Today was the first day of the Daily Bread Food Pantry at Midtown Christian Church. What a day!!
Betty and Liz were there with all of their expertise to help the pantry get off to a fantastic start. Betty and Liz run the food pantry ministry in all of its various locations for the Children’s Rescue Center, and they have it down to both an art and a science. Sarah, Jason, and I were there to learn and as representatives of Midtown. Sharon from Good Shepherd Lutheran and Ernie from Church of God Sanctified were both there along with some other volunteers whom I never met because of the constant stream of families. Five-year-old cousins Andres and Nakisha were among my favorite visitors of the afternoon. They were ready with conversation and loads of questions about what we were doing.
I spent almost all of my time packing food into bags and giving them to the people who were ready to receive their three day allotment. Before they received their food, they filled out some basic forms (a requirement of the food distributor) and were “interviewed†by some of the Daily Bread volunteers. The interviewers sat down at tables with the people and offered them something to eat and drink. They asked the people what their needs were, told them about the organization’s (and Midtown’s) various programs that might help them, and offered to pray for anything they wished. Almost everyone has a prayer request when they come in, I am told. And everyone was treated with dignity and respect.
Black, white, dirty, neatly dressed, and people from what looked like all walks of life came through the door today. It was an almost equally diverse population that served the people. Not only were we different denominations, but we came from different economic backgrounds, races, and cultures. It was a Kingdom of God feeling serving alongside these others who, like me, are far from perfect but are eager to serve.
Hope was a volunteer at the pantry today. Hope is a young woman who has been helped by the food pantry and now attends the Rock Church started two years ago by the Children’s Rescue Center. She is a regular and wants to give back to the people who have helped and continue to help her. (This seems to be a key element in the mission of the pantry.) In a rare lull, Hope turned to me and said as though we were close friends, “I get my baby back tomorrow. They took her away from me, but I get her back tomorrow.†I responded with “How exciting!†Then she told me it was only for the weekends. As we talked, she told me her baby’s name and that she was three months old. Then she got out a picture of her taken at the hospital when she was born. I commented on the shock of dark hair on her newborn daughter. Liz asked to see the picture and said to Hope, “She doesn’t look like you. Does she look like her father?†Hope responded that she wasn’t sure. And indeed she wasn’t. She wasn’t sure who the father of her baby was. A conversation then ensued between Liz (who had earned the right of talking to Hope by means of their relationship) about the destructive nature of sleeping around. I tried not to appear like I was listening so I wouldn’t diminish Hope’s dignity, but I was truly interested in how Liz would address this issue with Hope. I didn’t catch much except that Liz was gentle but stuck to her point about the destructiveness of such behavior. Hope didn’t get angry, but from the way she hung her head, it appeared that she knew quite well how her behavior had hurt her. Liz has obviously earned the right to talk openly and honestly with Hope because they continued to work cordially together the rest of the afternoon. I couldn’t help but hope that Hope possessed that quality for which she was named. It was obvious by the honor with which the Daily Bread staff treated her that they believe she has great cause for Hope.
We were open between noon and 2:00 and served just over 70 families, a great deal more than they had expected. At the end of the afternoon, I was humbled by the realization that the meager three meals a day for three days we gave to each family was not much more than my family would eat in one day. I left with a heart of gratitude for what God has provided us with and for my experience with these dear neighbors of ours. I look forward to next month’s food pantry.