Need

At the YF&R Summer Conference, a rep from Second Harvest Food Bank came and spoke to our group. She stated that since she had talked to us one year ago, need in the Middle Tennessee area is up 31%. ONE YEAR and the number of people needing a food bank for FOOD is up 31%! She also showed a news clip of Second Harvest's mobile pantry. The video showed a long line of people waiting to get food to feed their families. Interviews revealed a mother in tears at the reality that she didn't have enough food for her children, along with a woman who had been laid off repeatedly. It was heartbreaking...and then they told where it had been filmed. Right next door to Henry County, Stewart County was where this had taken place.

I know, I know...I am somewhat of a bleeding heart, but this just really hit home. I know that was the purpose, so when we passed the hats, I think alot of us were compelled to give more than we usually do. I guess I'm just posting this to remind anyone reading that there is dire need right around our corner and in our own county. If you feel a need to contribute and give back, it won't be hard to find a way to do so. Contact your local food bank or even Second Harvest. Second Harvest will direct you where you need to go.

Lastly...and I hesitated about this...I'll leave you with this photo. I snapped it at the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade. There was a mission group passing out water. When I saw the kids, I wondered how much money they had to raise to travel to Cheyenne when I'm sure there were people in their own community who were in need. Meanwhile, in front of us, a cute little Shitzu puppy was enjoying the parade. The group came through again, and the Shitzu's owner got a bottle for the dog. Here's the cute little dog that probably cost at least $200 drinking water. That's God's work, right? When we all got back on the bus, there were several people that had bottles of the free water. Mind you, we all paid our own ways on this trip...it's not as if we would have dehydrated had this mission group not been there to hand us a bottle. So my question is this...how much did it cost for a bunch of kids to travel to Cheyenne to hand out bottles of water at the parade? How much did it cost to give the overpriced puppy and vacationing Tennesseeans a free bottle of water? Would that money not have gone MUCH, MUCH further in the group's home town with people who are homeless and foodless? I suppose it would not have been as glamorous, right? Just like it would not be very glamorous for Henry Countians to take a 30 minute drive to Stewart County to distribute collected food. I guess a "Mission Trip" has to be fun and exciting these days.