Sunday 7 December 2014

Hunger.

Yesterday's words from the Archbishop of Canterbury on food banks and hunger sat with me all day and are still here today...

The fear of hunger, the actuality of hunger was with me for much of my childhood. I know how it feels.

After the war my mum worked in a cotton mill whilst my father found work hard to get.

We ate on Friday night because that was when she got paid. We had food over the weekend but for the rest of the week there was simply no food in the house! Thank God for free school dinners and milk!

I know how hunger feels...the emptiness and the cold, the quiet desperation went hand in hand with the need not to let anyone else know....I was ashamed of my hunger as are many people today.

If food banks had existed then we would have used them....I think though I'm not certain.

The thought that other people today are suffering the same quiet desperation is horrific to me and has induced guilt....here I am , comfortable and warm with food in the fridge...

It's how to assuage that guilt that's the problem.....I shudder at the thought of playing lady bountiful...so I take stuff to the collection points in the churches fully aware of the inadequacies of that gesture...

My charitable giving doesn't really tackle the problem but it's better than nothing...

I try not to waste food but sometimes it's inevitable...

As an old woman now the best I can do is pray...for all those homeless and for those whose hunger is a daily grind.... And for those in authority who have the power to alleviate the poverty...

"Feed my sheep." I know Jesus meant spiritual refreshment but actual food is just as necessary.

 

1 comment:

Babs said...

what else can we do Jean Like you I give and buy for the food banks and yes I feel so helpless, bt in actul fact we have always contributed by paying our NHS dues so they get free health care and pay our taxes, yes even at our time of life. to enable them to claim benefits. So my love there iisint much else we can do except hope that the government of the day curb the immigration so there is more money available for our own x