Homage to The Peanut Butter Man
Maya Angelou wrote, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Last week, we learned about the passing of one such friend that made us feel like we belonged to this space (of social entrepreneurship) from a very early stage.
In the summer of 2018, we received an email from Jerry Hildebrand asking if we were going to be in Costa Rica in July. Jerry was traveling as part of Lynn University’s Ambassador Corps Program, where Jerry was the fearless leader looking for internship opportunities for students to get first-hand experience with social entrepreneurs around the world. Jerry was interested to learn more about Bean Voyage, at that time, an early-stage venture.
In addition to requesting to meet us, Jerry asked us if we needed something from the U.S. As recently graduated college students with a low budget, any opportunity to get our hands on peanut butter (what seemed like a luxury at the time) was like winning the lottery. We asked Jerry if he could bring us a jar from the U.S. “Crunchy or Creamy?”Jerry responded! A few weeks later, over lunch at a restaurant in San José, Jerry told us a story that has become one of the biggest lessons in generosity. Jerry had bought two gigantic jars of peanut butter prior to departure but was not able to bring it with him due to the size in his carry-on, so he had to purchase a suitcase at the airport and then ship it as check-in luggage. He went out of his way, almost missed his flight so that two total strangers could enjoy peanut butter. The concept of “going the extra mile” that Jerry taught us on this day has continued to guide our work and life.
Over the years, we worked closely with Jerry as a mentor -- oftentimes bringing our challenges in fundraising and sales, and even bouncing ideas for new programs with him on an annual basis. In his role at the Social Impact Lab at Lynn, Jerry helped facilitate our relationship with Lynn students who have over the years become interns and regular supporters of our work. During these experiences, we learned the value of radical collaboration -- always connecting dots and people -- because that level of generosity will only help further the causes that we all care about.
However, the most important lesson that Jerry taught us came to us a few weeks ago. As part of our newsletter, we mentioned the start of a Happiness Fund at Bean Voyage to encourage our team to pursue their professional and personal happiness. After reading the newsletter, Jerry sent us an email offering to contribute to the Happiness Fund because he saw the importance of taking care of oneself to be able to do the things that are often tougher in the social impact space. Jerry’s understanding and promotion of self care will be a crucial part of our culture in the years to come, and we have Jerry to thank for it all.
Our last email exchange was an offer for us to visit the Lynn campus to see the famous office and legacy that Jerry has built -- which over the years has become a hot spot for aspiring social entrepreneurs from around the world. Although that visit is not possible now, the lessons that Jerry taught us over the years will be carried forward for many more years to come and we hope to take these crucial lessons with us and pass the baton to the next generation.
Thank you, Jerry, for being a mentor and dear friend, we will always hold you close to our hearts, and celebrate your life and work with a jar of crunchy peanut butter to remind ourselves that we must work hard but never take ourselves too seriously.
Photo taken during Jerry’s visit with our producers group in Frailes in 2018.
Written by Sunghee Tark and Abhinav Khanal
