Ask anyone who has proudly worn the label of activist why they became one, and just like fingerprints, you will get a different answer.

This is my story, and how I came to work with Moms Across America.

Think back to a “simpler” time. For me it was about 10 years ago. I was living a pretty good life, married in the suburbs, not having to work as my husband had a good job. I thought I was well educated on living healthy and would try to buy organic produce when I could and looked for environmentally friendly household products when it suited me. I thought I was doing pretty good.

But I also had stomach issues weekly and suffered from depression which hit me hardest in November/December. I would go to the doctor, in whom I had complete trust, and she would prescribe antidepressants. I tried to take them faithfully, but I am horrible at being on a schedule, and I mean horrible to the point that I am amazed I made it through college without a baby or two.

One day my friend Sue was visiting and as she was getting ready to walk out the door to make the long drive to her home in the Northern part of Wisconsin, she turned to me and said, “I know you are suffering from depression. Have you ever done any research on aspartame? If not, I would urge you to do so.”

Yeah, okay Sue. Don’t you think if aspartame were the issue my DOCTOR would have said something? But after she left, I was standing in front of my computer, so I sat down and typed “aspartame” into Google. All I saw was link after link about how safe aspartame was. But I was becoming a bit of a skeptic - after all, I was on my third marriage and would like to think I had learned a thing or two about trusting everything I read. So I went back to the search engine and typed in “aspartame dangers.”

BINGO.

Article after article appeared talking about how dangerous this product is, with 92 known side effects (one of them death, thank you very much), and depression was one of them. Now I didn’t drink diet soda, as I hated the taste. But I was drinking several cups of coffee a day and using Equal, thinking what a great job I was doing for my health by restricting my sugar intake. I was also plowing through one of those big packs of Extra gum daily. As soon as the flavor would start to abate, I would pop another one in. I was basically bathing in aspartame.

I sat there for three hours and absorbed all I could. I read articles and watched videos. I learn about the absolute fraud being perpetuated on the American public for nothing more than greed.

To say I was angry would have been an understatement. I was furious and disgusted. I was so filled up with this new knowledge that it coursed through me like a shot of adrenaline. I could no longer sit at the computer anymore. But I had learned one thing - I had to do something.

I stopped using all products containing aspartame. I became an avid label reader. I printed off articles and attempted to tell anyone who would listen. Hell, I even stopped a few people in the grocery store who had Diet Coke in their shopping carts! Most people smiled at me and just kept on doing what they were doing. I started to learn several lessons, the first one being - people don’t want to hear bad news about their bad habits. But that didn’t stop me. I can talk a blue streak. My father said they made a mistake when I was born and accidentally vaccinated me with a phonograph needle cause I never shut up.

After being in the rabbit hole for quite a while, and with my zeal to inform people about this poison that is in thousands of products on our grocery store shelves, I came across a video called Genetic Roulette. I watched it twice. I was stunned. I had a new mission to add to my aspartame mission, and that was to inform everyone about GMOs!

Everyone around me was basically rolling their eyes and tolerating me. I wasn’t much of a user of Facebook, but I needed to connect with like-minded people, so I found some groups that were focusing on GMOs and dove right in. I was convinced that GMOs and their related pesticides were ground ZERO for a lot of the health issues that were on the rise in this country.

I started to become disillusioned when I noticed that some of the people in these groups seemed to have ulterior motives and there appeared to be power struggles going on. One group that I joined told me that I couldn’t talk to someone in another group. What? Aren’t we all working toward the same thing? I left those groups - no one was going to tell me who I could and couldn’t talk to. It left a bad taste in my mouth. But I needed to find a group, and fast. I knew that there is strength in numbers and I desperately wanted to learn from those already fighting the fight.

I decided to contact the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) who created “Genetic Roulette.” I told them that I was a graphic designer and asked them if they needed any help, and that I was very eager to help in any way I could. They contacted me back shortly and said that while they didn’t need any help, would I mind being contacted by a woman in California named Zen Honeycutt who had started a group called Moms Across America?

I had two immediate thoughts. The first one was “Zen?” Cool name. I didn’t know anyone named Zen. I already had her pictured wearing a floor-length floral mu-mu holding a Buddha and with equally long floor-length jet-black hair, chanting with bells. My second thought was “HELL YES!” A couple of days later Zen contacted me, and the rest is history. She may not know this, but she was on probation. After what I went through with the other groups, I wanted to make sure that her compass was pointed true north.

It’s been 6 years, and I can say with all certainty that her compass is, indeed, pointed true north. She has stayed true to her mission and never once have I seen her want to get involved in a power play, although there have been times that I almost thought she should. But I am glad she didn’t.

As far as I am concerned, we have ONE JOB - and that is to educate as many people as possible so that they will join in our mission and help to turn the tide so that we stop this toxic treadmill we are on. At Moms Across America we have educated thousands of people, but I am surprised at how many people still do not know what is being done to them without their knowledge -- that the products they are feeding their families and putting on their lawns and gardens, could actually be harming them.

It’s craziness and it has to stop.

So please, don’t take my word for it, do some research yourself and then join us. Go look at all the great information on momsacrossamerica.org. It is my hope that, like our tagline says, you become “empowered” enough to stand up and say, “NO MORE!”

Anne Temple

A note from Zen Honeycutt, Moms Across America Director:

Anne’s story will ring true with so many...whether it was aspartame sweetener, a coffee creamer, a piece of bread, or ice cream that brought you to the question….is it me? Or is it the food? Or is it what has been done to the food? You may relate. Most of us do today….and yet most of America still does not know what to do about it. Anne did something. More than something, she took on doing whatever it takes to support Moms Across America with flyers, logos, memes, stickers, t-shirts, posters, book covers, and more...she works a full-time job and yet works late into the evenings and sometimes all weekend for Moms Across America. Most would say they don’t have enough time to volunteer...but Anne makes time. She gets how important the work is that we are doing and she takes on personal responsibility for causing it. She even drove 7 hours and replaced me at the Monsanto shareholder meeting the second time I was scheduled to speak (I had my father-in-law’s funeral that day) and spoke to 1000 shareholders and the board of directors! In doing that, she got to know herself to be someone that she never knew before. Fearless! And she made a huge contribution to our cause nationwide and globally. Bayer had to buy Monsanto out! Monsanto is no more!

My point is that anyone can do something, and what it takes is sheer commitment. Determination. Will. And the benefits are enormous. So whether you volunteer your time with us, host an event, or donate more than you have ever donated before...it will take something to do that. And we get it. We deeply appreciate it.

We invite you to get involved and donate today. Think about what type of investment it will take to create a safer future...because we are working every day to do this, for you. We are extremely frugal...your investment goes a long way...and you get to support people like Anne, who is working her tush off to have us be more effective every day. Would you be a sustaining member and donate $10 a month?

Together we CAN and ARE creating health and freedom!

Thank you for considering!

Zen Honeycutt