Blog Action Day 2011: Let’s Talk about Food
October 16, 2011 by Lillie
This year’s Blog Action Day coincides with World Food Day, so the blogging topic of the day is food.
There are so many things that can be said about food. It is essential to our survival. In the developed world, we eat too much and have serious health problems with obesity (and I’m one of the guilty ones). In developing countries, people die from starvation and malnutrition every day.
Yet even here in the US, the land of plenty, not everyone has enough food. So I’ve decided to talk about one small local project to feed the hungry. My church, All Saints Anglican Church of San Antonio, Texas, operates a Food Pantry.
The church receives donated food from Daily Bread Ministries, a San Antonio Christian food bank that “rescues” food that would otherwise be thrown away by restaurants, markets, caterers, hospital and business cafeterias, and wholesalers. Dedicated volunteers pick up the food and take to Daily Bread’s warehouse, where more volunteers sort and pack the food for distribution to ministries throughout San Antonio. Twice a week, volunteers from All Saints visit the Daily Bread warehouse to pick up food.
Since most of the food received from Daily Bread is perishable, All Saints runs a food drive for a specific staple (such as cereal, peanut butter, and canned goods) on the first Sunday of each month.
Every Saturday morning, All Saints parishioners show up at the Food Pantry to prepare the food for distribution to individuals and families. The Food Pantry is open Saturday afternoon, and food is distributed to anyone who shows up, no questions asked. We don’t always wait for someone to come to us—volunteers have even gone out into the neighborhood to offer food to people in the area. We take seriously Jesus’ words:
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40, NIV)
All Saints offers food for the body with no strings attached, but we also provide food for the soul for those who desire it. Volunteers frequently pray with food recipients, give them Bibles, and even arrange to provide transportation for children to Sunday School. One week a lady asked volunteers to pray with her for a desperately needed job; the next week she returned with a big smile to announce that she had found a job. Recently a man no one knew showed up with a donation of bread. Sometimes children in the families receiving food ask to help distribute food. They enjoy serving others as their families are being served.
William Wimp, who heads All Saints’ outreach program, keeps folks informed about the Food Pantry and other activities on the All Saints Anglican Church Outreach Facebook page. Thanks be to God for the dedication of Bill and Arlene Wimp, Father Chip Harper, and dozens of All Saints volunteers to the hurting and needy as well as for the generous parishioners who donate food. I am unable to participate in food preparation and distribution because of family caregiving responsibilities, so my tiny contribution is simply to tell people about this ministry and encourage their support.
I’m sure today we’ll read many blog posts about organizations and individuals making huge contributions to the problem of hunger in the world. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the needs in the world that we think we can’t do anything. Perhaps we can’t individually end famine in Africa, but we can make a donation to help. Maybe we can’t put all the unemployed people back to work, but we can donate a jar of peanut butter or a box of cereal to help one family through the jobless crisis. We can’t end hunger in our city alone, but we can pick up donated food or prepare it for distribution. If each of us does a little, a lot can be accomplished.
As you sit down to a hearty meal or grab a sandwich on the run for lunch, I hope you will think about those who don’t have enough to eat and take some small action to help.
O MERCIFUL God, and heavenly Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men; Look with pity, we beseech thee, upon the sorrows of all in this world who lack food. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy; endue their souls with patience; comfort them with a sense of thy goodness; send relief for their needs; lift up thy countenance upon them, and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Adapted from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer)
O LORD, our heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be ministered unto, but to minister; We beseech thee to bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of their fellow men. Endue them with wisdom, patience, and courage to strengthen the weak and raise up those who fall; that, being inspired by thy love, they may worthily minister in thy Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the sake of him who laid down his life for us, the same thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. (1928 Book of Common Prayer)
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A worthy cause. I always think it’s good to see those with more helping those with less.
Denise recently posted..I Love TV
Denise,
Sometimes we don’t realize how much we have until we see ourselves in comparison with others who have less. Not only does it help those in need, but it helps us appreciate our many blessings as well.
May I thank you Lillie for being part of this movement. Your post last year was one of the ways I found out about this truly inspiring event.
This year I have gone into the whole thing ‘all guns blazing’ writing one of my longest ever posts on Technology Bloggers – Blog Action Day 2011.
I find it really interesting how different bloggers write about it in different ways. I think if you help to raise awareness, all you can be doing is good.
I wholeheartedly thank you for contributing Lillie
Christopher
Christopher,
I’m glad you found out about this last year and that you did such an admirable post this year. Thank you for encouraging others to participate.
I thank you for your praise Lillie, but I don’t really see it as something that we should choose to do, but something that is the morally correct thing to do.
Thanks anyway
Christopher,
We always have a choice of whether to do the morally correct thing or not.
Really enjoyed this post, Lillie! Read it late last night but felt too tired to comment at the time. Thanks for sharing what your church is doing to relieve hunger in your community. It is indeed an encouragement and a blessing to see what can be accomplished when people care enough to join together to make a difference in their neighbors’ lives!
Thank you, Jeanne. Our Food Pantry has been a real blessing to many.
It is very good job to devote for some sort of constructive work as it has a great moral value.
Azhar,
Helping others is beneficial to the ones we help, but it’s also good for us to do good things.
Giving food means giving hope, and this is the biggest gift we can give oneself and ourselves.
Mia,
Hope is a great gift, as is the feeling that someone cares for you when everything seems desperate.
Though, I am a bit late here but, I have a thought to share. I am also from a developing country(India) where I see 70% people not getting food for 2 times a day. India manufacture sugar a lot every year probably second after Brazil in the world. People grow lot of sugarcane which require lot of water. where there is another story of is decreasing of ground water level 4cm per year where 30% water is going to waste.
my point is if we start eating sugar less than we consume. we can overcome from many problems. whether its India or US. sugar brings nothing but obesity and so fields can be used for wheat, rice etc. Thats what I think.
Lablo,
You make an excellent point. There are more efficient ways of farming and better crops to grow in many cases that would help alleviate the problem. So education is an important part of solving the problem.
I think this is among the best ways to help the hungry. You don’t have to go all the way to donate food for famine-stricken Africa. I’m not saying I’m against it. However, one can start by helping the hungry in your neighborhood. I think that already goes a long way and doing this means one less hungry tummy in the world.
Jason,
Everyone should do what they are most comfortable doing. We need people to work and contribute to solve famine problems and food shortages in developing countries and we need people helping those in trouble in the developed world. I encourage everyone to do something!
This is a great cause that will bring awareness to all of us who are blessed. I think we should help in any way for those who are in need. We should support this kind of cause.
Jane,
There is so much need and so many worthy causes that it can be overwhelming. That is why I like to point out that we can all do something, small or large, and each action will make a difference.
Lillie, I had no idea there was a Blog Action Day or a World Food Day, so I’m a little late. It’s a wonderful thing your church is doing, and it is certainly “doing for the least of these.” My wife and I tried starting a food ministry in a church we were attending. We found sources of food and took the initiative ourselves to load my pickup full for two 80 mile round trips to bring it to the church and distribute to the needy in the area. Sadly, we were run out of that church, along with others, because I guess we were stepping on some toes. We have joined forces with Caring Hearts Inc, an already established ministry I had casually been associated with for several years and knew the founders quite well. We have recently begun a new division of Caring Hearts with a food pantry that we are in the process of trying to expand into a large scale food distribution center. God is opening doors for it and we are relying on Him and trusting His timing. Please keep us in prayer as we try to tend to the physical as well as spiritual needs of needy in our communities with compassion and unconditional love.
Carl@TAWG recently posted..What is Worship? – Beyond the Music
Carl,
How tragic that a church would chase members away for doing God’s work. I’m glad to hear about the food pantry with Caring Hearts and pray that it meets the physical and spiritual needs of many in your community.
A lot of food goes to waste and to think that some people can barely eat three times a day. What you are doing is really great and it inspired me to do something too. I’ll start by making sure that I don’t waste my own food. Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Anne,
I’m glad the post made you aware of the problem.
Hi Lillie,
I think too often we get so caught up in our own lives, and the “rat race”, that we think just giving a dollar here or there is enough. Yes, monetary donations are important, but volunteering our time and resources are just as important to make personal connections to those in our communities that need help.I am amazed at the ways the blogging community has brought people together to help others, and I’m sorry that I missed the event. Reading your story, which you wrote so eloquently, was a reminder that I need to rethink the ways I give to charity, and devote my time as well as my money to assist those that need it most. I love your view that we can make a change, even through small actions in our communites, and that charity really does begin at home. I wish you and your church’s project continued success.
Monica,
Sometimes I think the realization that someone cares enough to come out and help another is even more valuable to the person in need than the food. I’m glad you’re inspired to rethink your charitable participation.
Hi lillie,
I enjoyed reading your post and
it’s good to know that there are people who are willing to help others. The works of your church will serve as an inspration to those who also want to help.
Vesper,
I hope our church’s program inspires others to do the same.
in my country indonesia, food always become problem. indonesia have big land and very fertile, but many of our population still hard to find good food because the price is very high..
irwan,
That’s not good. Is it because farmers don’t know how to produce crops cheaply,transportation costs are too high, there is corruption in the system, or something else?
Eating moderately is a good habit and doing struggle to manage food for others is a great virtue
Maja,
Many of us could eat more moderately and use the saved money to help others.
You’re right. Food it’s essential for our survival. I Am sad when I see poor people for wich food it’s luxury
Marius,
Food is a necessity and is a tragic when it’s a luxury for people.
Yes I think it’s a good thing in need to have a good meal is to come. It is bad to the people there still in this world are the starving. And it is indeed as they have said from hotels or stores food very much thrown away what would actually still edible.
Sandra,
Yes, I agree that salvaging edible food and distributing it to those in need is an excellent way to alleviate the hunger problem.
Feeding the hungry and needy is such a worthy cause. We do sometimes get caught up in our daily lives, and fail to look around to see those who need our help. One thing is for sure. You don’t have a shortage of customers, when it comes to helping people in need. With our current economy, many people have been uprooted, and found themselves on the wrong side of financial independence. We will always have the hungry, in need of food and shelter, but it seems more so now than ever before. Pray that our politicians will find a way to turn the economy around, and that we will have wisdom in selecting who will run this country.
Dennis,
Yes we need to have wisdom to select leaders who will reduce regulation and increase opportunities for people to make it on their own.
That sounds like a great thing your church is doing. I am reminded often of how many of those around me go without food regularly. In our country, those who fortunate enough to have a regular meal should always take the time to help those who do not.