By Doug Wagner posted Dec 07, 2011 at 2:35 PM
The voice on the phone is sobbing. Her check won’t arrive for three more days. There’s no food or money for her daughter’s school lunch. “I just can't take it anymore” she says. A caring voice and an offer of help calms her down, but her tearful sobs echo all around.
There is a big squeeze on. The number of people seeking help is steadily rising while the donations of food and funds are shrinking. Donors have less to give, the food stores have raised the bar to earn that free turkey, the shelves are bare at the Food Bank and non-profit agencies like Fellowship House are scrambling to find food to meet the needs of individuals and families who are liable to be hungry at some time during the month.
Here at Fellowship House the numbers of meals served and food bags distributed continues to grow. We serve 2,600 meals to 800 people each month. In addition to our regular end of the month Food Bag giveaway days and meals, we respond to emergency food requests on an on-going basis. Our Food Ministry distributed 189 bags of groceries in November. There are less and less resources available to meet these growing needs.
Jesus once turned five loaves and two fishes into a meal for 5,000 people, but first, “He looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves…” Maybe that is why this most affluent society in the history of the human race can't manage to feed the needy. Ours eyes are on the ground. We only see our own need, our own fears, our own resources. Jesus invites us to look up to heaven, trusting that our Creator will multiply our gifts given in love.
Fellowship House will continue to meet the needs of our community with our few loaves and fishes, trusting that your generous giving will be blessed and multiplied till the need is satisfied. Thank you for partnering with us!