People are wonderfully generous. Most respond immediately and instinctively when there is a disaster. Whether it be a flood, hurricane or a terrible fire, our wonderful country has structures, both governmental and private, to move in quickly and try and help to lessen the pain and suffering. That is wonderful. However, maybe we shouldn’t wait for disasters to give some thought to the essentials that people need. When you think about people in trouble your mind immediately comes up with three words – food, clothing and shelter. When we think of that it shows that we are logical, practical and understand how to help in dire situations.
I want to suggest, however, that for those of us who have an adequate supply of those three essentials we ought to systematically, and in an ongoing manner, be making contributions to programs that provide them to those who do not have them. We try to pay our medical bills as soon as we can. When we start a new month the house payment is usually the first thing we take care of. I would like to suggest that those of us who are in a good position budget in those three areas a gift either every month or at least every quarter for the three essentials – food, clothing and shelter.
There is no shortage of wonderful organizations that have been set up by thoughtful and concerned people to help out in these situations. Let me mention three in Central Texas I consider to be extraordinarily effective and will make maximum use of your generous gifts.
FOOD? The Capital Area Food Bank, which distributes tens of millions of pounds of food every year, is currently being cut back several hundred thousand dollars because of sequestration. Contact them at 8201 South Congress Ave., Austin, Texas 78745, (512) 282-2111.
CLOTHING? Good Will generates tremendous good will and appreciation among the needy in our community. When was the last time you cleaned out your closets? Do it now and get it to Good Will. Good Will need them and will put them to good use immediately.
SHELTER? This is more difficult. The Salvation Army and offices of Parish Social Ministry do great work but on a small scale. Long term differences are brought about by Habitat for Humanity and they also can be reached at 310 Comal, Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78702, (512) 472-8788. The pastors of our larger parishes should consider challenging their people to build a new house every three years. It is a doable thing.
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When was the last time you missed a meal? Was it because you were trying to diet or you were too busy to stop and eat? OR WAS IT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FOOD! As you drive around the beautiful city of Austin or take a drive out into the lovely surrounding world of the Texas Hill Country, do you ever stop to think that there are people out there that you don’t see but who do not have enough food and sometimes they have NO food?
It is a fact, my friends. Thankfully, unemployment in this area is low compared to the national average, but there are thousands and thousands of people who do not have a regular income or pick up an occasional part-time job producing just a few dollars but not enough around which to organize a family. If we don’t think about this fact, we ought to make a point to try to do so more frequently. When we do, let’s commit ourselves to being ever more generous in our response to various programs attempting to deal with the agonizing issue of hunger in Central Texas.
First of all, I think of the Capital Area Food Bank, an absolutely extraordinarily valuable organization. The Food Bank’s relatively small but dedicated staff gathers millions and millions of pounds of good food and distributes it in various ways, but mostly through neighborhood churches and pantries. The biggest source of this food is from the major food suppliers, such as national grocery chains and programs like the Crop Hunger Walk, Souper Bowl of Caring and a half a dozen other programs and organizations that work generously to confront the evil of hunger in the wealthiest and most prosperous part of the planet.
The Capital Area Food Bank is led very effectively by Mr. Hank Perret, the president and CEO. He has done an outstanding job but he and his co-workers really need your help. Naturally, the program requires much more than just free food to be distributed. Its trucks, its warehouses and operating costs require cash. If you can’t get a case of beans out to the distribution points, then why not send money? It is extraordinarily helpful and doesn’t require a lot of storage space. Their address is 8201 South Congress, Austin, Texas 78704.
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Humans have many needs but the most basic is food. Food is, of course, always mentioned together with clothing and shelter in terms of the minimum needs for survival. However, for certain periods of time at least you can survive with a limited amount of clothing and might find some temporary substitute for shelter, even under a bridge, but food we all have to have and we have to have it steadily or we will simply weaken and die.
Despite the depth of the current recession, most of us are still getting by rather well, but thousands upon thousands are not and in many families food is a real issue. I would like to congratulate those parishes that have the children bring up cans or boxes of nonperishable food every Sunday at the offertory procession. That gives the children an opportunity to really learn the importance of being concerned about others. Most especially, I thank God for the Capital Area Food Bank. They gather and distribute millions of pounds of food but never really have enough. Anything the rest of us can do to help them is important work.
Remember, several weeks ago on Judgment Day we heard our Lord’s word saying when you fed the hungry you were really feeding me. If we live that Gospel fully, we will all make the cut!
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Wheeling Those Meals!
I have been making references to some of the extraordinarily effective programs existing in this country to help us deal with the agonizing and unnecessary problem of hunger in America. I talked about the federal government, the work of the more than 200 food banks scattered across the country and the thousands of church pantries and other local means of getting food to the hungry and near hungry. Well, in my opinion, I saved the best for the last because it is the one I like the most. That is Meals on Wheels.
Meals on Wheels and More (and more is a necessary word because they do so much more than just deliver food to the sick and homebound) is an extraordinary program that brings together, under one roof, the resources of the federal government, local political structures, superfluous resources of the grocery industry and an array of volunteers. “Meals” is a wonderful example of the coordination of diverse resources in a systematic way to make the maximum use of those resources.
Some of the administration of costs are paid by governmental entities. The food industry provides millions and millions of pounds of good food that for one reason or another is superfluous but still safe. The mechanics of the cooking and delivering is done by this awesome sea of volunteers.
Meals on Wheels provides tens of thousands of meals every day (possibly millions across the country) and they are delivered to the door of elderly people, shut-ins, sick people, and people that, for one reason or another, are in need of food and lack transportation. Naturally, the first thing that we appreciate is the fact that good, hot meals are brought to the front doors of people who are very vulnerable. However, there is much more involved than that. Those who deliver the meals become the friends of the recipients. They know their names. They put an arm around them and hug them. They tell them not to be discouraged, that they will be back the next day. It is simply a magnificent organization and I thank God that it developed at a time when we really did need it.
Have you given to Meals on Wheels recently? Do you want to become a volunteer and experience the pleasure of reaching out to elderly, sick people and bringing joy and meaning into their lives? Pick up the telephone and call Meals on Wheels at
(512) 476-6325.
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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 10th)
People all over the world who follow global economic developments are concerned about a frightful situation that is developing. Food costs are going up very rapidly and the income of much of the world is not. The populations of China, India and Brazil, because of their improving economic productivity, are able to produce larger amounts of grain and other commodities causing the price to increase rather rapidly. In the meantime, an unhappy combination of floods and droughts is cutting production somewhat. That combination naturally makes for higher prices.
This situation makes the Gospel over the next three weeks much more relevant to our thinking. Today, the Gospel is that excellent parable from Jesus in which he describes utilizing good agricultural conditions – good land, water and sunshine. This, of course, is his method of getting the people’s attention regarding how they respond to God’s message. It is an excellent example and causes us to ask ourselves do we really hear God’s message Sunday after Sunday, are our ears really attentive to what God is calling us to do and to be? Or are we constantly distracted, choked by the brambles of daily life or too anxious about our day-to-day problems? Today, the voice of Jesus reaches across 2,000 years and challenges us to examine ourselves in terms of our response to his message.
Ultimately, everything depends on that response!
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Bible
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distraction, food, God, good soil, Jesus, land, listen, parable, seed, soil, sprout, water, Word of God
It is about 11:30am, and there is a knock at the front door. An elderly lady in the corner house can barely make it to her feet to open the door for the visitor. A man two blocks down can’t get up but leaves the door open, expecting the same visitor. In both instances, these two isolated, sickly, low-income people are greeted by a warm hello, a hug or a kiss, and a much-needed hot meal.
Meals on Wheels is one of the best programs ever developed in this country as a way to help the sick and the elderly. Regretfully, the difficul financial strain that the country is feeling is negatively impacting Meals on Wheels as well.
Dan Pruett is teh CEO and President of Meals on Wheels in Austin. It breaks his heart to have to tell people who are applying to get on the list for a hot meal that the Austin program simply does not have the resources to respond positively.
Let’s try to change that! churches should be putting blurbs in their bulletins at least once a month asking people to step forward and help Meals on Wheels, either with financial donations, or, better still, involvement in helping to deliver the food. It is a wonderful learning experience and it makes a person appreciate his or her own situation in life that much more. Blessings to all the volunteers!
In Austin, Meals on Wheels is located at 3227 East 5th Street, Austin, TX 78702 (512)476-6325
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People are wonderfully generous. Most respond immediately and instinctively when there is a disaster. Whether it be a flood, hurricane or a terrible fire, our wonderful country has structures, both governmental and private, to move in quickly and try and help to lessen the pain and suffering. That is wonderful. However, maybe we shouldn’t wait for disasters to give some thought to the essentials that people need. When you think about people in trouble your mind immediately comes up with three words – food, clothing and shelter. When we think of that it shows that we are logical, practical and understand how to help in dire situations.
Themocracy