Can you imagine wondering what you will have to eat for dinner tonight? Not the kind of wondering that leads to a trip to the grocery store, take out restaurant, or night on the town. The kind of wondering that is filled with panic that won’t go away, “What will I have for dinner tonight? How am I going to feed my kids?” Having no fresh milk, vegetables, meat, canned goods. Or maybe having something, but not much and needing to make it look like more. We all have heard stories like this. We are able to read about it and imagine that things aren’t as bad as the author would have us believe. But it happens. It happens to people who live alone. It happens to families. It happens to couples. In this community where we are proud of our title of “Good Neighbors,” people are hungry.

Imagine it is happening to you. What would you do? Where would you turn for help? I would you overcome the feeling of panic or failure that might overcome you as the reality of your situation sinks in? It happens to people in our community and they often turn to the Loaves & Fishes Dining Room our the Potter’s Pantry for assistance. It is hard to swallow one’s pride and ask for help. It is hard to set one’s foot in the door not knowing what kind of reception one might receive. But people have to do it every day. And they come to CEM. We listen to their stories, provide some assistance, give them some phone numbers and ideas about what to do next and send them on their way. Sometimes we hear from them. Sometimes we don’t. But always we know they are grateful for the opportunity to tell their story and take some action on the road to recovery from the crisis they are facing.