Hope springs eternal in my soul for I know that God is with me. He blesses, He protects, He directs my
path and leads me in what is my destiny.
Pantry
day is here once again attempting to address the needs of families and people
in the community suffering from food scarcity. It’s unbelievable that the
budget adopted by the current administration proposes to cut eligibility for
food stamps for at least 4 million people and reduce benefits for many others.
Have
you ever received food stamps? Have you ever been hungry? Have you ever been in
a position where the cupboards were bare, there was no food in the
refrigerator, and you had children to feed? Well the writer of this blog has…I
can answer yes to all the above questions. I know for a fact that food stamps do
not stretch over the 30-31 days that they are supposed to last. If it had not
been for the Lord being on our side…yes… working through community pantries and
the government feeding programs helping to supplement the stamps we received,
my family and I would have had some very lean days...days where there was no
food…endless days of hunger.
One
of my sons, who is now deceased, co-founded the House of Love Soup
Kitchen/Pantry for that very reason. He remembered how as a child what it was
like having to live off food stamps. He remembered the pantries where we
had to stand in line for hours to receive boxes of food. He remembered the
government feeding programs, the 10-pound blocks of cheese we would get along
with other food staples. He remembered the summer breakfast and lunch programs
that warded off starvation in the richest nation of the world…starvation always
looming just beyond the horizon. He wanted to make a difference in the
community by having a place, a sanctuary where a person could come and
momentarily forget the everyday struggles of life, eat a good wholesome meal,
and enjoy the camaraderie of shared experiences.
Hands join together to thank
the Creator for His favor, and His Power, and His strength which lifts our
spirits above the uncertainty of an economy governed by the wealthy, and for
the wealthy only. God embraces us with His Love enabling us to rise above
circumstance, and to continue to live in His glory and His hope always
rejoicing in Him.
