By Charlene Tan
It´s really been so very exciting, heart-expanding, manic, and fulfilling. I´ve been frustrated, humbled, grateful, and awe-inspired in meeting and working with friends for the Cause. 
Crystal and Char with a basket of veggies at the I Am A Changemaker social enterprise business plan competition.
How did we get to this point? With the foodshare.ca link my friend Eileen Cheung sent me, I began a conversation with friends a year ago through e-mail. Early this year my prayer group decided that we were ready to take on an apostolate so I pitched this project based mostly on the same site. Everyone thought it was a good idea plus SIBAT, the NGO I work for, seemed to be in the right stage to work with. Out of nowhere, we got this notice for a social enterprise competition and we encouraged Philip to create a business plan in 24 hours! That was so cool. Then we went through sooo many meetings of defining what our expectations are, what we could each contribute, what we need to do, if we´re after profit or not… aaaahhh! It was not easy. And even along the way some people would have disagreements with others, while some would feel fatigue and disappointment. Yet there were moments we were so impressed and enlivened by the unique contributions of one another. We have a genius marketing person, a multimedia person who made the video (we helped with the script), another facilitated, one has a great eye and patience for details, etc. Plus everyone believed that this could really work.
So here I am, typing outdoors after a day of preparing our presentation for the semi-finals of the British Council competition tomorrow. I am amazed by how this has taken a life of its own and it´s making us share who we truly are and the world we believe in.
