Don’t take for granted…
For many Americans, this is not an uncommon scene around meal time: I got up the other morning with designs on having bacon and eggs for breakfast, but to my frustration, there was neither in my refrigerator. So I hopped in my car, ran to the grocery store, grabbed what I wanted and headed home to cook. In the mile and a half to the store, I passed three semi-trucks carrying food to restaurants and said grocery store. I normally wouldn't pay attention to them, and would simply be frustrated being behind them in traffic. I would also not give a second thought to going to the store in our fast-paced life, but I was going to load a container of meals for our meal recipients in Nicaragua the following day. We had just received an email from our partner, Samaritan's International, about the plight of the people in the Mayangna region in Nicaragua. They are not only dealing with the normal travails of life there, but also the devastation of being hit hard by two Category 5 hurricanes that destroyed much of the little infrastructure they had. Death from starvation has become an everyday occurrence for them. The 42,000 pounds of life-saving food on that truck packed by our great volunteers and local partners took on even greater significance. I can only imagine the hope and joy they feel when they see the boxes being delivered and know they can survive another day with food in their bellies due to the kindness and generosity of strangers. So the next time you're frustrated being stuck behind that big truck in traffic taking food to the grocery store, don't take that for granted. Be thankful.
There are several ways you can help. We pack meals on a small socially-distanced scale most Saturdays in our facility in Waxhaw. Donations are accepted to help those less fortunate. We do everything at cost and have no paid staff, so know that every dollar donated is used to feed people. You can learn more about our work, schedule your own socially-distanced packing event, sign up for an Impact Day or make donations on our website.
