This week is about you. It’s about all of you who took a moment out of your day to bring in a little bit of the extra food you have lying around your house. It’s about all of you who have ever given any of your excess to the needy. At our ecclesia, we regularly collect perishable food items for periodic distribution to those in need in our community, namely Cleveland. I wanted to share my experience with every one of you, because without people like you who care enough to do something small for someone in need, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to take your generosity and share it with others.
My father (Roy Lansing) and I distributed the food that we have collected in some very poor neighborhoods in the inner-city this afternoon. Our first stop was at a house with several kids from about 6 years old up to 20 something. Mom wasn’t home, but the kids just kept showing up on the porch from inside the house, one after another. They were a little skeptical at first and thought we were trying to sell them something rather than provide them with free food. It’s not every day that somebody pulls up in front of your house and starts handing out bags and bags of food. They were thankful and the kids were excited to search through the grocery bags on the front porch before they even made it inside the house. I’m sure nobody will be as thankful as the mother, once she gets home from work.
The second stop was at the run-down home of an elderly man with a walker. He was just sitting on his porch, enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather. He was enjoying it even more when we gave him half a dozen bags full of groceries to share with his daughter when she gets back home later in the evening . The smile on his face almost made me forget about the odor of hot garbage, which was looming strong in his neighborhood.
Lastly, we pulled up to a group of impoverished ladies and a couple men who were all congregated on their 6′x10′ front lawn. I rolled down the window and I told them that we were looking to give away some groceries, and we wondered if that is something they would be interested in. There was a boisterous and resounding, “YEAH!” that simultaneously came from 3 of them. The ladies were particularly pleased with the 2 cans of Similac baby formula that one of you had donated. Having had 3 kids chug through that stuff like candy myself, I know how expensive it can be. One of the women was so inspired that she gave me (a complete stranger) a big hug before I got back in the car.
Just take a moment and thank God for the simple blessings that we enjoy and overlook each day. You know the ones.
