Food For Thought

WHEW!  What a month!

December was an extremely busy month, with lots of food drives, our Toy Shoppe, and all sorts of activity.  After a long year and a crazy month, we are taking a short break to refresh ourselves for the new year!  Our offices and pantries will be closed until Monday, January 4, 2010.  In the meantime, you will find all necessary information below, or you can click on the navigation at the top of the page to find out more about what we do.

Thank you all for your wonderful support throughout 2009!  Without our volunteers, we would not be able to accomplish all that we do.

THANK YOU!

PANTRY CLOSINGS:

Our pantry located at New Harvest Christian Church will reopen on Monday, January 4, 2010.  Our mobile pantry will not be on the move again until Thursday, January 7.  Please click on the “Pantries” tab to learn more about our pantries.

FRIDAY NIGHT GATHERINGS/SATURDAY MORNING PICNICS:

Our Friday Night Volunteer Gatherings and Saturday Morning Picnics are STILL ON.  For Friday Nights: We will meet both December 25th (yes, Christmas Day!) and January 1st (yes, New Year’s Day!) at 6pm at New Harvest Christian Church, 3540 Seaman Road in Oregon.  If you would like to participate, simply show up!  If you plan on joining us, please bring a loaf of bread or your leftover holiday cookies to add to our lunches!

Saturday mornings (including December 26th and January 2nd) we will meet at 10:15 a.m. outside the main library downtown, located at the intersection of Michigan and Adams streets.

IF YOU NEED FOOD:

Please come to the pantry at New Harvest Christian Church on Monday, January 4, 2010.  You will need a photo I.D. (driver’s license) and social security cards for all dependents.  We are open from 10am-2pm, Monday through Thursday.

IF YOU NEED HELP RIGHT AWAY:

Please call 211, and they will direct you to any pantries that are open, or places serving hot meals.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER:

Please join us at one of the gatherings listed above. If you cannot make it, or would like to volunteer in our pantry or office, please use the contact form located on this website, and we will be in contact with you in the new year.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION:

Please read the following letter for more information.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The harsh, bitter cold has hit Northwest Ohio.

Many of us only have to deal with the chilled-to-the-bone feeling briefly – while we walk from our cars to a building, shovel snow off our driveways, or wait outside school to pick up our children.  But for many, the chilled-to-the-bone feeling is a long term or permanent one, as they battle the cold, fighting for survival on the streets.

We want to help provide some tools for survival…and we could use your help.  Food For Thought is putting together “Survival Backpacks” which we will give away in January to our friends on the street.  Each backpack will contain a blanket and some winter wear items.

We are currently collecting:

• Backpacks
• Blankets
• Hats
• Scarves
• Gloves

If you are able to donate any of these items, please call our office at 419.972.1338, or drop them off at our office, located inside New Harvest Christian Church, at 3540 Seaman Road.  Please consider helping us keep someone warm this winter.

All of us receive e-mail forwards, usually filled with annoying “pass or you’ll get hit by a bus” pleas at the conclusion.  Most days at my office, I receive at least 4 or 5 from friends, family and colleagues.   Some, I delete as soon as I receive them, some, I read and forget about, but sometimes I find ones that are so good that I have to share them with someone.

This is one such forward:

A holy man was having a conversation with God one day and said, “God, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

God led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.  In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly and appeared to be famished. Each person sitting had a spoon with a very long handle strapped to their arms.  While this allowed them to scoop the soup from the pot, they could not scoop the soup back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

God said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.  There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, “I don’t understand…”

“It is simple,” said God. “It requires but one skill.”

“You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”

This story really hit home for me, not only because of its Christian principles, but also because it embraces what is so crucial to our organization.  We are many volunteers with many hands that together help to feed those that need it, and in the process develop wonderful relationships with those that we serve.

I would always share my spoon with you.  Who are you sharing yours with?