Silent No More

File this under, “the miracle of Dana’s silent phase.” Most anyone who knows me knows that I have never had a silent phase. Despite my inability to keep from talking I do have the ability to keep a secret. No one would ever think so, but I have kept quite a few secrets, but that is another story. Just because I am talking I might not be telling you everything that is going on.
Officially my silent phase is over today, that is in relation to the “So all may eat” campaign for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Eighteen months ago the Food Bank quietly began our campaign to raise ten million dollars for our new 114,000 square foot headquarters in Raliegh as well as some new and exciting programs to help people not need the services of the Food Bank any more.  
Our wish to raise the capital money as quietly and quickly as possible was so that we would not impact our annual giving that goes to food. It was a big goal. It had been fifteen years since we had our last capital campaign the “breaking bread” campaign. That is too long between campaigns. Some people were worried that we might not make it. Not me. I was fairly certain that when we told people about what we do for hungry people in one third of North Carolina they would generously support us.  
We had done a feasibility study and the experts thought we might be able to raise the money in two years and would have to go public and ask our regular donors for the last million. Instead we did it in 18 months and never got out of the silent phase. Thanks to Ed Carney, a previous board chair who headed the campaign with Ron Doggert as honorary chair. I chaired the board division and did not have to twist many arms thanks to the deep commitment that current and past board members have for the organization. I also had the wise wisdom and council of Ash Pipkin, godfather to the board and former board chair Al Ragland to help me.
Today was the thank you lunch to officially announce we have passed our goal, not that we still won’t take pledges from those last few generous organizations. Now I no longer have to be silent about this. 
I am so proud of the leaders at the Food Bank, CEO and President Peter Werbicki, who started life at the Food Bank as an operations guy and over the years has morphed into a great fund raiser and communicator about the good work the Food Bank does and Amy Beros, VP of Development who came to us from another feeding organization as a lieutenant and during the course of the campaign rose to be the leader. Working with these professionals has been an utter joy. That is not something most campaign workers say at the end of a big capital campaign.
So I can shout it from roof tops, “Congratulations to the Food Bank for exceeding your goal.” So now all may eat.