Every November, churches across the U.S. collect food for those in need to celebrate Thanksgiving. This year more churches should start planning and gathering food early not just for Thanksgiving but also for the weeks before and after.
The number of Americans using food stamp government assistance has risen to record levels. In May, over 10% of the total U.S. population received food stamps.
In order to reach all of these people, churches must do more than what they have done in the past.
(via Good)
As a minister, I have seen the effects of this rise with a growing number of people, even those dressed nicely and driving nice cars stopping by asking for anything they can feed their family. Our church has always had a small canned food pantry and is now making it bigger, filling it with boxed meal sets, soups, canned meats, etc. There truly is a tremendous need out there with amazing ministry opportunity.
[...] these findings encompass decades of ups and downs, do not forget that current food stamp usage is at record levels (10%+ of the total U.S. population). Simultaneously, 80% of food banks can not meet demand (based [...]
A friend of ours shared a story with us regarding this. She lost her job (due to the economy and cut backs) and could not find a job for a very long time. During that time she had to get help from her church with food. While she was at the storehouse she saw people from ALL walk of life there who needed help. There was this one lady who was putting groceries into the back of her super expensive truck. It was just an eye opener that even if someone looks well off, they could be struggling too.