Feed the Hungry Day

Yes, that’s what I call it.  And today, our church will take one of its regularly scheduled turns to participate in the interreligious outreach.  Every single day, at the site (not our church), dinner is provided for folks, usually numbering a hundred or more, who walk-in for the meal served from 5–6 pm.

I used to think of it as ‘feeding the homeless’.  Soon it became quite apparent many are not homeless. They are in need of a dinner.

Those we serve get a full meal, salad through dessert  - including fresh fruit and a hot and cold drink.

Once when my son was going through a siege of hospitalizations, I thought about dropping in for a healthy dinner.

The feeding site at the time was a huge church on the way to the hospital where Darin had been for a couple weeks.  I was driving there, anxious about finding a good spot in the garage.  I was tired. I was distraught.  I was being a faithful visitor for my son – going to the hospital as much as he let me know he needed my presence. (I wanted to be there everyday but worried about smothering him with my motherly attentions.)

On the day I considered dropping in to eat, I had pulled to the side of the street to overcome a siege of shortness of breath- a dizzy, heart palpitating anxiety attack.  My mind had  wandered to worrying about me.  Stopped, sitting behind the wheel, praying for inner calm, I was surprised to see the feeding site just across the parking lot.  Folks were getting in line.  I realized I had been rushing around all day  eating nothing since coffee and banana that morning.  Maybe my anxiety was due in great part to my own hunger.  I should go get a meal.

Quite naturally I said, “not me”.  I don’t need to be fed by others.  I can take care of myself.  Then I answered myself with, “But you’re not taking care of you!  You probably don’t even have anything at home to cook.  You haven’t taken time to go to the market.  And, how much money do you have?  Keeping gas in the car; doling out cash every day for the hospital garage parking fee seems easy as you go by the ATM for another $40 to $60.  But, no money has gone into the account since last month.   You’ve written checks for church.  Maybe you don’t have money - can’t buy anything?  Go eat!”  I didn’t. 

But the thinking was somehow therapeutic for this person who wanted to think she was helping to feed the “homeless”.

Our church, through the program, helps provide walk-in meals for those who need it – people who must balance a budget after having lost a job; people with young children in school who need clothing, books, supplies and other amenities children in school should have to ‘be like the others’; folks whose minimum wage (if that) income may now be spread thin due to unforeseen sickness in their homes; paying the ever-escalating gas and transportation costs just to get to work; folks who must help the elderly in their family.  Our church is helping the poor and the working poor manage with what they have. 

And, yes, we are helping the homeless.  I see many homeless amongst those who leave the dining hall with a satisfied stomach.

I pray each one we serve will know better times.  I thankfully pray for the resources I’ve been blessed to manage.

Whom will you help today (albeit family, neighbor, friend, stranger) – in at least some small way?  Will your actions involve some effort that looks outside of 'self'?

Many blessings . . .