Monday, September 26, 2011

Giving Up

For some of the folks that come to Manna on Main Street, giving up is their only option. The rent is three months past due, the electric is turned off and the unemployment has run out. They've exhausted their family's resources and there is nowhere else to turn to.

Our task then, is to also give up, but in a different context. We give up by giving more; increasing our caring, looking for other opportunities to alleviate the suffering. We have resources, food, income, a support network, but most importantly we have a choice. Something the little ones of this earth do not have...

Monday, September 19, 2011

Enough for Today

As many people know, the origin of manna can be found in a story from the Bible. One of the characteristics of the manna, the bread from heaven, was that it was to be enough for the day, not something to be stored up for the future.

That principle applies to this Manna, the one on Main Street, as well. We do not always know about our future, where all the food will come from, what kind of support we will receive to pay our bills and provide aid to those we serve. But that’s good enough for us. We know that for today, we are here. We have faith in this community that we will be here for tomorrow.

That faith has carried us for nearly 30 years, and prayerfully, for many years to come…

Monday, September 12, 2011

>0

More and more. That's the best way to describe it. More and more people coming to us with impossible situations.

Just a couple of weeks ago a woman called. Her husband was ill and unable to work. She was unemployed, the home was in foreclosure, the car insurance had expired and they had no food in the house. There was no possible means for Manna to dig them out of this deep hole, and she knew that. Still, she called, as others do, to share their story.

What they are seeking is not so much a solution to their problems: they hunger for a sympathetic ear, advise on next steps, what they might expect, what options they have.

We provide a non-judgmental ear, offer them food, direct them to other resources. But mostly we show them we care. Often it's not enough, but it greater than zero...