By  Les Ferguson, Jr.

Columnist

November is typically a busy month for me. Every year our church is in charge of the community Pantry for the month. Except for the week of Thanksgiving, I join others in helping a few hours a day, three days a week. Sometimes, I unload trucks. Sometimes, I stock shelves. But most of my time each week is spent loading groceries into the cars and trucks of grateful recipients.

A determined company of volunteers does all the work. This happy crew willingly spends their valuable time serving the less fortunate. The volunteers are an exciting mix of senior citizens, middle-aged folk, and dozens of university students. I’m privileged to serve with them. 

Our clients are typically retired and on a fixed income, people struggling to make ends meet, and others simply down on their luck. Maybe it’s an indictment of our culture, but so many are genuinely in need. It’s incredible how much of a blessing a load of basic groceries can be.

Jesus once said that people experiencing poverty will always be with us. As a minister, I’ve often encountered those whose financial situations were much less than desired. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve struggled a time or two to make ends meet, but that was a long time ago and never to this extreme. 

Here’s an unfortunate truth: in one of the wealthiest countries on the world stage, far too many people struggle with food insecurity. So many families wrestle unsuccessfully to meet their basic needs. Some live in conditions worthy of the third world. Endemic poverty is a robber baron destroying potential and hope.

It’s not my intent to be a downer at Thanksgiving. But I do want to be mindful of how precious it is to have family, be loved, and not worry about how to eat or where to sleep. I want to remember that life is hard for many.

If I could challenge you with one more thing, it would be this: as the holiday season gets into full swing, tap into your reasons for joy and let that flow into generosity. You can be a blessing to many!

“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over — will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬ ‭CSB‬‬)