EVENTS HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA.
feeding hope: Mary’s story – temple baptist church, august 27
FEEDING HOPE: MARY’S STORY
“I don’t even know if I’m going to work. I don’t know what I’m going to do because I drive a school bus. I have absolutely no idea.”
With uncertainty about how schools will operate this year due to the pandemic, Mary’s unsure when she’ll be able to return to work. “I know maybe we’re driving meals, I think, but I don’t know how that’s going to look because everyone in my family is high-risk as well.”
Mary’s husband is out of work too, so their family of seven have been attending Mobile Market food distributions to help ease the burden of medical bills and general expenses. Some of their neighbors have been feeling financial pressure from the pandemic as well. To help the other families in the neighborhood, Mary and her daughter have brought both of their cars to the Mobile Market event.
“That’s our friend,” Mary said pointing to the car behind them in the line of cars waiting for the distribution to start. “My daughter’s actually in the passenger seat, but it’s her car.” Mary said they know two more families who don’t have transportation that they’ve driven to food distributions. She also shares the food her family can’t use due to food allergies. “That’s what I will do. I will share whatever I can’t use because I’m not the only one. I’m not going to be selfish. I refuse to be selfish.”
Mary hopes that she’ll be able to return to work soon. Until then, she plans to attend Mobile Market events to help stretch her tight food budget. The relief she feels crossing items she receives at a distribution off her grocery list is welcome during such a stressful time.
Even amid her own challenges, Mary says she’ll continue to help other families in need get to the distributions. “I appreciate it, and I’m glad I have been able to bring others.”
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What my year of service at Second Harvest has taught me – January 12
Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 15 is a unique federal holiday that calls on all Americans to serve one another and celebrate the legacy of King. In this spirit, we are called to serve one another through actions that will create a more equitable society for everyone in our communities. This day is also an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the dignity and value of all our neighbors and utilize this reflection to inspire our action steps.
As a child, my parents instilled in me the importance of volunteering to give back to our community. As I have grown up and continued my commitment to service, my understanding of service has evolved. I have begun to recognize the reciprocal nature of service. Rather than being a one-way transaction, with genuine intentionality, service becomes a relationship builder.
Food insecurity numbers rise – January 5
We’d really like to report that the number of Americans struggling with hunger has gone down.
Sadly, that’s not the case.
The Department of Agriculture recently reported that 12.8% of households (17 million) across the country were food insecure in 2022. That’s worse than the 10.2% (13.5 million) in 2021 and the 10.5% in 2020. Similarly, the percentage of households with children also went the wrong direction, at 8.8% in 2022, compared to 6.2% in 2021 and 7.6% in 2020.
While the numbers provide a rough sketch of the increasing need, the true effect is on our neighbors.
Tax-saving tips for year-end giving – December 29
As 2023 comes to a close, many faithful supporters of Second Harvest are asking how they can make an impact — today and tomorrow.
The opportunities described in this article are ways you can support our neighbors facing hunger using tax-efficient methods.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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