Food Bank 1:
We arrived at FOOD BANK 1 in Florida to help organize and clean the donation area. We were told they had so many donations that they couldn’t keep up. This sounded like an amazing food bank if they have that many donations!
As we entered the room stuffed with boxes and cans, a nasty rotten smell filled my nostrils. As I glanced around the room, spider webs, roach carcasses and rusted dented cans surrounded us. I held back my gags, started to clean and sort items. We were given a very specific list of what we should keep. My heart churned as I was instructed to keep cans within 7 years of the actual expiration, rusted and dirty. We chose to throw several questionable ones in the dumpster and my husband was instructed to dumpster dive to get them back out because “they are good enough”.
As we set up the aisles so people could “shop”, we were told to put all the rusty cans and dented boxes in the front so they could get rid of those first. At the entrance to the food bank was a clip board, requesting financial information from each needy family that was to enter. We worked hard to set this all up. The day of the food bank was here. No one showed up. No one came to get food. The attitude of the staff was disheartening as it was exclaimed, “they must not be very hungry then”. We packed up our very defeated family and left.
FOOD BANK 2:
As we pulled up to FOOD BANK 2 in Texas, we drove past a line of hundreds of cars, stretching out well over a mile. As the cars entered the gate, they were instructed to form 3 separate lines circling a huge warehouse. As they drove closer to the warehouse, a single line formed again to have each car packed with food under the huge awning. I watched as volunteers walked through the lines with big smiles and baskets of fresh baked cookies.
We joined volunteers in the warehouse for instructions from the Pastor. We were told that our most important job today is to make people feel loved and welcome. I was assigned to the prayer team to go to each car, have conversations, welcome our guests and pray for every single one of them. My family was assigned to the car packing port area. As they walked to their assigned places, they were surrounded by boxes of organic fresh produce, organic whole chicken and hams, fresh baked breads, flowers and multiple name brand products. No dented or rusted can was in sight. Any package that looked questionable was immediately thrown away. There were no papers requesting financial information, only prayer cards. This food bank served over 2,000 people that day. When we left this food bank, we felt invigorated and amazing. We have returned to serve multiple times.
Our take away from this tale:
If we are giving to people so they know that Jesus Loves them, we better not be giving out crap and rusted cans. Can you imagine Jesus handing someone an old rusted can and saying “Here, eat this and I love you”.
Give and Give your BEST! LOVE on everyone as if they are the children of a King, because they are.
