One of the brutal byproducts of the Covid-19 pandemic is hunger. Ac- cording to the US Census Bureau, only 44% of American households with children are “very confident” about providing food for their families. 10%, or 3.5 mil- lion households are “not at all confident.”
Hunger itself has some vicious and even life-long by-products. Undernutrition and malnutrition, especially when someone is very young, can lead to poorer outcomes reaching far into the future. School age children who are hungry cannot con- centrate on their lessons, seriously impinging on their educations.
I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the picture.
Certainly government plays a role in dealing with this situation, but that should not let us off the hook. Traditionally, Holy Redeemer parishioners have helped with Fr. Bob Gettinger’s work. This year, because of the pandemic, things are a bit different. You can make monetary donations to provide $50
Save-a-Lot gift cards. As the bulletin has already mentioned, 3,000 needy families will be seeking help. If you would like to go the more traditional way of giving a food box, they are available in church and are to be brought back next weekend. These foodstuffs will go to our neighboring parish of Immaculate Conception in Maplewood.
No matter how you intend to help, please do so. Do so as a family project. A few weeks ago, we heard the gospel parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Jesus said that he will be present in those who are hungry.
The point should be obvious.
I thank you in advance for your generosity.