Just Feed One

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat…” -Matthew 25:34

In my post last week, “Lord, When?”, I challenged myself and all of you to think more deeply about the works of mercy by beginning a six week series on each. As promised, today’s post examines how we can “feed the hungry” in our midst.

Begin at Home

Even in this most wealthy nation, we all know hungry people. Our country’s relationship to food is paradoxical. Take a look around; on one hand there are waifs traipsing the runways, and girls doing all manner of disordered things to make themselves thin. On the other hand there”s a real problem when 60% of Americans are either overweight or obese. Yes, relationships with food are complicated. People turn to food when they really seek love, acceptance, and community. As Mother Teresa famously said, “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.” By living our vocation, and placing our families and loved ones ahead of other priorities, we can feed their souls with love, which is a quantity just as vital as food. If we are fed ourselves, and we feed the need for love and food for those in our homes, we can help our families and children understand the importance of feeding others.

Some ways that families can feed the hungry:

Find a local food pantry or shelter to support. It’s nice to establish a relationship with a particular organization or ministry. Often shelters will do their own drives for non-perishable food items and toiletries. Support can be offered by collecting food items for distribution, or volunteering as a family, if that is feasible during this season of life. There may be a Catholic food pantry and/or shelter in your area. If you aren’t sure where to look, call your diocesan office of Catholic Charities.

Shop around. Our local grocery store will often have deals such as “10 for 10 dollars” or “buy one get one free” on canned goods and other non-perishables. When these times come around, buy a few extra to donate. Common items that shelters and food pantries are looking for:

Canned meats and tuna, peanut butter and jelly, canned fruit, vegetables, beans, prepackaged dinners (Mac’n’cheese, rice-a-roni, etc.), jarred baby food, diapers, baby wipes, deodorant, toothpaste and brushes, shampoo and conditioner, toilet paper and paper towels, etc.

If you have young children and they grow out of a particular food or size of diaper and you have extra, consider donating them to a family shelter or food pantry.

Volunteer. If you’re single or married without children, find a time to spend a few hours at a shelter or pantry volunteering. Go with friends and attend Mass afterwards, or vice versa. If you have children who are a little older (perhaps beyond toddler years), take them with you to help. Our local Catholic family shelter has “family volunteer night” when they specifically want families with children to come in and help out. This is a great way to teach children the importance of giving time, not just money, to those in need.

Financial support. Monetary support for shelters and food banks is always appreciated.

Make A Community Effort

Man is not an island. But, you already knew that. We’re all interdependent on each other, and ultimately dependent on God. Performing the works of mercy in community with others is a beautiful way of expressing the reality of how we’re meant to live. Here are some ideas for feeding the hungry together.

Blessing Bags. These are zip-lock bags filled with helpful items for homeless folks. The idea is to keep a few in your car, and when you see people begging or holding signs, you can give them a blessing bag instead of money.

Some contents of blessing bags include: travel-sized toothpaste and brush, mouthwash, deodorant, baby wipes, granola bar, applesauce cup, crackers, raisins, nuts, band-aids, comb, chap stick, tissues, coins (for a phone call or bus fare). Perhaps add a pair of warm socks, or a gift card to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. This gives the person not only a few dollars for coffee and some food, but a place to sit indoors for a while.

This is a great project to do with others, particularly at the holidays. Get together with friends, other families with children, book club or bible study groups, and have a “Blessing Bag Party”. Have each person or family bring one or two items for the bag (enough for each family to have two or more bags in their car), go around the table and fill up the bags. Children can include notes of encouragement, and lists of the address and phone number for local shelters or drop-in centers can be included. 

Of course, if you’ll be visiting an area where you know there are a lot of folks asking for help, but you won’t have a car, the blessing bags are cumbersome to carry. However, a quick trip to a coffee shop or food place can yield several gift cards with a few dollars on each, enough for some coffee and pastry or a meal.

Go To Church! Nearly every Catholic parish has some kind of social concerns ministry or group. Our parish has a wonderful Knights of Columbus group which collects donations for the family shelter once a month, and also volunteers there once a month. You may not be able to volunteer once a month during this season of life, but perhaps you can commit to bring a bag of canned goods every month, or to a few hours volunteering in a year. The parish community is a great place to find ways of reaching out.

There are millions of things we can do to feed the hungry in our midst; these are just a few suggestions to get the ball rolling. What are some other ideas you’ve heard or seen done?

Yes, everyone in our world is hungry, for bread, for love. It’s daunting to think of all those who go without either. Yet the best we can do is keep our eyes open and remember the words of Blessed Teresa:

“If you can’t feed one hundred people, just feed one.”