Although most people think of hungry people and
homeless people as the same, the problem of hunger reaches far beyond
homelessness. I recently received a letter that will shine a light on the
people we serve at Minnie’s Food Pantry and let you see the individuals who
need food assistance may shock you.
While the thought of 40.5 million people across the US
being hungry or at the risk of hunger may be surprising, it is the faces of
those 40.5 million individuals that would probably most shock you.
The face of hunger is the older couple who has worked
hard for their entire lives only to find their savings wiped out by
unavoidable medical bills; or a single mother who has to choose whether the
salary from her minimum wage job will go to buy food or pay rent; or a child
who struggles to concentrate on his schoolwork because his family couldn’t
afford dinner the night before.
A lady came into the Minnie’s Food Pantry and said “I
don’t have any food in my house and my family hasn’t had meat in several
months.” My heart was racing as I looked at her children with their eyes
shining with hunger. There were two of them and I immediately had a
flashback to when I was standing in her shoes. I challenged my team to
prepare the best meats and cold items that we had in stock while she shopped
at Minnie’s Food Pantry. Tears locked under her cheeks as she continued to
repeat the words “Thank You” over and over again. This scene is being
repeated every day because of our struggling economy.
We see the need firsthand, our volunteer of the year
applied for food stamps and imagine our surprise when he told us they
approved him to receive $10 per month! Imagine anyone having only $10 per
month for groceries! Families that must make the hard decision to visit
Minnie’s Food Pantry are surprised when they arrive and hear music playing,
volunteers smiling and a red carpet waiting on them.
The hungry: Our friends, neighbors and families are in
need of your monetary donations to continue our mission. I had no idea
when I began Minnie’s Food Pantry three years ago that the need would be so
great, but it is and we look forward to reducing hunger in the community and we hope you
will join us..
