A Small Act
Before she knew it, her exhaustion slipped away and the rhythm of making sandwiches filled her with serenity.
Each time she handed out a sandwich, the smile on the recipient’s face made her happy.
She drove to the homeless shelter to drop off her sandwiches. As she pulled up, she was struck by the sheer number of people still in the shelter. Dozens of faces turned to her in anticipation of food.
“Oh, thank you, Nadia, we knew you would pull through,” Samantha, the shelter manager, said, already gathering and distributing the food. “Do you want to help?”
Nadia was tired and it was late, but with newfound energy, she said “Yes.”
But walking out, she no longer felt tired; rather, she was happy to have been able to help these people, even if it was just for one evening.
Resources
Depaul
depaulusa.org
“We aim to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.”
National Alliance To End Homelessness
endhomelessness.org
“The Alliance is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States.”
Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness
ighomelessness.org
“The Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH) drives a global movement to end street homelessness. Our vision is a world where everyone has a home that offers security, safety, autonomy, and opportunity.”
Truly Thankful – Excerpt
“Mama, are we getting a real turkey for Thanksgiving this year? We can get enough food to eat seconds!”
Gloria also saw a pair of small eyes peeking out from behind the curtains of the home.
Right when they were turning around, the door opened. Light flooded onto the porch, and a little boy stood on the other side of the door.
“Well, actually, you do, ma’am. We are a service club, and this season, we’re trying to bring a complete Thanksgiving meal for children in the city.”
“Oh my, God bless you. Thank you so much for bringing this food. My babies weren’t going to have anything for Thanksgiving.”
Her emotion was very tightly wound up between work and having to take care of all the kids.
“Mama, are we getting a real turkey for Thanksgiving this year? We can get enough food to eat second helpings, and actually be full?”
Moments ago, the street had felt cold and dark; it now felt warm and full of life.
Resources
Feeding America
feedingamerica.org
“In a country that wastes billions of pounds of food each year, it’s almost shocking that anyone in America goes hungry. Yet every day, millions of our neighbors don’t get the food they need to live healthy lives.”
Children Incorporated
childrenincorporated.org
“We are a top-rated international nonprofit organization that supports children and families who face challenges due to poverty.”
No Kid Hungry
nokidhungry.org
“At No Kid Hungry, that’s our promise. If it sounds simple, that’s because it is.”
There With Care
therewithcare.org
“Our mission is to provide a wide range of thoughtful and fundamental services to families and children during the critical phase of a medical crisis.”
Unknown Impact
“Although the children who dropped off the simple cans, and the adults who helped stack and distribute the cans, didn’t know it, they had brought tears to his parents’ eyes.”
“All right, so we have the details all figured out. Jamie and Sam can speak to the elementary schools. We can get all the details out by our next meeting and we can stack the shelves the next week. I can get the supplies to the food shelf. This should be a rather simple project,” Joan said, closing up that week’s meeting and plans for the month.
Nonprofits
Feeding America’s Children
feedingac.org
“Feeding America’s Children saves wasted food and provides meals for thousands of hungry children.”
IFDC
ifdc.org
“IFDC is an independent non-profit organization that combines innovative research, market systems development, and strategic partnerships to spread sustainable agricultural solutions for improved soil health, food security, and livelihoods around the world.”
Food First
foodfirst.org
“Food First has been working to end the injustices that cause hunger since 1975.”
Fair Food Network
fairfoodnetwork.org
“We create immediate community impact and long-term systems change. Fair Food Network is a national nonprofit and investor that grows community health and wealth through food.”
Food and Agricultural Organization
fao.org
“The FAO Regular Volunteer Programme provides opportunities for individuals to contribute their volunteer actions, where suitable, to support the work of FAO in connection with FAO’s Strategic Framework and UN Sustainable Development Goals.”