Like the many superheroes that came before him, Rodney Mullins is acutely aware of his task in this world, to “Decrease the meal gap”. While his superhero abilities may be hidden from the people he works so tirelessly to serve, he is fully aware that, “that someone is waiting for [him] and they don’t know that they are waiting for [him]”.
Rodney Mullins have been working for the Food Bank NYC for 2 ½ years, making sure that the people who need it, get the food that they may not otherwise get. He starts work at 6 AM every morning which is very important because people may start lining up for food as early as 6 AM. He understands that there are people out there that are not eating and he fully intends to do his part to decrease that number and the hunger. He said, ‘If I don’t come to work, that’s one less person that can help feed the people [and] not just feeding them but getting everyday things out to the people that need it; toilet paper, hygiene products, gloves and if I am not a part of it, then that is one less person out there helping.”
In order to get this goal accomplished, Rodney said that it really does take team, it takes everyone involved to make it work, not just him. He know that this will inspire other New Yorkers to volunteer by doing the work himself, showing them what it takes to be of service to the people in need; lead by example. He believes that having a network; volunteers, advocacy, charities, etc are essential to the process, saying “we need everything, we need volunteers, we need donations. We need people that is going to come in and actually pack the boxes. We need people to come in and help us get the boxes out to the people that need it, we need everyone.” Because like he said before, it doesn’t work with just him. It takes everyone be involved.
Rodney, when speaking, evokes a genuine desire to be of service to those in need. Growing up in Harlem, he always saw the Food Bank NYC and wanted to be a part of it. To be a part of the solution. He fully understands that it is not only the jobless or the homeless that may need the assistance that this program provides, he knows that there are people out there working, even two or more jobs, that may not have enough food to eat. He is more than willing to affix his superhero traits and do his part in packing and bringing the bags to those who do not have the time but still need the help. Even the ones who are too proud to ask for the help, Rodney's outreach really do help. He selflessly puts himself out there to connect with the peope to show them that he is from the same place and make them feel comfortable enough to want to accept the help.
Hailing from Harlem, which he calls his favorite place in the city, Rodney enjoys activities that groups him with likeminded individals like playing video games, laser tag; things that you can do outside. Rodney’s thing that you can only get from NYC are sandwiches from the bodegas; ‘it just tastes differently’. His grandfather, who is no longer with us, is his real-life superhero. The man who used to get up everyday, do to work, come home and hand his wife his check… a do-it himself kind of man. Identifying mostly with indie comic book superhero Hancock, it is plain to see that Superhero Rodney flies under the radar, surmounting the hunger game and making sure meals are making it to the people who need it, no matter how busy or how proud they are.