There will come a day when there will be no need to yammer on about the importance of lending a hand to someone less fortunate, as I did a couple of years back to mark this day, Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season, and its importance.
But today, so far, is not that day, so here goes (again). The previous time I called it.
Help, Lent, and Other Four Letter Words
Our winter weather has afforded me a chance to do something I don't do very successfully or too often: think. (I suspect the former is contingent on the latter). Let’s face it, even though we gripe sometimes (me especially), our lives are pretty cozy. It’s easy to think everyone lives as well because we may not know, or know of, anyone who wakes up in a cold house and has to choose between food or fuel, for themselves and their family every morning.
Certain times of the year, like the Christmas holidays, we’re better able to see those in our community who need a helping hand; but the need for assistance is year-round. And that brings me to now. We all understand the strain the pandemic has precipitated; money is tight, and so are the times. But if you're reading this at the breakfast table or on break at work, trust me when I tell you we are better off than many who live in our state, perhaps even on our street.
I have never needed to make a 'Heat or Eat' decision and I hope, neither have you. New England winters can be bone-numbingly cold in the best of times, but when you're choosing to pay your heating bill or to buy groceries, that’s a no-win decision that can freeze your heart and crush your hope. In a nation that prides itself on how we care for and about one another, Heat or Eat should be a turn of phrase none of us has ever heard or used.
Like you, I do what I can, when I can, for the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry but I have no illusions that our spur of the moment donations are anything more than trying to bail out the ocean with a teaspoon.
Regular, planned contributions to agencies like the Connecticut Food Bank help get the tools such as mobile food banks to those on the front lines in the battle against hunger at a time when over four hundred thousand Connecticut residents every month need some form of assistance from agencies who are supported by the Food Bank.
That number includes nearly a quarter of a million children who are "food insecure" (= a sociology term for no reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable and nutritious food). Hand-wringing and head-shaking solve nothing because even one child is one too many. The solution isn't in Washington or Hartford, it's in each of us.
Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the start of Lent, a time of sacrifice. How about this year, instead of giving something up, we give something to those who are helping others? Time, talent, treasure, it's your choice.
Together, we can change the world, one meal at a time. Become a sustaining donor today and make a difference starting tomorrow.
-bill kenny
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