The Holiday Spirit

 

by Dr. Chad Audi

In the spirit of the holidays, a Florida judge has presented a gift to 90-year-old Arnold Abbott. The elderly World War II veteran had been arrested and given several citations for violating an ordinance that prohibits feeding the homeless in public in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But, now the judge has temporarily halted the ordinance.

For several years, Mr. Abbott’s non-profit organization has fed the city’s homeless. Supporters from around the world empathized with Abbott and his efforts to make sure all of the city’s hungry were fed.

Although the nation’s homeless population is the most vulnerable to hunger, an estimated 50 million Americans go to bed and awake hungry, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. That’s an incredible number. And sadly, about one in five of them are children.

Here at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), we serve thousands of people who are experiencing food insecurity. We feed more than 3,500 people each day. In addition to the homeless individuals in our shelters, we serve dinner to members of the community who can’t afford to eat regularly or provide nutritious meals for their families.

DRMM also reaches out to communities surrounding Detroit to help those in need. This holiday season, we donated food boxes to 50 families in the neighboring city of Dearborn, Michigan. The U.S. Census Bureau reports nearly 26-percent of that city’s population lives below the poverty level. Each food box included items such as turkey, beef, rice, cooking oil, seasonings and sugar — enough to last a family of six for two weeks. In total, the families have more than 150 children.

Won’t you open your hearts this holiday season and help us feed the hungry?

“For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25: 35)
Dr. Chad Audi

Homelessness Awareness Week

By Dr. Chad Audi

As the country commemorates National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, there is a renewed call to fight poverty. It’s appropriate that this observation occurs each year just before Thanksgiving, a time when people think about what they are thankful for and a time when more people reach out to the disadvantaged to provide them with help and hope.

The annual observance is co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. More than 500 schools, communities and cities participate by bringing greater awareness to the issues of hunger and homelessness through various events and activities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates there are approximately 664,414 people in this country who are homeless each night. This week marks a time for the nation to work together in an effort to end hunger and homelessness. There is strength in numbers. Organizers want participants to hold events such as sleep outs on college campuses, educational forums on hunger and homelessness, fasts, community service days, and fundraising drives. There’s a lot that you can do to bring these issues to the forefront of people’s minds.

So what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? A steady job? Good health? Family and friends? Whatever it may be, in the spirit of the holiday, reach out and help those less fortunate this holiday season and let others know that we are all responsible for making this a better world for everyone. And remember the three A’s: Awareness, Advocacy and Action!