Shoppers are not the only ones feeling the squeeze of rising food prices.
Shelves are going bare in food banks and pantries as more market demand for food means the federal government is buying less produce, meat and dairy products to give to the needy.
As a result, food banks and pantries nationwide say they are giving out less food, even as record numbers of families turn to them.
Our parish, like so many others around the country, is at least taking up the challenge to help feed the homeless and others in need……something that [b]ALL[/b] parishes should be doing.
This is the beginning of what we can “look forward to” if we re-elect the would-be architect of the cradle-to-grave government dependency nanny-state. Those who become dependent on “government” must ultimately settle for whatever scraps it condescends to give them.
It’s been a few years, but when I dealt with food banks, they got most of their stuff from grocers who would otherwise throw it away. Some was government commodities, but a lot of that was distributed directly to eligible folks. In any case, the government had long bought, and sometimes simply wasted, food to keep prices up.
Cennydd, ours is, too. The food pantry is busy. Plus, our parish is sponsoring and organizing a CROP walk in a few weeks.
Part of the responsibility of churches is feeding the hungry, the homeless, and the spiritually lost, and it is incumbent on all of us to do the same. When Christ said “When ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me,” He meant it, and that’s why we do what we do. If we don’t do it, who will? Charities are already stretched, and the rest is up to us.
Out of all common decency, it’s the least we can do.
Bring some cans or boxes of food with you when you come to church on Sunday, volunteer in a church-sponsored dining room/parish hall, or bring a hot meal to a needy family or seniors. And while you’re at it, visit with them, and let them know that you care about them. Isn’t this something that Jesus would do?