Hope for today

I have been on mission trips all over the world.

Often I explain to people that I have been to more countries in the world than states in the United States.

I have been to Malawi in Africa.

I have seen world hunger.

I have been to Mission Arlington.

I have seen inner city hunger and poverty.

I have lived in Lubbock all my life, but really didn’t know the need here until I started working at the South Plains Food Bank.

A few weeks ago in a staff meeting our Kids Cafe Executive Chef, Tammy Hester, explained that many of her sites would be closing for Christmas. Tammy and her staff cook and deliver hot, nutritious meals to 21 sites throughout Lubbock and a few surrounding counties Monday thru Friday as part of our Kids Cafe program.

For some of these kids – this after school meal is the only evening meal they will receive. It is the only thing standing between them and going to bed hungry.

Tammy explained in our staff meeting that she was worried about the kids at one site in particular. She told us they were feeding about 40 kids every day and that she already worried about they managed on the weekends, but really didn’t know how some of them would make it through Christmas without their Cafe being open.

The image of those kids stayed with several of our staff through the holidays. When we returned to work on Tuesday we talked about them and wondered how they were doing.

I posted a vague update on my Facebook page – I knew of children right here in Lubbock who are skipping meals because hunger doesn’t take a vacation.

I confess – I was shocked when an IM popped up questioning where these children are and what can be done to help them. I knew the lady on the other end of the IM from college. But we really hadn’t stayed in close contact – just kept up through Facebook really. But I knew she would do something for the kids – she had always been one to make things happen on our college campus!

Recently, Tammy and her staff have started making snack packs for a few rural sites where children there needed extra meals on the weekends. Tammy explained that if we could find someone to cover the cost of a ‘snack pack,’ which provides 4 meals and two snacks to children at the low cost of $3.47 a pack – then we could use that stuff, make up snack packs, and deliver them to the children at the site.

After explaining this to my college friend through various phone calls, emails, and Facebook messages she sprung into action. Within hours she and a few other friends had gathered the money to cover 46 snack packs.

Those ladies and their children came in today and assembled the packs and delivered them to the site.

Tonight there are 46 children in Lubbock who will go to bed with full tummies – they will go to bed knowing that someone values them and cares for them – they will go to bed with hope.