Sep 20
Elysa Blogs - Hunger is Real
HUNGER IS REAL PEOPLE! and alive and thriving in Lower Fairfield County CT
I would like to speak to a subject very close to my heart and that is FOOD.
Many of you know that I LOVE food an LOVE to eat. I am a Taurus and that is one of our vices…Eat, Drink and Be Merry is not only a phrase often associated with a Taurus but one of my many mantras.
This being said, there is a real problem in our country and even more importantly, right here in Lower Fairfield County, CT. If you 
don’t know what lower Fairfield County is, let me tell you…it’s Darien, Stamford, New Canaan, Greenwich, Norwalk, and Wilton! One of the richest counties in our Nation!!!
Hunger is real, people! Alive and sadly, well!
Allow me to introduce you to another subject very close to my heart. It’s the Food Bank of Fairfield County. And even dearer still, the Wilson Memorial Church Pantry ( www.164wilsonfoodpantry.org.). This pantry is coordinated by Joyce Gumbus, a real amazing woman. Her faith in the Lord is unwavering and her belief in taking care of people, their basic needs, is an utter act of selflessness. She is true angel in this community and a real gift to me.
Today, Joyce mentioned she had attended a seminar about hunger. One of the topics addressed in this seminar was “Stress and Hunger.” How people are now taking drastic measures to get food. That we don’t know what people are going through and we don’t know how hungry some one is, both literally and figuratively. That depending upon a persons circumstance, they could become aggressive or even violent. That we, as volunteers, needed to be kind and have a smile and to treat the public as a child of the Lord. To do unto others as we would do unto ourselves.
It made me think, how bad is it and how bad is it going to get? My guess is, frighteningly worse. With what is happening in the world around us, banks falling apart, the weather, gas prices going up and the housing market in disarray, it’s only a matter of time.
And if you think it only affects the poor and ethnic populations, guess again. It’s the bankers wife whose husband just lost his job, the man or woman you pass on the street dressed well, it’s your neighbor and so many more.
As we come upon the Fall and Thanksgiving is the traditional time to give food, please be aware that there is no season for hunger. It knows no boundaries or time or seasons. Hunger is REAL and PRESENT and NOW! It knows no race, creed, color or age. September is HUNGER ACTION month. Please do what you can, even if it’s just a prayer, it can help. Remember, if you only say Thank You, it is enough. To be grateful for all your abundance and by acknowledging it, you are blessed beyond words. You will never go hungry.
Here is part of the 164 Wilson Food Pantry’s mission statement:
Every Thursday from 12:45 to 3:00 pm, AFTER PRAYING, we open our doors and pass out groceries to people in need. We serve between 200 and 400 people every week. These are people we know — our neighbors, local families, children, parents and grandparents. On the last Thursday of the month, with rents due and household cash running low, we provide meat and other essentials.
We obtain most of our food at nominal cost from the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. We also get generous assistance from local donors such as ShopRite Partners in Caring, DiMare Pastry Shop, Toys For Tots, The Neighborhood Church and many others. We spend much of Wednesday and Thursday mornings transporting the food from the Food Bank and the donors to the church, packing the groceries in household-size bags, setting up tables and PRAYING!
As Christians we want to live like Jesus. That means addressing the immediate needs of our neighbors — AND PRAYING! People don’t think of Fairfield County, Connecticut as a place with many poor people. Nestled between the wealthy towns of Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien, portions of the City of Stamford have some of the highest per capita incomes in the nation. But that just means the cost of living here is SO high that the minimum wage cannot support a single person, much less an entire family. In July, 2005, Wilson Memorial Church decided to help.
To get a better understanding of what the situation is like here in this area, please go to the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County’s website: www.foodbanklfc.org.