to some people more than others, and some people must work harder at it.
For one native Bisbee son, Dan Maldonado, the kindness he has been showing to his neighbors in this community is second nature to him. With his heart of gold, he has been serving meals to those who face food insecurity since he founded the nonprofit Goar Park Lunches (GPL) in 2013.
It all started after Maldonado moved back to Bisbee from the state of Washington in 2012 – where he lived for 23 years. He came back just for a visit; however, he ended up moving back to take care of his aging/mobility-limited parents. It’s who he is to take care of others who need help.
When he came back, he instantly saw the need to feed those in his community. He started volunteering at Bisbee Coalition for the Homeless and was soon after hired as a resident manager. And although he was a lifelong carpenter before he moved back to Bisbee, he had been cooking with his mom since he was young and knew his way around a kitchen. (He also cooked at Bisbee Royale from 2016-2019.)
An older couple in town also saw the need, and they started feeding people at Goar Park once a week on Tuesdays. He saw that and then started serving meals he made in his mom’s kitchen on Wednesdays. He ended up running both days, and it evolved from there, launching GPL. “I was trying to do it as a protest against a rule about no potlucks on city property,” said Maldonado. “You can’t tell me I can’t feed my neighbors.”
Maldonado now heads up the kitchen for another local nonprofit organization, Cochise Harm Reduction (CHR), where he has been for almost two years now. He oversees eight kitchen volunteers – who give thousands of volunteer hours every year – over four days each week. And he has showed them the benefits of giving back and having a purpose in their community.
As a bonus, he is back working with a friend he has been working with since his GPL days – Lu Funk, founder of CHR. He is grateful for this opportunity to continue working with them, as well as being able to continue serving his neighbors. “I’ve never missed a meal/scheduled lunch in 13 years,” said Maldonado. “I’ve always seen the need to help the unhoused and am always looking for an opening to help people.”