Ah, late October. That time of year between the back-to-school rush and holiday chaos. It’s the season to take a few long, slow breaths and regroup before we lose our minds in that most wonderful time of the year. For many, it’s a season of productivity now that the kids are reestablished in their school, homework and activity routines, and we’re just beginning to think about finishing out the year, what we’ll buy for Christmas, and how we’ll rearrange our lives to accommodate family, workplace, and other seasonal expectations.
Soon, it will be Thanksgiving, a time for celebrating the abundance of God’s provision and blessings. A time to be surrounded with family and friends, taking stock of all we hold dear and praising God for it.
And—it’s a time when food is too easily taken for granted at our overflowing tables.
Perhaps it’s time we take a moment and not only reflect on all that we are thankful for, but also on how we can take those blessings and direct them at those who Jesus called “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). Unfortunately, there are far too many children in New Mexico who will not be overindulging this Thanksgiving. Approximately 25% of New Mexico’s children live in food insecure homes, meaning they have little to no access to regular, nutritional meals. An estimated 3,750 children and youth in APS alone qualify as homeless.
We are no strangers to terrible statistics here in New Mexico. We hear them all the time. We rank low on the good lists, high on the bad. We make light of it to avoid having to face the ugly reality that would require us to take immediate action and fight for change. The bold truth, however, is that God has called us to help those in need. Childhood homelessness and hunger is one of the least talked about critical issues in our state, mainly because children don’t have the ability to reach out to the community and advocate for themselves.
Feed NM Kids is a ministry of New Mexico Prays and is part of a community-wide outreach of local churches and businesses working to make a significant impact in the lives of our state’s children. This ministry applies a practical approach to feeding at-risk kids by providing fully ready-to-eat meals and snacks that are easy to open and ready to consume on the spot throughout the year.
This fall, Feed NM Kids, with the help of APD, APS Nutrition Services, and other area ministries, is committing to provide meal boxes for thousands of homeless and needy students and their families through the A Seat at the Table program. APS Nutrition Services will purchase the food in bulk and use their facilities to prepare and package the boxes, which will then be distributed to Title I schools during Thanksgiving week. These boxes are revolutionary, as unlike traditional Thanksgiving meal baskets, these are already fully prepared and require no cooking. Homeless families and those without access to a kitchen or cooking skills will be able to simply enjoy a safely prepared, nutritious holiday meal.
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Harvest has pledged to donate 50 baskets, each of which will feed a family of four. These baskets cost approximately $40 each. Please consider supporting our pledge this fall with your donation of any amount. We will be taking up a special offering to contribute to this ministry and fulfill our pledge on Sunday, November 11. You can choose to contribute beforehand by simply adding a note and an amount to your regular tithes and offerings, or bring your donation on that date. You can also volunteer to help distribute these food boxes in area schools. Together with other area churches and ministries, we can reach over 2,000 families this Thanksgiving!
For more information on Feed NM Kids and its affiliate, New Mexico Prays, click on the links here in this posting.
Love each other. Love your church. Love your city.
Harvest, Go be the Church!
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