We received a blessing!
Let me explain: I was working the week after Christmas, catching up with administrative work, finishing a grant report, and getting ready for the next cycle of grant requests, when the doorbell to the warehouse rang. Standing at the door was a woman I had never seen before, asking, in broken English, “Open?”
We weren’t, actually.
We’ve never been open the week after Christmas (which has more to do with staff exhaustion than anything else), but this year we had prepared 30 boxes of dry goods to be handed out on an emergency basis to COVID Navigators seeking food for people who are under quarantine.
The woman at the door had three children; a family of five. And they had no food. So I went and got a box, added some milk, eggs and meat, and brought it out to where they were waiting.
She said “Thank you!” and made the Sign of the Cross–a ritual blessing, especially in the Roman Catholic part of the Christian tradition. Other Christian traditions offer different signs for blessing, while many other religions have their own unique symbols to express blessing. At Food for Greater Elgin, we accept them all! Especially since, in this woman’s case, it was all that she had to give.
I received this blessing for you. Had it not been for your generosity and financial support, I would not have been there, filling out paperwork, and we would not have had food to offer. So we have been blessed, even as we have been a blessing to those in need.
Thank you for your support.
-Michael