Feeding neighbors … and the world

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The recent hurricane disasters in Texas and Florida have reminded me of the life-saving importance of having an adequate supply of food and potable water available for all the citizens of any community.

I often take it for granted that a healthy meal awaits me on the shelves of any of our local grocery stores. We can shop and cook, or shop and just warm up a tasty meal.

For Debbie and me, somehow Friday night has evolved into our date night … date night at Kroger.

We used to go out on Friday evening for dinner, some relaxation and a few laughs. As we got a bit older, we started going out and getting home earlier and earlier.

At some point, we went for dinner and then stopped at Kroger on the way home. I’ve always heard it’s better to go grocery shopping on a full stomach.

The point is that a huge portion of our population doesn’t even think about where their next meal is coming from. They have a full pantry and a full refrigerator. When hunger strikes, they’re ready to eat.

When most people in this area feel a slight thirst, they have a choice of beverages chilling in the fridge. Open the pantry and whip up some ice tea or lemonade. Turn on the tap and fresh water, ready to drink, comes flowing from the spigot.

We don’t need to walk miles for fresh water. It’s available at the sink.

Several years ago, a group of teenagers and adults from the Wilmington United Methodist Church traveled over 1,000 miles to work together on a mission trip in South Dakota. Our assigned task was to assist the Native Americans who lived at the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation.

We worked hard every day, both youth and adults. At the end of each tiring day, we would drive about 12 miles to the Crow Creek Tribal Schools, where we lived while in South Dakota. Every night, we cleaned up, ate and slept at the school.

We worked with several young members of the Sioux Tribe to rebuild a youth center. We performed some major repairs on an old church just south of Fort Thompson. We also repainted their Veterans Memorial Lodge. It was hot and we worked hard under the blazing South Dakota sun.

After several long, hot days, we completed our projects and prepared for the 1,000-mile drive home. The many members of the tribe wanted to show their appreciation to us by hosting a traditional Native American meal on our last night.

A large crowd of Sioux, young and old, joined us for dinner that evening. The Tribal Chief came to thank us for our hard work. Just before our meal, he called on us to join him in prayer.

He asked God’s blessing on the food.

The food … Well, the food was not what we were used to — very little is wasted by the Sioux when they prepare a meal.

The main dish, chicken soup, was memorable. We expected noodles and chicken chunks. When we stirred our bowls, we saw some meat. We also saw beaks, parts of the chicken’s legs, feet and toes and some bones. I think every part of the chicken was used except for the cackle and the feathers.

Some of us ate most of it. Some ate parts of it. Some looked and ate nothing. We all stirred the food around on our plates and tasted what looked familiar, but most of the food was not eaten.

At the end of the formal meal, we carried our plates to the kitchen window and scraped the excess into a trash can before handing in our plates. After we took our seats, the Chief looked into the trashcan and asked for our attention.

He appreciated the work we had done, our sweat and our efforts.

But, he said, “I cannot believe how much food you wasted. Before we started eating, this food was blessed by our God, and you threw it away.”

He was right. We had wasted quite a bit of food.

His comments have stayed with me.

Most of us are blessed to have more than enough food, but even here in Clinton County we have friends and neighbors who do not have enough eat. We need to remember them.

We do not need to travel 1,000 miles to find people in need. They live right here in our neighborhoods.

Thank God, we have the Community Action Program (CAP), Your Father’s Kitchen and many other church-sponsored food pantries that are dedicated to feeding others.

This past year, CAP provided 27,083 home delivered meals and fed 6,327 senior citizens at the Wilmington Savings Bank Senior Citizens Center on Nelson Road. Forty qualifying households in Clinton County also receive monthly food boxes. CAP also operates a food pantry that assisted 788 local households with food valued at over $150,000.

However, Your Father’s Kitchen, Community Action and many other pantries need your help. Donations of money will always be welcome, because they can then buy in bulk to get the biggest bang for your buck.

God has blessed us. Let’s be a blessing to others.

Randy Riley is President of Council of Wilmington.

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Randy Riley

Contributing columnist

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