Blogtober Writing Challenge: Confront
Putting my MRP skills to work
Yesterday, using techniques I learned from the Motorcycle Relief Project I acknowledged some of the lows I have recently been experiencing. Today I celebrate a high that reminds me there is always something to be grateful for, even in the most challenging of situations.
The painful reality of hunger
According to the USDA, 34 million people in the United States are food insecure. As a former teacher I find it especially painful to know that 9 million of those hungry people are children.
To add insult to injury, rural regions like where I grew up and currently and currently live are especially hard hit. The last two years of the pandemic have exacerbated this already difficult reality.
Confronting that reality
Truthfully, sometimes I allow myself to become overwhelmed by situations like that. Then I see things like Share Fest 2022 which confronts that reality and restores my hope for the world. Our congregation joined with congregations and organizations from across southeast Missouri to collect food, hygiene kits, school and baby supplies for people in need.
The $6,500 worth of items we collected does not sound like much, but when it is combined with others it can make a serious difference. This year’s figures are not yet available, but in recent years Share Fest has received over $70,000 worth of contributions in Dexter alone.
Today’s high is the knowledge that although hunger is real, it is not the end of the story. There are still people working together to ensure that everyone can have enough.
It is that reality for which I am SOFNGR8FL today.
