Grace Church Food Pantry
We at Mediator have an ongoing commitment to Grace Church Food Pantry with our weekly collection of non-perishable food, which is taken to the Pantry regularly throughout the year. Because the summer is often a time when food pantries lack contributions, we have what we call ...
Thanksgiving in July
Thank you to all who answered the prayers of many by participating in our annual Thanksgiving in July Grace Food Bank collection and to all of you who give to the Grace Food Bank during the year. We delivered approximately 65 bags and cash donations from parishioners were also received. Pat McNamara, who runs the Grace Food Bank, expressed her sincere gratitude to Maria for all we have contributed. I also want to thank the many hands that delivered and sorted the food.
At the last Vestry meeting we were challenged on how we can better communicate the meaning of our Outreach? I do not have the answer but I can offer yuo a story which may illustrate how your kindness can change lives.
In our Adopt-A-Family program one parishioner forgot to bring the food by the delivery date and I offered to make the delivery for her. I set out on Christmas Eve day, on my lunch hour, and was looking for a "feel good" Christmas song on the radio - after all I would now work later than my coworkers since I took a lunch hour on Christmas Eve. The best I could do was the dreaded "Snoopy and the Red Baron" as I turned right off the main street, which is exactly what the internet instructions told me to do. Those directions put me in an alley and within seconds I was surrounded by cars that had me "parked in". Two people appeared and it occurred tome that I had either driven into a car show or gang territory. As two individuals approached me I decided that I would get out of the car and ask for directions. To my relief, I realized under the layers of clothing, were two women. I felt my chances of survival had increased by several percentage points. I asked directions to the house in which a man had just died and showed them the food that I was delivering. The two head women talked, shoved and punched each other circled me and the car, conversed, then told their respective "friends" to back off and let me through as they pointed to the house that I was going to.
Still shaking I delivered the goods to a very bereaved family - they thanked me and I wished them a Merry Christmas, which was the wrong thing to say to a family in mourning. I am sure no one imagines that their gift would allow for two opponents to come together for one brief moment, and put their differences aside, allowing the gift of food to be received by the bereaved family. They had a choice and they let good in them prevail.
In confessing our sins we sometimes say "those known and unknown" the catch all phrase that gets us off the hook from thinking too deeply about our sins. I think as we thank God for the opportunity to use our resources for the benefit of others - if we add both "known and unknown" we remind ourselves that we will never really know the extent that our giving changes the lives of others, but that's ok.
P.S., Snoopy and the Red Baron is now one of my favorite Christmas songs.
Feel free to share your Outreach experiences with us either through the Media-rite or adding a story to the Outreach section of the bulletin board in the vestibule.
Earlaine K.