When I started working at the food bank here in Port Townsend, Washington, last April, one of the things I worried about was how to say "no" to people who would ask for more food than we could give them.

It's not that I assumed people would be greedy.

I just figured that people coming to a food bank were clearly in need, and given that, along with the cutbacks in federal benefits and the ever-increasing cost of groceries, these folks would hope to get as much as they could.

I mean, I figured that's how I would behave in the same circumstances.

Well, four months later and having served over a thousand clients, I now know what an idiot I was all those months ago.

Guess how many people have asked for what seemed like more than a reasonable amount?

Maybe two out of 1,000.

Instead, we often have the opposite problem.

Trying to get people clearly in need to take what they need.

That's because instead of hearing "Can I please have more of that?" I hear...

"Are you sure you have enough for everyone?" and

..."I don't want to take more than my share." and

... "I'll leave that for someone else."

Seriously, I usually have to assure people we have enough oil, tuna, whatever, so they can take more with them.

These have been some of the least greedy people I've ever met.

You know what else I have heard a hundred times more than "Can I have more?"

It's "Thank you for being here" and "I really appreciate what you do."

In other words, what I've gotten extra portions of is humble pie.

And a stronger belief in the fundamental goodness of people.