Hungry?

"The Edge" at the Grove has been discussing social justice issues over the last few weeks, subjects like immigration, human trafficking, poverty and hunger.

I know I can pretty regularly remark, "I'm hungry!" But it's not that I've missed many meals (except when I planned it or something got in the way). It's just that I'm used to having my belly full. I can remember losing my job back in 1990 and the church I was attending asked Cindy and I to come down in the basement for a moment. They had collected over 50 bags of groceries for our family to help us til I found a job. That was such extravagant love - especially back then.

A little over a year ago when Jeff Jemmison, Pastor of St. John The Baptist Church invited me to see their vision of a food pantry, I was excited but not sure what The Grove could do to help. Soon after, I got the brainstorm to invite the Grove family every first Sunday of the month to take a bag home and fill it with recommended food items for the pantry. Since that time we've averaged 10-15 bags a month.

As good as that sounded I knew we could do much more. So on our 2nd anniversary every family received an envelope containing $5.00, 5 recommended food lists, and we asked them to purchase five recyclable bags and distribute them to family and friends. Then we asked them to bring them back the next week. We invited Deacon Al Jones and Deacon Cliff Bolling to come to our celebration and we could symbolically give them the food. The excitement grew as bag after bag was carried in. 20 - 30 - 40 - 70 - 90 - 100! Final tally - 107 and two boxes!

Today some awesome people helped load it all into the church van and deliver it to the pantry. We carried them down the steep steps and filled their storage room to capacity and then began filling a second. We got a tour and explanation of how they run the pantry. What we heard melted my heart. When they began an average of 25 families would show up during the 3-5pm time they were open. Recent weeks that has grown to 70-75!

They explained that when a person comes in, they tell how many members in their family. If they say 2, they get food for 2, 3 meals a day for 3 days. If its 6, then 6 for 3 meals a day for 3 days. They never challenge how many they say - they just serve and trust God to sort it all out.

I'm inspired to see what more The Grove family can do - and to enroll the support of other churches as well. Will you pay with me on how we can bless those in our community?