Feed My People
If you’ve been in Austin long, you’ve probably interacted in some way with our city’s sizable homeless population. The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department estimates there are about 3,625 homeless individuals here on any given day. We have in our own backyard a tremendous opportunity to heed God’s call to bring hope to the hopeless and to love the unloved. In seeking to love this group of people, it’s hard to think of a better starting point than providing them with a hot meal.
Tuesday morning, a group from All Saints, organized by Joe Christian, took part in the Foundation for the Homeless “Feed My People” program at the First United Methodist Church Family Life Center downtown. Feed My People brings in hundreds of homeless individuals every Tuesday and Thursday morning and, in their words, “let[s] [their] guests experience abundance – in food and love.”
The
morning started with a marathon egg-cracking session, with sixty dozen
eggs making their way to the egg station. Yes, a single contraption
capable of cooking sixty dozen eggs at one time. Amazing.
Countless pans of sausages and biscuits were assembled and baked.
Buckets of orange juice were prepared and set out with the drink
servers. Costco-sized jars of jelly, butter, and salsa soon followed,
and by 6:00 the food was ready and the guests arrived. Tim blessed
the feast and the service commenced, with a line of hungry men and
women forming around the room. The guests came through the serving
line, most smiling, took their food, thanked us, and sat down to enjoy
their meal. The pace was quick, and after an hour all the food was
gone. The guests stayed for awhile, talking with volunteers, picking up
shampoo and other available toiletries, and helping to finish the
cleanup.
It
is a very tangible expression of the Gospel to feed the truly hungry.
May we be those that, in light of being fed, seek to feed others.
More opportunities are already scheduled for this Fall. To find out more, or to get involved in the next kitchen crew, email Joe Christian.