"You Know Me..."

A few days ago, I stopped by the Scottish Rite Learning Center. It’s not far from the food bank. As I was leaving, Andy, the director of the center, asked if I would talk with a couple who had stopped by his office asking for help. When I introduced myself, the gentleman, who was around my age, smiled and said, "You know me." It was Freddie.

Freddie is a volunteer at one of our agencies. And yes, I do know him. He was a high school football standout years ago. He served in the Army for twelve years following graduation. In his "real" life he worked at a manufacturing plant in town until the economy forced them to "downsize."

The bottom line was that he was out of money and not too far from being homeless. In just a few months, he moved from someone helping the poor to someone needing help. His immediate need was food.

One in five adults in the South Plains faces food insecurity right now. The reality of this statistic didn't hit home until Freddie said, "You know me." It's not 1 in 5 some place else. It's 1 in 5 here. It is one in five of people I see every day.

Freddie and his wife rode back to the food bank with me. We were able to help him with food and address some other needs. I drove Freddie back to his apartment, we talked about family, children, the ups and downs of life and... gratitude. He talked about how grateful he is to live in Lubbock where friends and neighbors come to his aid.

You may not know Freddie, but I bet you know someone who has faced hunger... a friend or neighbor... and has been helped by you or one of your friends and neighbors.