As I watch and wait this Advent for he who is to come, I find myself in the midst of those who hunger, who ARE hungry--food hungry.
In New Mexico the child poverty rate is 30%. Shared Table is a ministry in Taos which serves the hungry. Approximately one-third of those served are children or infants. In 2013 Shared Table gave a ‘hand-up’ to 15,0000 individuals; almost 5,000 were children.
Cid's, the local grocer, provides its customers a way to offer help. The poker chip project. For every bag the customer brings for groceries, a chip is earned. As you exit the store, there are decorated cans provided by local helping agencies all lined up, waiting for a chip to be dropped in. Many of these serve the hungry.
At home in Rabun County, 60 %, including 8 out of 10 children qualify for federal food assistance. They are food insecure. They often don't know from where their next meal will come.
How can this be? In this land of abundance. How can I hunger and in that hunger, provide for the hungry?
I know with your passion for helping those that need help, you will see that many chips are deposited for those hungry people. We are a land of abundance, yet such a wasteful kind of people we have become. If only we would learn to not be that way. It's really not that difficult.
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