Wow, November 2020 surely became a month of ups and downs. If your choice of president did or did not win the election, then youโre either happy or disappointed. The coronavirus has become a death sentence all around the word, yet there are millions of people who still think it is a conspiracy hoax or plot. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died and still are dying because of lack of compassionate leadership. The reality still haunts us every single day that this pandemic is killing people, which in return affects schools and businesses, just to name a couple of disappointments that we all have had to endure. People are sitting for hours in food lines and businesses are having to shut their doors, which means those employees are losing their jobs. No money coming in results in no income to help feed their families. The good thing about living in San Diego is that people and organizations are stepping up to help. And that is why I decided to introduce to you a loving, caring gentleman who took it upon himself do something and turned a major idea into reality.
Darnelle Williams is a native of San Diego but also lived in Los Angeles and Las Vegas for short periods of time. He grew up with his mom and went through extremely hard times while watching his mom work so hard just to provide for the two of them. This gave Darnelle the understanding and willpower to work to survive. He knew it was not going to be easy, but what in life ever is? Darnelle worked a lot of jobs but when he was 20 years old working at Kentucky Fried Chicken and going to college to be a paralegal, a friend notified Darnelle of an open position in customer service at an insurance company.ย Twenty-one years later, he has become a member of management and has traveled throughout the country learning about various laws of the auto insurance industry.ย His mom, to this day, is his hero because she never gave up and neither has Darnelle.
During his journey to better his life, Darnelle met who he says is the best choice he ever made and the love of his life, Edward Melendez. On Feb. 1, 2021, the couple will celebrate 20 loving years together. They were married in 2006 and legally married in 2008. โIt has been a true partnership we both are blessed by, and our love only gets stronger as the days and years go by. We are there for each other, respect each other and most of all, we love each other.โ Because of their commitment to each other, it is not unusual to see Edward right there by Darnelleโs side, helping with all the good things that they do. They are an amazing team.
Darnelle credits his long-time membership in the Imperial Court de San Diego as one of the reasons he has become such a wonderful leader in our community. He has held the office of both Empress and Emperor, served on the board of directors, and even serves on the Council of Monarchs for the International Court System. Darnelle mentioned to me that becoming a member not only introduced him to amazing lifetime friends but incredible members of our city and LGBTQ+ community. He said that the Imperial Court has taught him community service, organization skills and leadership. In the years following, this leadership has been noticed and Darnelle has been appointed to San Diego County LGBTQ Sheriff Advisory Board Member as well as the San Diego LGBTQ Mayorโs Advisory Board. His hard work has made Darnelle someone who is respected by not only community members but those in elected leadership positions that rely on him for his ideas and knowledge that will help make San Diego a better place to live.
When the coronavirus attacked our country and people started to lose their jobs, and so many had no way to pay for food, Darnelle launched a free food distribution program called โTake What You Needโย in front of his home on May 7, 2020.ย They created handmade signs and set up tables filled with non-perishable food items donated by family and friends.ย On the first day, only five people stopped by to select items, more were curious and wanted to take pictures.ย After seeing their Facebook post, they received an invitation from Tootie Nefertootiee to partner with the Boulevard Business Improvement District and they did so in June 2020. Now they have a permanent location at Fair@44thย and they are servicing an average of 160-plus households every Tuesday between 10 a.m.-noon.ย The group has formed a board of directors consisting of 10 diverse community members and have begun the process of obtaining their own 501(c)(3) designation.
No one is left out, they have bilingual volunteers on hand and each person who walks through the gate is treated with the upmost respect, dignity and love.ย Each person from teen to adult is given a bag to fill with food items of their choice.ย The San Diego Unified School District now provides meals during the event to children in K-12.
The response from the community has been amazing; so many people have chosen to volunteer, and this project has had a remarkable effect on many who have felt despondent and wanted to get back to volunteer work.ย They pride themselves on maintaining a list of all volunteers and donors who have helped make this project a success, without their generosity they could not continue. In keeping with the spirit of giving, their mission statement is as follows:ย โTake What You Need is a no-questions-asked zero qualification free food distribution event.ย The only eligibility requirement is your need for assistance, and we hope those who join us pass on the gratitude to others.ย We believe that the foundation of a strong community begins with giving and if we all give, we all receive.โ
While talking with Darnelle, he told me this heartfelt story, โThere was a period as a young child where my mom and I were homeless living on the streets of Los Angeles.ย We had to depend on a program like Take What You Need,ย and it gave us a sense of dignity not to be questioned or have to prove our need for assistance. In the development of this program, I wanted to make sure people who need help did not encounter any roadblocks. With that being said,ย if you would like to donate, there are three ways to do so.โย 1) Venmo: @takewhatyouneedSD; 2) check or money order: make payable to Boulevard Business Improvement District (T.W.Y.N. in the memo line) and mail to P.O. Box 635308, San Diego, CA 92163;ย and 3) non-perishable food items can be dropped off on Tuesdays between 9-10 a.m. at 4350 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego 92105 (across from the Copley/Price YMCA).
I have always said we live in the best city in the world and it is because of people like Darnelle, Edward and the so many volunteers and people from the Imperial Court. These are just a handful of examples of how kindness and compassion is truly a part of the way we live, work and care for each other in our great city of San Diego. It takes ideas from oneโs mind and led by oneโs heart to bring such a wonderful idea to life to help those in need. Thank you, Darnelle, for taking the time and love you have for your fellow man and spreading and passing forward your lifeโs struggles so others will now have food in their stomachs. It is that wonderful saying by Winston Churchill: โWe make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.โ As the coronavirus pandemic continues and there is a hope for a vaccine, just know Darnelle and Take What you Need will also be here to help. Darnelle did mention that they do follow health, government regulations and guidelines very seriously for everyoneโs safety. You inspire me Darnelle, thank you for your big hug heart that makes our world such a better place to live.
I asked Darnelle to give me a quote to share in his own words: โIf we all give a little something back to make our community better, regardless of the significance, it will eventually come back to us.” โ Darnelle Williams
To get in touch with Darnelle:
Darnelle Williams
P.O. Box 635308
San Diego, CA 92163
619-737-7326
