Without a doubt, the best part of the work that we do is the amazing people we meet along the way – the "good people". But – along with the highs that come with interacting with such Giants is the sadness that comes when they die. This week one of the very best has died. On Tuesday Herman Berman, founder of the Bagel Brigade in Los Angeles passed away at the age of 90.
We should not have been surprised. In the more than ten years that we knew Herman every conversation included mention of his beloved wife Annie who he lovingly cared for over the years of her long illness. Two weeks ago we traveled to Los Angeles to meet Herman and his fellow Bagel Brigade volunteers (as well as several other Good People Fund programs). The day before our scheduled meeting with him we learned that Annie had died only a few days before and despite his grief, Herman declared that "life goes on" and we should proceed with our plans to meet him at his home. Regardless of the passing of several years since we last met, Herman was the same. Yes, he had aged but the sparkle in his eyes and his clear mind were evident. When his grandson and great-grandson stopped in for a brief visit, there was such a palpable resonance of love and adoration radiating between them that you could feel it in the room. When Herman asked us for assurances that the Bagel Brigade would continue in the event that he died, everyone agreed. As our visit came to an end and I bent over to say good-bye, I did not doubt that this would be our last interaction and that somehow, now that Herman had heard from everyone that his work would go on, he was free to join his beloved Annie. Thirteen days later he did just that.
Who will ever know how many people – kids, adults – in the San Fernando Valley went to bed with a full stomach because Herman remembered his early life when food was not so plentiful. It was those experiences that compelled him to begin the Bagel Brigade which gathers volunteers each day to collect leftover baked goods from retail markets and deliver them to local schools, pantries and shelters where they will nourish hungry people. To Herman it was just the right thing to do and so he just did it!
