Local Hunger

Seminarian Matthew Robben has a Letter to the Editor in this week's Catholic Telegraph. Nice words, Matt!:

The article, “Food pantries…facing double whammy” in the November 28 issue doesn’t even come close to putting a human face on the situation. I completed a social service project at the Walnut Hills Food Pantry and Soup Kitchen this past April and try to volunteer whenever my schedule allows. This past Tuesday (before Thanksgiving), I dropped off plastic Kroger bags and empty egg cartons (usually in need), helped serve lunch, and assisted in the pantry. What I experienced was unsettling! The lunch line was longer than I had ever seen and we turned away dozens of people seeking groceries from the pantry. The look on the face of the elderly gentleman and the mother with her small child could have broken the hardest, coldest heart!
While the need for money and food are great, food pantries and soup kitchens also need volunteers; volunteers who are willing to look into the eyes of those in need and offer a helping hand. Some parishes sponsor meals once a week/month and provide men and women to work the lunch lines. Where would our soup kitchens and food pantries be if every parish in the Archdiocese did the same? Remember, behind every statistic, quote, and department agency there are human beings, human faces; one look into their eyes and charity will never be the same!

May the Love of Christ always burn in your heart!
Matthew J. Robben
2nd Theology- Mt St Mary Seminary