Recently, I spent five days with 15 Catholic junior high students on a mission trip called Just 5 Days. Through this blessed experience, I was able to walk alongside Jesus and a remarkable group of young people for five days of my life. These children lived Christ’s message of Do Unto Others (Luke 6:31) in real time. The story could be that simple. But it isn’t.
Working in an impoverished part of Massachusetts, our mission was one of Christian service. Our task? To partner with the Western Massachusetts Food Bank in whatever way possible so as to alleviate hunger’s immediate burden, lighten poverty’s load, carry humanity’s cross. At least for five days. Seems simple. And, truth be told, it was.
The first day, we were tasked with sorting through carrots. Thanks to the generosity and strategic partnership with neighboring farms, the Western MA Food Bank receives thousands of pounds of donations in both perishable and non-perishable goods. Our job was to “weed” through 5,872 pounds of carrots and separate the rotten ones from the good ones. By the end of the day, we were tired of the color orange and developed a whole new appreciation for broccoli, cauliflower and even brussels sprouts.
The second and third day, however, is where the rubber met the road- the road to Heaven, that is.
Moving from indirect service to direct service, our group was assigned to a food pantry and soup kitchen. In the basement of a small facility, we sorted and organized hundreds of food items. Cans of beans, beets and corn. Boxes of cereal, pasta and noodles. And lots and lots and lots of discards from people’s kitchen pantries. Random boxes of pudding mix, individual packets of oatmeal and hot chocolate, foods whose names are hard to pronounce, and cans of foods that were hard to classify as edible (waxed apples?). As random and odd food items passed through my hands, I thought to myself, “Who would donate such a thing?” The answer, if I am honest, is people like me.
Every autumn when the Post Office or Boy Scouts collect food, I (in my classic state of hurriedness) will rummage through the kitchen shelves looking for things to give. What do I commonly choose? The things our family has forgotten to eat. Things for which we have multiples. Accumulated items from leftover parties or events. Where is Jesus in my choices? Why does a person with an empty pocketbook deserve to eat less desirable food than my family? Hunger doesn’t discriminate; why do I?
One thing we noticed as we sorted cans and stocked shelves was the overwhelming abundance of green beans and canned beets. Clearly, grocery stores must have regular sales (two for the price of one!) on these vegetables. The pantry shelves overflowed with these two items. And while the pantry volunteers readily acknowledged that canned goods are indeed greatly needed, they stressed the importance of particular canned goods- Chunky soups, Spam, beef stews. (These items are more filling, it seems.) Oh, and can openers. (Homeless people don’t carry can openers, it seems.) They reminded us that Americans tend to give generously around the holidays but not so much in spring and summer. (Hunger doesn’t distinguish between months, it seems.) It seems I could do much better at waking my conscious to the needs of others.
On our final day, we were assigned to serve at a mobile food pantry. In 91 degree heat, people lined up an hour before the pantry opened to ensure they would receive the day’s offerings: orange juice, fresh greens, onions, potatoes and, yes, carrots. They each came with a single bag, most on foot, all with dignity. Their feet were driven by hunger; their pride was tucked into their back pocket. Women and men. Children and teens. All races, ethnicities, and ages. There was no reprieve that day- either from the heat or the heartbreak.
As we departed from our week of service, my hope for the children and for myself is simple. When we walk the aisles of the next grocery store, may we see the faces of those we served behind each canned good and each loaf of bread. May we think of them not only at Thanksgiving and Christmastime but all year long. And may we never forget the week… where we found Jesus in the kitchen.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
