In the news of recent days, I don’t see or hear about the long lines at food pantries. As a nation we have moved on to vaccine trials, who is deemed an essential business and the ever-present finger pointing of blame.
But in the first days and weeks of our national shut-down, it was the aerial picture of lines of cars waiting to pick up food. It was the crying faces of mothers and fathers trying to feed their children. It was the video of masked volunteers loading up cars or trucks with bags of food for the children in the back seat. It was the faces of human beings being generous to other human beings. The tears come every time I see those same faces in my mind.
People are afraid, especially those who have lost their jobs and have no safety net to fall back on, or those who have used up that safety net to completion. As a community, we are abundantly blessed. Every time I go to the cupboard to prepare a meal, I am mindful how much I have and pray I can be open to learn to live with less. My prayer is that we find ways to feed each other in all ways – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
~Sister Mary Kay Brooks, SSND