A Sobering Experience

This past Saturday was the Gleaners Food Bank 'Scouting for Food' event.  When my sons were active in the Boy Scouts, I drove around dropping off bags at homes one Saturday and picking them up filled with food on the following.  At least once a year, postal workers also drop off bags to be filled with food.

On Saturday morning I placed my bag of food on the front porch and then forgot about it.  It always gets picked up.  So, I was rather surprised to see it still sitting there on Sunday morning.

The bag said that if pick-up was not made, to call Gleaners.  I did exactly that this morning.  I got a recorded message that directed me to their website:  http://www.gcfb.org/.  Once there I went to http://www.pantrynet.org/ to find a local food pantry where I could drop off the donation.

I discovered a place called Hospitality House  in Walled Lake.  I called and discovered that they were open today, so I put the bag in my car and drove over.

I have donated to Lighthouse, Salvation Army, Open Door, veterans groups, but I have never actually gone inside a food pantry.  My heart dropped when I opened the door and saw the room full of people.  Young and old.  It was literally 'standing room only'.  Suddenly, my donation had a face.  Many faces.

Making online donations and giving away our used goods or canned food is very impersonal.  Seeing all of these people waiting to get food, was a very sobering experience.  My understanding is that the response to Saturday's food drive was overwhelming.  But it is not too late to donate whatever you can.