Yeah. I know. We really have to work on the systemic reasons for hunger in the United States.
Too many people are homeless. The number of homeless veterans is shameful. Too many people with mental illness are living on our streets.
We have BIG problems and it will take a massive, systemic overhaul in order to fix the problems. As followers of Jesus, we need to be involved in the hard work of redistributing the wealth, the jobs, the food and the housing so that no one is homeless or food-deprived.
In the meantime, every Friday night in Oregon, Ohio, people gather to make 350 peanut butter sandwiches. They bag up those 350 sandwiches with chips and cookies, put them in brown paper lunch bags, and box them up. These sack lunches are then taken to a parking lot in downtown Toledo every Saturday morning, 52 weeks of the year, and given away to hungry men, women and children.
The kind and caring volunteers are with an organization called Food for Thought, and they have been making lunches and handing them out for six years.
My family and I and some friends from our church went and helped last Friday night. There were so many volunteers it only took about 45 minutes to make the lunches. Some weeks there are so few volunteers it takes two hours.
We had fun. The atmosphere was festive. I would encourage you to go one Friday night. Take your kids. It’s a good way to help them learn to serve their neighbor. Go to Food for Thought for information.
After we volunteered, I went home to my warm house and my cozy bed and I said a prayer. I gave thanks to God for my blessings. I made a commitment to go back to New Harvest Christian Church some Friday night early in the New Year, and make some more sandwiches.
But a nagging question keeps lingering in my soul and keeping me awake at night.
We need to make a change in our world. Food for Thought has been making these sandwiches for six years. I wonder: will we be making sandwiches in another six years?
This is the question that Jesus has put on my heart: When will we finally put an end to poverty in America once and for all?
seibertcraig@hotmail.com | Jan 22, 2013 | 4:20pm
I am greatly encourage by the work and efforts of your church .
The task of eliminating poverty and hunger is huge .
How can that be in our great country ?
I believe that all people of faith , all faiths , are , can and will gather together to address these issues and ultimately meet the need .
Cheri Holdridge | Jan 22, 2013 | 4:37pm
Thanks for your comment. Yes, when I allow myself to think about the fact that we have so much wealth in this country and yet so much hunger I am appalled. We need acts of charity like the ones described in this blog post, but even more we need systemic change. We need people, all people willing to make hard decisions, and to sacrifice and work together to change systems in order to eliminate poverty in the USA and in our world.
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