We started our Run For a GMO Free USA just over a week ago at Huntington Beach Pier. Thanks to everyone who showed up, introduced yourselves and cheered us on.
(David and I are joined by GMO Free Girl Scout cookie crusader, Alicia Serratos, and the ever passionate activist, John Diaz.)
Since that time, Kris and I keep repeating the phrase, “Well, it’s a learning experience.” That’s because virtually everything we’re doing is a first time experience.
David and I have never run 18 miles a day . . . day after day. And who knows if I’m going to be able to keep up with David.
Kris and I have never owned a truck and trailer. If you saw us trying to back up the trailer, you’d call the police to report our mid-day DUIs! And speaking of trailers, did it take anyone else 3 days to figure out how to get hot water out of the faucet on their maiden trailer voyage?
I’ve never been so tired at the end of yet another big mileage, big activity day that I skipped the shower (yes, cold) and just crashed onto the bed.
David and I have never been interviewed by a super athlete like Rich Roll.
And believe it or not, I’ve never owned a cell phone before . . . until now. Let alone a top-of-the-line sucky sounding Samsung. So sucky, in fact, that I had to reschedule a radio interview because Kris, David, Olivia and their non-sucky phones weren’t available at the interview time.
(Kathleen Hallal with Moms Across America joins Kris and Brett for a photo.)
Needless to say, Kris and I have never walked away from our jobs to help one of our kids—David— fulfill his dream to run across the USA.
And we’ve never committed ourselves fully to the GMO issue until now, trusting that like-minded people—many of whom we may never meet—will share of their means because they’re inspired by our run and mission, or more likely, they recognize just how desperately we need the cash.
We’re meeting with and talking to people everyday. On Saturday’s run to Banning, California, David and I stopped at a strawberry stand at the side of the road. The farmers—South Koreans—didn’t speak much English and at first they had no idea what GMOs stand for. But after they googled GMOs on their phones, they quickly understood. They gave us thumbs up and smiles in support of our run and mission.
Later that evening, long after dark, after we had finally completed the day’s run, we met a guy named Michael in a store parking lot. He told us that he manages an orange grove. From the way he spoke it was obvious he loved that grove. And he hated watching honey bees do the dizzy dance before dying the last time the grove owner sprayed the grove with RoundUp. He’s sick to his stomach that the owner is talking about spraying the place again to kill off the ground cover. I passed along a DVD copy of Howard Vlieger’s presentation regarding GMOs, RoundUp, inflamed pig intestines, etc.
(This guy’s face reminds me of GMO-fed pig intestines!)
I also gave him a couple of copies of my book, We’re Monsanto: Feeding the World, Lie After Lie. He’s hopeful that the DVD and the book will persuade the orange grove owner to show a little more love to her orange trees, soil and the environment.
Running everyday is the easy part of this experience. Kris and Olivia have the much harder job making sure that a million different details are taken care of while David and I are pounding the pavement. If Kris were getting paid for her work, she’d clock in 16-hour days for at least three different people.
(Life-time farmer Howard Vlieger joins David for a photo.)
Yes, our run is amazing and our mission is crucial. And we’ve sacrificed a ton to make it happen, including our full-time jobs. Our Indiegogo campaign is drawing to a close on January 31st. It will take a small miracle to reach our campaign goal. But we’re used to miracles. We’ve experienced miracles everyday in connection with our run and mission. And we’ve got faith that many miracles will yet appear as we run our way across the country. We’re asking you to be a part of another much-needed miracle right now. Join us! Run with us now by contributing to our fundraising campaign.
Let’s run together for a GMO Free USA!
