The Little Things Do Matter by Darrin Pinkerton from Associated Food Stores

Pictured in the photo are Todd Oldroyd, Board Chair; Darrin Pinkerton, Associated Food Stores; Annette Royle-Mitchell, Chapter President.

Darrin Pinkerton, from Associated Food Stores, has been involved in our Chapter for many years as a volunteer and a Bike MS participant. Last month at our Chapter’s Annual Celebration, Associated Food Stores received a Corporate Impact Award for increasing their support in 2014 to help with logistics and added a Walk MS team to their already robust support of a Bike MS team. The following is Darrin’s story of his involvement in our Chapter. Pictured in the photo are Todd Oldroyd, Board Chair; Darrin Pinkerton, Associated Food Stores; Annette Royle-Mitchell, Chapter President.

I fell in love with Bike MS bike from a purely cycling perspective. Raising the $250 minimum was scary, but I sailed past that raising $600 my first time participating. I did the ride by myself, no friends, and no team. The following year I joined a team that no longer participates; I can’t even remember the name. I believe it was my third time riding in the event that a coworker was diagnosed. Heidi, who captains our walk team lost some hearing in one of her ears, and had “tingling” sensations up and down one side of her body. When she told me about her diagnosis, I was stunned.  I knew a little, but she would educate me even more. As I spoke with Heidi, we discussed what more Associated Food Stores (AFS) could do to help her and the MS Society. 

Though I wasn’t aware of it, I had set some things in motion when I first started participating in Bike MS. In year two, I had recruited two people to do the ride with me and when we rode, we discussed possibly creating an AFS team the following year. My coworkers loved the event and committed resources to fund a team, specifically the gear to use as incentives for fundraising. I have also recruited several team sponsors to grow the team. I designed the jersey myself, and had a lot of fun rallying the troops as team captain. I also learned a lot about what it meant to be captain.  It takes time, patience, and not being shy about approaching people to join the team, or to support us in other ways.

Over time things snowballed. It seemed like each year I was trying to find more ways to get involved. AFS began donating water and helped to pick-up various items for the event around the Salt lake Valley. Two years ago, I received a call from Bob Harmon; he had spoken with the president of our company, and felt we could do more. Specifically, he wanted us to focus on fundraising resources.  We were then able to get the MS society added as an official Charity in AFS, which made them eligible for matching donations. We also added a walk team and that has been fantastic!  With Bob’s ideas and his influence, we met our fund raising goal that year (not counting the matching funds) and raised more than we had. He was right, we could do more.  And it felt great! 

With this in mind, here’s what it meant to me hearing Becky Lyttle, Vice President of Community Development at the Utah Southern-Idaho Chapter announce that AFS would be recognized with an Impact Award at the Annual Celebration last month: I wasn’t sure that all the little things we did really mattered. We aren’t their largest sponsor. I don’t even think we are in the middle of that peloton. Was supplying trailers, logistical help, and donating water really that helpful to ease the burden of people living with MS?  I enjoyed doing it anyway, but you never really know if it ‘mattered’. Having our small efforts recognized was reaffirming. The little things do matter!  In some small way, it helps—because this hunk of crystal on my desk says it does.  By stepping-up to help the MS Society with ‘the little things, ‘it’s my hope that it affords them the ability to focus those precious funds on ‘the bigger things’. I’m proud to be an MS advocate. I’m overwhelmed with the AFS leadership’s determination to be involved in the community, and I’m appreciative of the MS Society for allowing us to be involved.  This is a great cause and I look forward to being involved for years to come.