Some of you reading this are familiar with the Facebook page I created just a week ago, called "We Grew Up In Haven, Kansas". What started out with 50 people has now grown ten-fold and man, are we ever having some great conversations there about what it was like to grow up in that little Reno County, Kansas town. What a joy, a true privilege it has been to read their posts about what they recall as kids living there. As a now "grown up" facing birthday number 60 in another 3 years, I've been kinda glad for their recollections. Seems as if my old brain can only store so much info before it goes into "overload" these days. So glad that these friends from the "land of long ago, and very far away" can fill in the gaps of the things I had long ago forgotten about. I think we could just about write a book of our own on the history of our hometown~I consider it to be a blessing just to read what they remember. Kind of like going back in time only this time I'm looking at it through the eyes of a much older person, not the kid that I used to be.
On May 4th, the members of that Facebook page have been invited to participate in an event called "Make a difference for Haven day" in conjunction with the national day, "Joining Hands". It is intended to be a day of community service, of "paying forward" towards our hometown on behalf of all the people who came before us and for those generations that will follow. Many activities of service are in the works and one of the first ones to mention will be the drive to collect food for the Haven Community Food Bank. By the end of that day, it is the hope that we can collect at least 500 food items to "restock" the shelves of the food pantry. As goals go, some might consider it to be a "lofty" one but I am just as sure as can be that "500" things will be no problem. All I have to do is look at the names of that good group of people on the page "We Grew Up In Haven, Kansas" and my faith in reaching that goal is strengthened a whole bunch. It will happen~
I feel blessed to say that in all of my 57 years of being, I have not known what it was like to go hungry. Sometimes my belly has been full with things I didn't particularly care for (like liver and onions, gravy, fish, raisins and olives), but regardless it has been full. I give thanks and credit to my parents for figuring out a way to feed all of us kids through some pretty lean years. Growing up in a family with 7 children in it, I'm sure my mom had to do some creative thinking about how to feed us all. When you are a farming family, times tend to get pretty tight and to stretch a dollar that was already hard to come by in the first place required one of Harry Houdini's acts of magic. Yet somehow she did it and I can say for myself and my 6 siblings that we never went to bed hungry. Of course, we were always admonished to never get "too close and friendly" with any of our pet roosters because you never knew when you might be eating them fried up for breakfast the very next morning. It was one of those weird kind of moments of "pregnant pause", when you would ask one of your siblings after days of searching the farm yard, "Where's Blackie the rooster?" and they would reply, "Peggy, I think we ate him for breakfast on Monday."
Friends, may I ask you a question? Do you know what it's like to be hungry? I mean, REALLY hungry? I hope and pray that your answer is like mine, "NO". Yet sadly, for some who may read this the answer might well be "Yes, I do." I "googled" in the question, "How many hungry people in the U.S.?" According to the online site feedingamerica.org, for 1 in 6 Americans the struggle with hunger is a real issue. If you had to put a "face" on hunger, well just take your pick~the very old and the very young, the unemployed, male or female, college educated or not....ANYONE can fall victim to the problem of not having enough money or other means to purchase the food they need to eat on a regular basis. A lot of people go to bed hungry each night and all of us out there who do not, are only a paycheck or two away from the same possibility happening to us. A sobering thought, isn't it?
Most of you reading this, heck probably ALL of you reading this, have already helped out in one way or another to feed the folks of your community who are in need of help. Maybe you have worked at the soup kitchen or the local food bank. You perhaps sent bags of food to school with your children to donate during the food bank drive or given money to purchase food for those who would have to do without during the holidays. Maybe you are the driver for the local "Meals on Wheels" or you go to the Salvation Army or local homeless shelter to work there. My mom, she always loved to leave food for the mailman to pick up on that special Saturday once a year when the postal service helped to collect food. What ever it might be, you and thousands of others do it, and you do it day in and day out. As always the beautiful thing is this....it is done because you know in your heart that it is the right thing to do. Never done for the "thanks" from those who receive it but rather GIVEN in "thanks" for never having to endure the heartache yourselves.
Well, night time has fallen and the last vestiges of the sun's light have long ago left our side of the earth. I had to stop and slip a sweatshirt on because the chill of this winter night seems to soak through the walls even though the furnace is doing its level best to keep the house warm. But in the littlest of things I do so give thanks....My sweatshirt is warm, my belly is full from supper, and the roof over my head belongs to me. Oh yeah, and about those 500 food items? I'll keep you posted everyone~If there was a bet as to whether or not the "friends of Haven" will come through or not...well, it's a "no-brainer" as to who I am betting on. :)
Good night everyone and a peaceful night's sleep to all of you.
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