- Learn about Manna, the school's
fundraising effort (more...)
- Send us your feedback on the Social
Concerns web
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Help For Hunger
authored by 2nd Year Confirmation Candidates, Rehwoldt group
"... for it is at this time of the year that the need is most keenly felt."
This line from the holiday classic "Scrooge" was meant to seek donations during
the holiday season. Our second year confirmation class noted that our
community generously supports the St. Cletus Food Pantry during the holidays,
only to have them wane during the months in between.
So we elected, as our service project this year, not only to have a mini food
drive to help stock up those shelves "at this time of the year", but also to
learn something about those in need in our community and the greater world
community.
With our respective neighborhood's help, we delivered over 12 large cases of
donated goods, food, and paper products to the Saint Cletus food pantry during
the last week of February 2005. Additionally, we took the time to learn a
bit about "the facts" and organizations that help. We then decided to pass
this information on as part of an ongoing effort to "do our part."
Hunger is the most extreme form of poverty where individuals cannot afford to
meet their most basic need for food:
1.2 billion people currently live below the international poverty line,
earning less than $1 per day.
100 million people are homeless and 2.5 billion have no access to proper
sanitation.
1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.
815 million people in the world are undernourished.
155 million children under 5 are underweight; over 5 million of those die
from hunger each year.
20 million low birth weight babies are born in developing countries; they
often die in infancy.
Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women.
It was truly amazing to see the world come together to aid the victims of the
tsunami. It was a major disaster and the world responded with generosity
and commitment. Unfortunately, although the numbers of affected people are
significantly higher, the ever present "disaster" of the poor and hungry does
not seem to merit the same generosity or commitments.
So next time you are looking through your refrigerator or pantry for a little
snack, think even for a moment about those that won't be having dinner tonight,
much less an after school snack. We cannot possibly help everyone, but
perhaps if we start small (weekly donation of food stuffs to Saint Cletus on
Sundays), just maybe we can create even a welcome difference in the life of
someone less fortunate.
Food can be donated to the Saint Cletus Food Pantry by bring non-perishable
items to the usher's room of church. For more details of what specifically
is needed or to help out, please
Mary Beth Ford
or call her office at 708-215-5418.
Some additional worthwhile organizations that help feed the hunger are:
Adoración Nocturna continues until
8:00pm with song and prayer.
St. Cletus Parish - 600 W. 55th St. - La Grange, IL
60525 - Phone: 708-352-6209
St. Cletus School - 700 W. 55th St. - La Grange, IL 60525 -
Phone: 708-352-4820
