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...

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…

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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...

Significant Storm Damage

It is not usually the likes of a Hurricane Irene that wreak havoc on the lives of those that come to Manna on Main Street; it is the everyday, unexpected events that can pile up and do the most damage.

I think of a woman who called us a few weeks ago. Her husband was ill, their home was in foreclosure, their electric had been shut off, they had no income, no car and no food. For someone with those significant challenges, there would seem to be no hope at all. While we were not able to help with all of their issues, there are some simple things we did do: we provided them with food, made them aware of other resources available, and perhaps most importantly we listened to them.

Sometimes just having someone to talk to, someone you can trust, can offer hope and relief, even in the midst of the most severe storms...

Sowing and Reaping

As we begin to wind down on our summer Vegetable Basket Program, we remind ourselves that the fresh produce we enjoyed over the past seven weeks or so, was because of the hard work that was invested many months ago. The hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, zucchini, cantaloupes, string beans and corn that was given to families in need, was because of the commitment of care made when the ground was empty. We prepare now for another season, anticipating the harvest to come, knowing that same sense of caring is still with us...

Rescuing Chickens

It happened this past Friday and the Friday before. We received a phone call from a random trucker. Seems he had some left-over cases of chicken from a grocery store delivery; he wanted to know if we could pick them up. In both instances, all we had to do was drive to Versacold (the cold storage facility in Hatfield), help unload the truck and bring the goods back to Manna. The haul from both deliveries was nearly 1,000 pounds of top-quality chicken.

To a large food distributor, the amount of food was trivial. It would have been just as simple to throw it in the dumpster. But what we find in the midst of large corporations is that there are caring individuals; people that will go out of their way to help out, to make a difference. We can decry the insensitivity of big business, and all too readily forget that they are made up of decent folks like most of us...

The $5 million gift

Manna on Main Street received an incredible gift last week, with the accompanying note:

To All the Good People at Manna on Main St.

Please accept this small gift along with my apology for the meager amount. I would like to help your cause more than this as I truly believe in you. However, I also, like so many these days, have been out of work since March/April of 2009. I have often thought of you for help in getting by, but thankfully have managed on my own thus far. After all, there are always people in far worse conditions than oneself. However, the important thing is knowing you are there, for all, any time. That in itself is reassurance which I cannot convey in words.

Thank you for being there.

J.

There was a crumbled $5 bill in the envelope; a fortune...