By John T. James
- Press
- Community
To See Empathy Is to Know Empathy
In response to a recent Houston Chronicle opinion piece about the meaning of empathy, Crossroads Board Chairman John T. James, PhD wrote to share what empathy looks like in practice — right here in Southeast Houston.
Wednesday Food Distribution
Every Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM, Crossroads operates a drive-through food distribution in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. This weekly effort serves more than 230 families with fresh produce, pantry staples, and protein.
The scene is remarkable: a line of cars stretching down Park Place Boulevard, each one carrying a family that depends on this weekly lifeline. And at every station, volunteers loading bags of groceries with a smile and a word of encouragement.
UH Clear Lake Student Volunteers
Among our most dedicated volunteers are students from the University of Houston-Clear Lake who come out regularly to serve. These young people experience empathy firsthand — not as an abstract concept in a classroom, but as a living practice.
They see the faces of the families they serve. They hear their stories. They carry groceries to cars and wave goodbye to children in back seats. As Dr. James wrote: “To see empathy is to know empathy.”
More Than Words
Empathy is not just a feeling — it is an action. It is waking up early on a Wednesday morning to sort produce. It is standing in the Houston heat to load groceries into trunks. It is showing up week after week because your neighbors need you.
That is what we do at Crossroads. That is what our volunteers do. And that is what empathy looks like.