Shire Sharing: Liberty Activists in Motion

Amanda Bouldin didn't set out to launch a wildly successful outreach for those in need. She was just trying to replicate the good deeds of the most compassionate person she'd ever known: Her late father, Kent Bouldin.

In 2011, Bouldin and her fellow “liberty activists” organized, gathered and distributed Thanksgiving meals to about 100 families in need in Concord. Two years later, their efforts more than tripled, resulting in the delivery of dinner with all the trimmings to 373 households in Concord, Manchester, Grafton, Salem and Nashua, feeding 1,317 individuals, among them disabled, homeless living in shelters, refugees, veterans, elderly and "just regular families," according to Bouldin, 28, who is founder of Shire Sharing, a Free State Project group dedicated to elevating and inspiring others.

Each basket included a note that read: “This comes to you from someone who cares about you. All we ask is that you take care of yourself well enough to be able to do this for someone else someday.”

Bouldin said shortly after relocating from Texas, her dad was diagnosed with leukemia and, within a year, was gone. Looking back now, she can see that her life's experiences have led her to a place in her life where she's able to appreciate the needs of others, and do something to make a difference.

“Right around the time my dad was diagnosed with leukemia, a friend recommended a book, “Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression,” by Mary Ruwart – she kind of goes step-by-step through social problems and ills and gives suggestions on how more liberty and freedom in our lives alleviates these problems, and how certain restrictions cause problems – and she makes really convincing arguments. Anyway, the last time I talked to my dad in the hospital, I was telling him all about this book,” said Bouldin.

During the last decade of his life, her dad had been doing this same thing in Dallas, feeding the hungry - it started with one family and grew to the hundreds of families.

“He died, and it's horrible. I went through all the sadness and denial until, one day, it dawned on me that I wanted to pick up where he left off. So I posted on Facebook about doing this, and got a pretty good response – and then it just kind of took off,” Bouldon said.

According to their mission statement, Shire Sharing is a collaborative effort among liberty activists to address social ills through voluntary action and private charity to raise funds, collect goods, coordinate deliveries and connect with the community.

“If we all had a little bit more freedom and compassion, we can help others in need to help themselves – not by yelling at them or trying to control them. I'm daring enough to believe if we have more freedom in our life, and give people options – and maybe help inspire them – we can change things,” Bouldin said.

Bouldin originally settled in Concord but has since moved to Manchester, where she found cheaper rent. Organizing outreach efforts has helped her find her own strengths, and provides the inspiration she needs to keep dreaming big, she says.

“I was cleaning toilets because I thought that was my skill set, but with a little support and inspiration from others, I've found that I have other skills, primarily through doing these projects that inspire me. Shire Sharing adds meaning to my life . It's what makes me happy, and I think that's why Shire Sharing is exploding, because it adds meaning to the lives of the volunteers,” Bouldin said.

Last Thanksgiving Bouldin had 50 volunteers to come and help assemble dinner bags. This year, 150 volunteers showed up.

“I was blown away. It was chaos, I didn't even have enough work for these people to do. That's why private charity works. There's no government program that provides inspiration to those in need, and I think it's the inspiration and encouragement that makes the difference,” Bouldin said.

Bouldin said Shire Sharing will continue outreach, beyond Thanksgiving, likely by delivering hot soup to the homeless in Veterans Park.

“I'm not a professional. I didn't go to college for helping people. I just wanted to do what my dad did. But I've found I've become really passionate about poverty,” Bouldin said.

The group was able to partner with Lutheran Social Services and Friends of Forgotten Children, as well as Granite State Independent Living and Harbor Homes, to help identify those in need.

“I never know what's next. We've done other things – we did a mini-food drive for a friend in need, and helped raise $500 to cover the deductible for a new wheelchair for a friend in the Free State Project who fell and fractured her spine. The money was donated in about 18 hours through social media,” Bouldon said. “We also do litter pick ups – last Halloween we did a costumed litter pick up. That was a lot of fun,” Bouldin said.

Bouldin said she credits much of her success in her adult life to having found so many loving friends.

“In my situation, it's been a mix of encouragement and luck. I'm making more money, and got a better job. For those dealing with poverty, I don't think it's jobs or housing they lack as much as inspiration and encouragement,” Bouldin said. In her book, Mary Ruwart talks about the ladder of affluence, and how the bottom rungs are missing. If you start in the middle you have a chance to climb up, but for those at the bottom, it's almost impossible.”

You can learn more at www.shiresharing.org, or watch the YouTube video from Thanksgiving 2012, uploaded here.